NEW DELHI, June 21 -- A couple of weeks ago, a Professor, who is nearing 80 years, sent me a message on WhatsApp hailing in superlative terms the age-old principle of 'religious harmony' in India. While he was all praise for the tradition he has been part of, he was full of abuses for other traditions, especially the so called non-Indic religions in origin, holding them responsible for almost all the ills of the country today.
I was taken aback, realizing the embarrassing mess in which a Professor at this age was. I had the freedom to communicate to him that his professorship has not gifted him the 'wisdom of life' necessary for being unbiased, realistic and truthful. I also frankly wrote to him that going to the grave with 'half-truths a...