Dehradun, Aug. 30 -- BJP leaders have objected to Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq, a Muslim, being invited to open the traditional Mysuru Dasara celebrations which take place atop the Chamundi hills, where the shrine of Goddess Chamundeshwari is located. On the face of it, the objection may have some validity as a religious gathering requires adherence to the prescribed norms and rituals which a person of another faith may not be able to perform.
In this context, one may note that in the armed forces, the Commanding Officer of a battalion, for instance, no matter of which faith, leads the traditional religious ceremony of that particular unit, be it the Gorkhas, Sikhs, Marathas, whatever. What does that imply? It means that any person in ...