Your, mine, and our religion

World Religion Day

Initiated in 1950 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, World Religion Day is now globally observed on the third Sunday of January each year. The purpose remains to encourage an understanding about the different faiths across the world. Through inter-faith dialogue, the day aims to raise awareness about the similarities in philosophies of the world's religions.

Zoroastrianism

Cyrus Dastur, Founder, Shamiana — The Short Film Club, says he is tired of hearing how his community is shrinking. "People think Zoroastrians are just Parsis who live in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, speak Gujarati and wear strange looking hats. That is just a convenient stereotype. The community is spread across the world in places like Central Asia, New Zealand, England and the USA. What most people do not know is that there has been a resurgence of Zorastianism in Iran, Kurdistan and many parts of Russia," reflects Dastur. He says such misinformation spreads panic within the community. He estimates the number of Zoroastrians to be between 5 million to 10 million as opposed to 50,000 to 70,000. He doesn't mind the 'eccentric' tag though. "Well, we are happy people who know how to enjoy life. We have a smile on our face and a spring in our step. If that is seen as being eccentric, so be it!"

Jainism

Pune-based fashion entrepreneur, Ruchika Jain, says she finds it disturbing that some think Jains are backward. A lot of Jain culture is based on ancient Indian sciences like Ayurveda which hold merit even today. "For instance, we eat food before sunset because it gives one's system time to metabolise food before going to bed," she explains. "People obsess about our vegetarianism, but why does my compassion bother you," she asks. Jain also finds it insulting when people make fun of Digambar Jain munis who don't wear any clothes. "They want to live the way we were born. Being naked is a sign of liberation from desire and material things. They are not perverts or paedophiles," Jain argues. At the same time, she admits that the community needs to rethink fasting for long periods because it can lead to health complications, especially among children.

Islam

Sahar Suhail Deshmukh, a Manchester-based voice-over artist says the greatest misconception about Islam is that it oppresses women. "The Holy Quran and the Hadith clearly spell out laws pertaining to a woman's ownership of property, marriage, divorce, wages and domestic work. In fact, Islam was the first religion to encourage widow remarriage," says Deshmukh. She believes that the proponents of patriarchy have misinterpreted Islam to subjugate women. The Holy Quran says that man and woman were created equal and that they shall be rewarded or punished equally for their deeds on the Day of Judgement. As far as the concept of purdah goes, Deshmukh says both men and women are directed to dress modestly and must lower their gaze to avoid temptation in Islam. "I wear a hijab because I like it, not because I have been forced or oppressed," she insists.

Hinduism

Mantra, a 33-year-old film and television artist from Mumbai does not agree with the narrow definition of Hinduism. "I wonder why we need custom-made religions and tailor-made gods. My connection with Lord Shiva is so sublime, it's like when a dew drop meets the ocean and they become indistinguishable," he says. The philosophical aspects of Hinduism are more valuable than the rituals and practices that are associated with it. "The ancient form of Hinduism isn't even a religion but a way of life common to most pagan civilizations. They had several similarities and it feels a bit constricting if we give these cultures a narrow definition," says Mantra.

Hinduism has been appropriated by a few who chose to codify and define it as per their values, he says.

Sikhism

Sharanjeet Singh Saluja, a 33-year-old entrepreneur from Indore says he is saddened by the jokes about his community. "As far as the joke about midnight goes, that has a dark history. Back in the time of Aurangzeb, his armies would abduct women and children in the middle of the night to torture them. Guru Gobind Singh ji started patrolling villages at midnight to prevent such abductions. Many times his armies would clash with the Mughals at midnight to protect women and children. That is where the sardar ke barah baj gaye jokes began," he says. He also wonders why people think Sikhs were originally Hindus. "Guru Nanak ji had his own philosophy that evolved into a religion. Some followers were Muslims and many belonged to agricultural communities, but not necessarily Hindu. The people influenced by Guru Nanak just started following his philosophy."

Judaism

30-year-old environment journalist, Jemima Rohekar, is often mistaken for a foreigner because most people don't know about Indian Jews. "It gets most interesting when they discover I'm Maharashtrian. I have the hardest time explaining that members of the Bene Israeli community are from Maharashtra and Marathi is my mother tongue," she says. She is also often mistaken as a Christian given how small the Indian Jewish community is. "We are a small community that has integrated so completely with the local culture that we are virtually indistinguishable. I also get mistaken for being Muslim because of my name that is actually from the Old Testament," she explains.