Faith-fully yours!
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Sadhana channel completes three years with a cultural evening laced with some fiery speeches.
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PAINTING RAVAN A murder-accused in the garb of Ravan at the Ramlila organised by Sadhana channel in Tihar jail. File Photo: V.V. Krishnan
A little over two years back, a handful of inmates of Delhi's Tihar jail put up on stage an impressive Ramlila. Though it was organised by a then recently started religious Hindi channel called Sadhana at the jail premises, the visiting media men's focus was on the murder accused in Lord Ram's garb and the interesting irony of things. This past week, Sadhana, trudging on since 2003, has rounded up its third anniversary with a function at the FICCI Auditorium.
The function was a mix of lectures and cultural programmes and was inaugurated by former union minister Murli Manohar Joshi.
Many upcoming singers performed patriotic songs and bhajans on the occasion. Personalities including religious leader Sadhvi Rithambhara, former Chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation, Joginder Singh, singers Shankar Shawney and Narendra Chanchal and Baba Satya Narayan Maurya were present to celebrate the occasion.
Shankaracharya of the Allahabad Peeth, Sri Onkarananda Saraswati too was also seen on stage. He took the opportunity to talk about "the induction of religious leaders in the Parliament for better running of the country."
Speaking on the occasion, Murli Manohar Joshi said, "Where was our country and where is it today? This is because we have forgotten our true culture and ancient achievements."
Though he steered clear of the responsibilities of a public leader towards the society, and increasing dearth of it, he chose to delve into topics like "the Indian identity, traditions, history, limits, saffronisation of education and demographic invasion by Bangladeshi infiltrators."
Fiery speech
Sadhvi Rithambara too came up with a trademark fiery speech by emphasising on "the importance of work-culture in the building of society and nation." Rakesh Gupta, the man behind the channel, too aired his strong views: "In 1947, we became `swadhin' (self-dependent) not `swatantra' (independent). Macaulay's education system is still there."
That Macaulay's education system has but borne a lot of youth employment in this call-centre age was but out of his ambit.
Not about tolerance
The function ended with the distribution of awards to the best Ramlila organisers in and around Delhi.
And at this point, one can't help but go back to that Ramlila at Tihar jail again simply because the channel's stress was then, at least to our eyes, was not to use it as a platform for airing uncompromising views but in showing the great ruler of yore in his humanness and tolerance. Long live tolerance!
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