Born in a family identified with Sanathana Dharma - meaning 'Eternal law' in Sanskrit - and popularly known as Hinduism, ever since my childhood I have been accepting and attempting to adhere to the values prescribed by this Dharma.
The society in which I spent my early childhood was secular in character due to which I learnt to respect and co-exist with those who identified themselves with other religions such as Christianity, Islam and Sikhism. I have several friends who follow different faiths. But, we mutually respected each other’s faith.
There was a time in my life when I declared myself an atheist and discarded all religious bindings, based on the principles of materialism. However, an introspection revealed that all I gained by this posture was alienation from my near and dear, a kind of hatred that I had developed within my mind against the majority that believed in religions and their values and an inexplicable psychological void. Certain events in my life restored my old beliefs and faith, but during this process I could gain a new experience of being able to understand both the schools of thought in this arena, namely materialism and idealism.
Let's strive for religious harmony and co-existence of religious faiths. |