NEW DELHI, April 15 -- Punjab is a beautiful state with wonderful people. I'd planned to visit the Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh, and I did, but before that, I visited the ninety-four-year-old Editor-in-chief of the Punjab Kesari paper in Jalandhar, where my column runs.

As I sat with the wise and learned Vijay Chopra, he told me his children had studied in a convent school, and I told him mine had done their education in an Arya Samaj School "because religious faith", we both echoed together at different times, "is a personal thing!"

And as we conversed with each other, I realised a written invitation had been made out at his orders asking me to attend and speak at a Shri Ram Navmi Utsav gathering the next day.

As I looked at the...