{"id":5518,"date":"2024-01-16T22:08:19","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T22:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/16\/mlks-promised-land-and-indias-unsettled-sea\/"},"modified":"2024-01-16T22:08:19","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T22:08:19","slug":"mlks-promised-land-and-indias-unsettled-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/16\/mlks-promised-land-and-indias-unsettled-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"MLK\u2019s promised land and India\u2019s unsettled sea"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Martin Luther King press conference \/ [MST]. Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken August 26th, 1964, Washington D.C, United States.<\/span> (Photo: Unsplash\/ Unseen Histories)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yesterday, the 15th of January, happened to be MLK Day, the birth anniversary of the\u00a0civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Alongside Gandhi and Mandela, he is perhaps\u00a0the most popular face of the 20th century. Much can be said about MLK\u2019s legacy and his\u00a0continual influence, five decades after his death. His life is being celebrated throughout\u00a0the US this weekend. Thousands of miles away, beyond the ocean, as I write, my country\u00a0is preparing for a historic day, roughly a week from today.<\/p>\n

The ‘Ram Mandir’ is scheduled to be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on the\u00a022nd of January, and the grand celebration is set to begin today. I would prefer not to\u00a0delve into the historical context, nor do I want to make this a political commentary.\u00a0India is a free and democratic country, and the majority of Hindus in our land have\u00a0every right to construct a temple to their deity on any piece of land they consider sacred.\u00a0The Supreme Court\u2019s decision should be respected by everyone. In writing this, I mean\u00a0no ill will towards my Hindu brothers. However, there are indeed a few things bothering\u00a0me amidst this grand ritual.<\/p>\n

A piece of surprising news I read a few days ago cited, that Indaresh Kumar, an RSS\u00a0national executive member urged Muslims to chant “Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram” at\u00a0osques, dargahs, and madrassas during the Ram temple consecration ceremony in\u00a0Ayodhya on\u00a0January 22<\/a>. While the appeal was made to Muslims in particular, it is quite\u00a0concerning. The whole logic behind such statements is mere sloppy assumptions that all\u00a0of India is \u2018Hindu\u2019 and all of \u2018Hindus\u2019 are Indians. This statement is a reflection of the\u00a0growing sentiments amongst millions of Indians.<\/p>\n

The inauguration of the Ram Mandir, I believe is a proud moment for a majority of\u00a0Hindu followers and the current government\u2019s both centre and state\u2019s direct\u00a0involvement in its construction is noticeable. When our Hindu brothers celebrate their\u00a0right to practise their religion freely, the last few years have seen countless, mosques\u00a0and churches vandalised in the name of \u2018Ram,\u2019 the goons who carry out these attacks\u00a0then force victims to chant \u2018Jai Shri Ram<\/a>.\u2019 This nation is slowly sinking into a saffron\u00a0sea of chaos. For many, it is a revival of a glorious past, and for some, it is the\u00a0anticipation of an uncertain future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Churches and Christians across Uttar Pradesh live in fear over the next few weeks with\u00a0what might unfold and how. A grand attack is seemingly unforeseen but over the years\u00a0the Hindutva forces have mastered the art of isolated attacks. When hope seems lost and\u00a0fear reigns in our hearts where do we look? When foundations are shaken where do\u00a0we hold on to?<\/p>\n

Maybe MLK\u2019s words would bring us some solace. In his address to sanitation workers\u00a0on 3 April 1968, King spoke these\u00a0words<\/a>: \u201cLike anybody, I would like to live a long life.\u00a0Longevity has its place. But I\u2019m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God\u2019s\u00a0will, and He\u2019s allowed me to go up to the mountain. I\u2019ve looked over and I\u2019ve seen the\u00a0Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as\u00a0a people will get to the Promised Land! So I\u2019m happy tonight. I\u2019m not worried about\u00a0anything. I\u2019m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the\u00a0Lord!\u201d<\/p>\n

The words that Mr. King uttered almost 55 years ago from the pulpit of Mason Temple\u00a0Church still resonates thousands of miles beyond the ocean. The message of hope is\u00a0timeless and echoes through the ages. On the evening of the very next day, 4 April 1968, Mr.King was shot dead. The words he spoke that evening in Memphis seem\u00a0prophetic, perhaps because King knew that death was around the corner. For us here in\u00a0India, Mr. King\u2019s life and words are a source of encouragement. As we face these\u00a0challenges, we must not lose sight of the great hope of the Promised Land. Whether we\u00a0live or die, whether we survive or perish, it does not matter, as long as the truth of God\u00a0abides. That fateful evening on 4 April 1968, James Earl Ray\u2019s bullet from his\u00a0Remington rifle could not subdue the potent truth that King spoke from Mason\u00a0Temple’s pulpit a day before!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n