Yes, this is the question buzzing now all around the Indians’ brains. Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a look about religious gatherings? Or the people of India they themselves keep aside from touring spiritual places? Because India has put sanctions on many airports, schools, colleges, IT firms, shopping malls etc. 3 days ago. In this scenario all eyes are freezing at religious gatherings.
The world’s largest temple in terms of daily gatherings of devotees is Tirumala Which is put on many restrictions. Keeping in view to check spreading of corona virus, new orders are passed on 14th March 2020. The very first imposition is to minimize the number of devotees from taking Lord Balaji’s Darshan. Now the restricted number of devotees is 4000 per hour as against to 6000 earlier. By this decision regular devotees are minimized to 50,000 to 60,000 per day as against it was 1 lac in usual basis. Means, about 40 per cent of devotees are curtailed entering into Tirumala Shrine. Besides this, pilgrims are ordered to follow some restrictions not to enter into some important places like annadanam complex (free meals section), laddu prasadam counters, kalyana kata (hair cutting saloon). Apart from this, the important rituals, which are taken place regularly before Lord, are also put on hold. Now, when the whole India is in 2nd stage of corona virus scare, the remaining Hindu Temples are also considering the same restrictions to follow. Sooner or later new guide lines may be out. Now the media houses are also considering the same things to safe guard their employees from being effected by corona virus. Srirama Navami festival celebrations are also abandoned at ontimitta.
Now it is very interest to observe a major communal gathering which happens every Friday in India. Friday prayers are considered precious for Muslims. Every week they gather at Jama Masjid in Delhi, Charminar in Hyderabad and most public places no need to say. Now the question is whether the Muslims keep away themselves from weekly prayers or they give a chance to pass specific orders from the government. When all IT firms, some media houses, all the public places are shutting down, companies are ordering their employees to work from homes, that too bearing their business losses, will Islamic clerics, Mullahs direct their followers to be in their homes and pray? Because Musllims are greater in number in India i.e. second largest community in the country. Their number is even greater than that of Indonesia which is an Islamic country in particular. Before coming Friday, what decision they may take?
When severely affected countries like china, Italy and whole European Union countries are passing orders on their people not to come outside and follow strictly the government rules, imposing major fines on those who fail to obey. In such situation what Indian clerics and Mullahs do? This is a million dollars question what reply they give. Will they bluntly say praying is their religious right or they feel responsiblity not to spread the corona virus by gathering and utilsing public places for Friday prayers. After all the religion is a personal matter to follow, won’t they consider corona square a dangerous issue for all human beings, if they use open places, public roads for their personal prayers?
trameshbabu 