Lord Ram Is Not 'Imam-e-Hind'—And Never Was
I have never been comfortable with the urge to dress up Hinduism in borrowed religious vocabulary. Every few years, someone rediscovers the phrase "Imam-e-Hind" for Lord Ram and presents it as a shining example of communal harmony. I do not see it that way. To me, it diminishes rather than elevates Ram. My first difficulty is with those who invoke Ram most enthusiastically during political debates but, in my opinion, show little evidence of personal devotion. I look at the Congress leadership and find it difficult to believe that Ram occupies a central place in their faith. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi have not, to my knowledge, visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya for darshan. There has long been a claim that Sonia Gandhi wanted to visit Nepal's Pashupatinath Temple but was denied entry because she was a Christian, and that she also wished to visit the Jagannath Temple, where non-Hindus are barred. Yet I have not seen the same enthusiasm for temples where ...
