Cleansing the mind of hatred

Q&A: Murad Ali Baig

He's fairly well-known for his writings in the automobile and travel sector but Murad Ali Baig's new book, Reflections in a Sacred Pond, released by Tara Press for Rs 295, looks "" or rather questions "" the issues of Indian religion and history.

Through a set of eighty questions, Baig's book began way back in 1991 when he began having a discussion with a Hindutva friend who, according to him, had harboured several misconceptions about Indian history. That sole incident became Baig's prime reason for writing this book.

His only grouse after the book's release? "Eighty questions just aren't enough. There are many more," he explained.

Why the need to write this book?

In 1991, just before the Babri Masjid was demolished, a Hindutva friend was waxing eloquent on Indian history. I disagreed with him on most issues and wanted to argue back. Thankfully, I didn't do that but continued to ask him questions till he ran out of answers.

After I came home, I instantly started jotting down a set of questions which had been troubling me after the conversation with my friend. I had 13 questions at first, then 25 and then 53. Some of the questions were posted on a blog and I received both bouquets and brickbats.

I began research on the book in search of answers, and friends who saw the manuscript encouraged me to go ahead and write a book. I've always been passionate about history and even did my masters in the subject, so the thought of writing the book excited me.

Religion and history are very sensitive topics. There have been authors who've been issued a fatwa because they supposedly dared to challenge some views on religion. How did you achieve the balance in writing the book?

I wrote Reflections.... because I consciously wanted to go through people's prejudices on the gurus and founders of different religions. But I've done it very gently and have done my best not to offend anyone.

The book avoids saying anything that could have a damaging effect and hopefully the so-called upholders of any religion won't come running after me. Authors like Salman Rushdie have had fatwas issued against them because they perhaps couldn't achieve a balance in their books. I was conscious not to hurt anyone's sentiments.

What was the biggest challenge in writing the book?

The biggest challenge was to remain concise. I have tried very hard not to go on and on. If you look closely, the answers to these eighty questions (that involved tremendous research) are actually short articles that one can read from even between the pages. But, of course, when I was writing the book I knew it was crucial for me to keep it flowing in a definite direction.

Also challenging was the conscious effort to keep returning to the book. I do varied things for a living and travel most of the time. But I invariably had a pen and paper ready and never stopped jotting down questions, never stopped looking for answers.

Even research wise, I had to be careful not to take anything at face value. I couldn't rely on just a handful of books. I had to authenticate every word of what I was writing. Mythology (most of which finds its way into scriptures and religious books), I feel, thrives on exaggeration, especially in the areas of history and religion.

I think a lot of the fanaticism that is displayed in cricket and Bollywood today is because of our inherent need to either revel in gigantic flattery or to simply curse people to hell. Most of the resources on Hindutva (that were actually written by Persians), in my view, followed that path too.

What was the main objective of writing this book? And really, is religion so disturbing?

Hatred disturbs me. My book attempts to give a rational view to readers, and hopefully it will open their minds. Religion all over the world should ideally talk of peace and love. I'm sure founders never spoke of hatred in their respective religions in the first place. Guru Gobind Singh said that only when all efforts fail, draw the swords.

Today people don't make efforts, only draw swords. You see, religion is powerful, very powerful. But once it began to be patronised very heavily, hatred crept in and people realised that hatred combined with religion was even more powerful. Can there be any other reason for the demolition of Babri Masjid?

There's obviously a chain of thoughts running through your mind even now. Are you satisfied publishing eighty questions or can we expect some more in a sequel later?

There are many more questions that are running in my mind. There is a river of thoughts, yes there is, but I'm happy that this book (and its set of eighty questions and answers) is getting a positive feedback from audiences. I didn't want to clutter the book with too many explanations. I wanted to give readers a taste of Indian history and religion. I wanted them to take a bite and not suffer indigestion.

I cherish the compliment by Mani Shankar Aiyar who said that, 'When I go to the Maker, I don't want to carry any other holy book. I would like to carry Baig's Reflections in a Sacred Pond.' Criticism has naturally come my way too. A reader mentioned that instead of calling it Reflections..., I should've named the book "Dips in a Sacred Pond" because the answers are nothing but bits of information.