Your cover story on the BAPS Hindu Mandir in the UAE was quite impressive (‘Om in the Emirates’, February 25). There was a time when a Hindu temple of this magnitude could not have been dreamt of in the Middle East. But, today, it is a reality. We are so grateful to the rulers of the UAE who have been so generous.

 

I feel it was Narendra Modi’s charisma that paid off in this case.

 

Jayakumar A.V.,

On email.

 

Your cover story on the temple in Abu Dhabi was interesting. It is a harmonious world today, thanks to these efforts. God created the universe and we must unite it in every manner possible.

 

Faizal P.P.,

On email.

 

I liked your cover story on the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. The inauguration of the temple not only brings harmony and unity but also propels development in the economic and commercial sectors. The UAE has manifested its core value of religious freedom through protecting and promoting a foreign religion. I wish it happens here in India, too.

 

Loordu Arul Oli,

On email.

 

Only when there is respect, tolerance, and freedom to practise one’s religion will there be international peace. Relationships and trust grow not just between nations but also among people, who become less anxious and stressed.

 

The UAE has adhered to the precept: “Treat others as you would want to be treated yourself.”

 

Praveen Thimmaiah,

On email.

 

The way THE WEEK has apprised readers of the BAPS Hindu temple in the UAE was astonishing and thought-provoking. Through your esteemed magazine let me offer my sincere gratitude to the rulers of the UAE who granted the permission to build the first sandstone temple in the Middle East. It serves as an example for people across the world to truly follow cardinal principle of humanity, viz live and let live.

 

For people living in India, this gesture from the UAE will cement bonds of friendship between different communities.

 

Surinder Sharma,

On email.

 

THE WEEK’s coverage of the temple in Abu Dhabi was praiseworthy. The religious harmony exhibited in erecting the temple is very significant as evidenced by a Muslim king donating the land, a Christian architect designing the complex and the entire project overseen by a Buddhist with the collaboration of Parsi contractors.

 

Obviously, the temple is patronised by all religious sects and open to all communities. Such a construction of a temple in the “land of sand dunes” is nothing short of a miracle.

 

B. Gurumurthy,

On email.

 

One heart-warming feature of the temple in Abu Dhabi is that it is open to all people, no matter their religion.

 

I wonder if Modi and the trustees of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya would open the temple in Ayodhya to people of all religions, and thereby prove to the world and detractors that India is a true Vishwaguru?

 

K. Ramdas Nayak,

On email.

 

Intellectual giant

Narasimha Rao was one of the best prime ministers India has ever had; he was next to Jawaharlal Nehru (‘Powerdrive’, February 25). Rao was truly an intellectual giant who had an excellent command over so many languages. He was willing to learn and experiment till his last breath. If not for Rao’s reforms, the Indian economy would have been in a dire state. He laid a solid foundation for the country’s prosperity and growth, and today it is there for all to see.

 

I am happy that Rao was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna. In fact, he should have got it much earlier.

 

Naryanan Nambiar,

On email.

 

No other prime minister has initiated significant economic reforms in the manner that Rao had. The Congress always used to make Rao a scapegoat for its failures, which was not at all correct. It was wrong to blame Rao for the demolition of the Babri Masjid. He was not responsible for it.

 

The world knows that measures adopted by Rao’s government opened India to global markets.

 

Suraj Gowda,

On email.

 

Ghalib the great

Mirza Ghalib is to Urdu poetry what Shakespeare is to English literature. We do frequently quote his immortal poetry but are found lagging behind in remembering his unfading memory.

 

The column by Navtej Sarna carried the readers to an altogether new world and newer creation (‘Last word’, February 25). A memorial deserves to be built in honour of this great soul whose literary creations continue to elevate the mood of the creative world.

 

Had he been alive today, Ghalib would have penned pain in a way that could have fed different imaginations.

 

Sachidananda Satpathy,

On email.

 

Why blazon Lord Ram?

It is absolutely wrong to politicise religious issues (‘Lord’s own country’, January 14). Religion is a matter of personal faith and all of us can go to Ayodhya at any time we wish to. People of India have to decide what are the real issues that the country faces today. The BJP leaders need not teach us about the ethos of Lord Ram. The Ram Temple in Ayodhya is not the BJP’s ancestral property. Lord Ram is in our hearts, and there is no need to blazon it.

 

The irony today is that the BJP’s actions do not match Lord Ram’s teachings.

 

Devendra Tokas,

On email.