Healing the Hindu-Muslim Divide

This book is an attempt to initiate a dialogue between Hindus and Muslims to explore how best we can cool the seething anger and douse the angry flames that have incited religious ideologies and are staggering at a rapid pace. The conflagration of the crisis appears headed for a volcano. Since 1947, India and Pakistan have shared profound affinities across ferociously policed borders,

A few decades back, India was an amalgam of rare mysticism, its stages adorned with efflorescent strains of hereditary culture. The great 14th-century Sufi poet Amir Khusrau wrote qawwali, a poetic form derived from Arabic chants, using a female persona and imagery derived from the cult of the Hindu god Krishna. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, India's most influential yogi in the 19th century, spent many years dressed in different costumes. India was the world's busiest cultural crossroads, receiving and transmitting cultural influences between East and West, North and South.

The divergence between Hindus and Muslims became ongoing after Britain divided the country. India's independence and the emergence of Pakistan in 1947 have unquestionably impacted mutual relations, as underlined by the ongoing religious anxiety and increase in community riots. We may have to infuse rich cultural vigour to heal the wounded civilisation. What we need is to temper our speech and slough off prejudices with a respectful and helpful attitude.