True, a solution to the Ayodhya land dispute, which has been hanging fire for six decades, cannot be found in less than a week's time (“Ayodhya: is a solution possible?” Sept 27). When the Allahabad High Court is eventually permitted to pronounce its judgment, one party will surely be dissatisfied and it will approach the Supreme Court. Can the Supreme Court deliver a judgment satisfying both parties? Quite unlikely. What, then, is the solution to the vexed issue?
I feel the solution lies not in any court judgment but in strong public opinion favouring peace, communal harmony and a spirit of give and take. This will discourage the vested interests from once again igniting the communal fire.
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I am 58 years old and, often, unable to accept the acts of the younger generation, including my own children. But after reading the report “Uttar Pradesh votes for peace on Ayodhya” (Sept. 27), I was extremely pleased.
The maturity shown by the young is commendable. They have understood the issue better and have a clearer vision.
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D. Darwin Albert Raj,
Kalpakkam
Nobody believes that the verdict in the Babri Masjid title case will be the end of all legal tangles. The loser is likely to approach the Supreme Court.
But I have a word for the main contenders. The Ayodhya movement is no longer a vote-catching slogan for the BJP. Hindus have perhaps lost interest. The Babri Masjid Action Committee, too, should be cautious.
Suresh Kumar,
Kochi
If it is not possible to resolve the Ayodhya issue, can we explore the possibility of building a memorial at the disputed site so that people from both religions are satisfied?
M.S.R.A. Srihari,
Khammam
The best solution is to build a place of worship which incorporates the architectural features of a mosque and a temple. The foundation stone should be laid together by leaders of both religions. The sacred event will set an example of religious tolerance and communal harmony to the whole world.
Pragati Rana,
Haryana
Since the Babri Masjid title suit is a dispute between two religious communities, the fourth estate, leaders of political parties and heads of religious groups must appeal to all sections to maintain peace and tranquillity after the verdict. The media and political leaders maintain that violence has no religion. But those who are behind communal violence and terrorism do belong to some religion.
E. Sunny Joseph,
Thrissur
The Ayodhya dispute is a God-sent opportunity for Muslims to demonstrate the magnanimity imbibed in Islam and reap long-term gains. If the court verdict goes against them, they should not only gracefully accept it, but also congratulate the winning party with an embrace. If it goes in their favour, they should offer it back to the Hindu brothers as a goodwill gesture of mutual respect. The benefits: It will turn around the opinion of millions of Hindu brothers and the goodwill earned will benefit over 130 million Muslims who are craving to live in peace, grow with the nation, and equally benefit from its economic growth. We need to realise the hard fact that Muslims being in a minority cannot always live in the hope of protection from the government and their political leaders, and bank on reservation and quotas. It is the goodwill of the majority community that will help them grow educationally, economically and socially.
It is time Muslims won back whatever has been lost due to the Ayodhya dispute. The greatest gain is that the gifting gesture will pre-empt the political designs of the extremist and fascist forces operating in the country. My appeal to the Muslim leaders at the helm of the Ayodhya dispute is that they should give a chance to the young aspiring Muslim youth to live and benefit from the country's growth and leave behind the Babri Masjid demolition as a forgotten bad dream.
Jalees Ahmed Khan Tareen,
Vice-Chancellor,
Pondicherry University