Religion vs Religion

It was barely a week before extremism struck Benazir Bhutto, that i had a revelation- that all's not well in the world. And yet there would always be that ray of hope....or maybe that lightning, which seems to separate two clouds, but in another perception, could actually be the cementing force between two stray clouds.

It was my rare vacation, for many reasons. I was putting up at my best friend's house who happens to be a Muslim. In the normal course of discussion, I would have thought the mention of religion unnecessary, but because it has some significance in what I saw and felt, the mention is unavoidable.

A family of doctors with both children now settled abroad. Traumatized by the occurrences of 2002 Gujarat riots and its aftermaths on his family living in a so called civilised part of Delhi, my best friend now has no intentions of permanently returning to India. His parents however, continue to live here, but are happy that at least their children are out of the mess.

So my vacation was fine, with gosht (mutton) being served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Again, there was no real need to mention the food, but it was just something so alien for my somewhat vegetarian Brahmin background. One of these days we also happened to go for another friend's wedding- Vikram Verma marrying Natasha (From California USA- that's what was printed on the wedding card!!) No points for guessing she was a firang and our dear friend did initially have a tough time convincing his Sikh parents for the match with a Christian gori! But the match was made and they were sweetly married....with Natasha now making paranthas for the entire family!

As soon as we entered, Vikram and Natasha were quick to touch my friend's parents feet for their blessings. The parents gladly obliged. Then there were drinks and food. And as the conversation veered from Childhood to Adulthood....from Narendra Modi to Sonia Gandhi....it was something that my best friend's dad said that has stayed with me throughout. He was watching Vikram follow the usual traditions and quipped,

“ There is this one custom that I miss in our own religion- of touching the elders' feet. It makes perfect sense.”

He talked with such admiration and longing for an alien custom that he so desired was a part of his own beliefs. Call me naïve, but it was the first time I had come across anyone who had actually had expressed his desire to involve a custom of another religion into his own. And its not just about a Muslim wanting it, but I have never even heard of a Hindu talking about such accommodation of religious convictions.

So there we were three Muslims and a Hindu, a Sikh marrying a Christian....a milieu of customs, traditions, beliefs....all tucked under one roof. Some memories of childhood, when we religious differences were a part of the emotional bonding or making conversation (This is what we do, what do you?) And now decades later, they were just differences- sans any innuendos.
But amidst this ...also those very differences that form a part of virtual admiration and trust in the other. Still a binding factor- like that same very lightning I mentioned. Matter of perception.