Needed: A star not just above Bethlehem

It's no small irony that religions - essentially branded sets of behaviour for 'being and doing good' - are also the purported source of discord, disputes and conflicts. Within this paradox lies the matter of quarrels of proprietorship over 'sacred sites'. Today being Christmas, let's take Bethlehem, revered as the place where Christ was born some 2,022 years ago. Thanks to the ongoing war in Gaza, this city in Israeli-occupied West Bank is having a tense, sombre Christmas for the second time in so many years. Tourism was once the city's mainstay, fuelling 70% of its economy. Hotel occupancy is down to 3%. Pre-Covid visitor numbers of 2 million in 2019 are now under 10,000 in 2024. This town, reenacted in countless nativity scenes across the world, will be in war-imposed lockdown this Christmas while we celebrate.

Closer home, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat recently cautioned against an 'unacceptable trend of wannabe Hindu leaders raking up temple-mosque issues at various sites'. Predictably, this has drawn flak from 'both sides' - from those who think he is 'unduly getting soft', as well as from those who believe him to indulge in double-speak. Some religious leaders have also stated that matters of faith should be decided by 'dharmacharyas', not leaders of 'cultural organisations' like RSS. As if in India, culture and religion is kept in separate, airtight silos.

The fact is, who says something matters as much as - if not more than - what is being said. So, Bhagwat's warning against right-wing groups moving courts seeking the demolition of mosques they claim to have been built on ancient temple sites is welcome. Lest it be forgotten, religions exist to arouse peace and kinship, with all the differences that exist in the world.