Tale of Two Buildings

Published on 21st August, 2016, in Mid-day. Once upon a time, a group of Hindus insisted that that the mosque in Ayodhya was built on the remains of a Hindu temple that marked the birthplace of Ram. The matter went to court. Academicians, historians, archaeologists and lawyers argued the case for decades. Like all things Indian, records were inconclusive. And, the traditional spirit of ‘adjustment’ drew the ire of activists. So, a bunch of fiery impatient men stormed the mosque, deemed ‘disputed structure’, and tore it down. What followed were vicious riots where hundreds were killed. Some demanded justice. Others vengeance. Western academicians who wrote ..