Of God and atheists - It happens only in Tamil Nadu

World over, the greatest threat to peace is religion-motivated violence. Be it in the hideous form of terrorism or glorious form of war. It has been Jews versus Christians, Christians versus Muslims, Christians versus Hindus, Hindus versus Muslims.

In such a world of ‘my God is better than your God’ world, lies the province of Tamil Nadu in south India where violence outbreaks between Hindus and atheists.

You read that right. Hindus believers versus (mostly Hindu) atheists.

World over, atheists (born in families of whichever religion) have led a rather unremarkable life. Maybe to break that routine, atheists in Tamil Nadu create a cause and fight for it.

At Srirangam, on the banks of river Cauvery in Tamil Nadu lies the rather venerated temple of Sri Ranganthaswamy. The atheist cult in (Have you heard of an atheist cult, elsewhere in the world) that is the political mainstay in the state decide to provoke the theists by installing the statute of EVR Ramaswamy Naicker, (or Periyar in short) an iconic atheist (In Tamil Nadu, atheism is often confused with rationalism) at the entrance to the temple.

Hindu foot soliders are rightly indignant. However they too succumbed to the temptation of violence. They damaged the pedestal of the statute of a man who once publicly broke idols of Hindu Gods and thereby ‘promoted rationalist thoughts’. Periyar devotees feel challenged. They attack several shrines at different parts of Tamil Nadu so that the atma of Periyar will attain shanti .

And so goes the War in Tamil Nadu. Dharmic (crusade, jehad) for some. Hero-worship (in the garb of rationalism) for others.

Related read:http://thoughtpaisa.blogspot.com/2006/05/labour-leader.html