Roadside religious structures…
The proliferation of illegal religious structures by the roadsides, at junctions, pavements and public places raises not only serious civic and safety concerns, but apprehensions about people’s understanding of the essence of religion itself. Such is the cynicism about roadside religious structures that it gives credence to the belief that if one wishes to make a living, one has to merely construct a religious structure on public land..
The Supreme Court’s 2009 directives to state governments mandated them to stop construction of unauthorized religious structures in public places. The then Goa government had surveyed nearly 1,000 illegal religious structures, which shows the extent to which so-called ‘religious people’ take the liberty to even force gods to be part of their illegal acts, actually defaming gods in the process of attempting to purportedly venerate them. The state’s recently issued notification for demolition of illegal structures needs therefore to be commended. But to what extent this fiat will be carried out is quite another question.
An illegal religious structure erected in an open space at Porvorim continues to exist in defiance of the deputy collector’s and court orders. By and large, most governments develop week knees when it comes to “hurting religious sentiments” even if the structures have come up through irreligious acts. Given that India is a secular republic, illegal religious structures should be removed under the rule of law, irrespective of the religion affiliation of the illegal shrine. The state’s policy on religious structures only targets structures causing threat to public safety, road planning or right of way to traffic or public located on public land. Structures on Comunidade land have been excluded from this remit. We feel no such illegal structures should be allowed on community i.e. Comunidade land either.
In Maharashtra, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had earlier cracked down forcefully on illegal religious structures. Recently, the non-governmental organisation Jan Hith Morcha had filed a PIL to remove illegal roadside and pavements shrines which not only cause traffic congestion but stir communal tension, which can be the case in Goa also. The question is will the administration in Goa give in to the so-called “sensitivities” of some people and their votes.
There are also instances when shrines were demolished under police protection and they have reappeared, some repeatedly. The plain truth is that illegal roadside shrines are largely an organised business where initially a small stone, frame or platform is erected and incense sticks, vermilion or candles placed depending on the religion.
Slowly a small brick structure is erected. Periodically the shrine is expanded. Even public bus stands, roundabouts, taxi and rickshaw stands have their own “religious structures” which have been legitimized over the years. But the roadside religious structures are perpetrated to generate income.
The central problem with illegal roadside religious shrines is that they foster public displays of competitive religiosity ~ my God vs your God ~ and that only heightens tensions. A mature understanding of organised religion sees through the malpractices in religion and this should move a true believer to graduate to spirituality. Spirituality is defined by internalization of religious teachings of caring, kindness, compassion, tolerance, service and community, through one’s own experience, arising from an inner search within oneself, and moves a believer to search for the truth and God, irrespective of form or religious formulation.
There have been instances when right-thinking priests across major religions have refused to bless roadside shrines making it known to the people that this is demeaning God. The very notion of roadside shrines is antithetical to God. If people are truly spiritual, they themselves should welcome the civic authorities and ask them to demolish illegal religious structures.
