Two Mohammeds & A Mandir
Very interestingly, two Mohammeds or Muhammeds have come in the news recently. One spelt Muhammed and the other Mohammed. One, a 'Rafiki' and the other a Rafeeq (his own name). Somehow both related to the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
Rafiki - Close Companion
Walt Disney's The Lion King is a simple yet very interesting story for little kids. One of the key characters therein is 'Rafiki' (meaning close companion in the Swahili tongue). Rafiki is a mandrill that acts as friend and shaman to the Lion King.
A Young Prince Driven Into The Wilderness
Needless to add, Rafiki plays a critical role in The Lion King. As counsellor or shaman to Mufasa and later to his son, Simba. Mufasa had been assassinated by his younger brother Scar. Scar also contrives to make the young Simba believe that it was Simba who had killed his own father. The 'scarred' Simba runs away from the kingdom into self-imposed exile.
Rafiki Helps The Prince Reclaim His Right
Years later, Rafiki somehow tracks down the (now) adult Simba. He also helps the young lion connect spiritually with his late father, Mufasa that helps restore Simba's self-confidence. Soon Simba is convinced enough to return and reclaim his kingdom.
Rafiki, KK Muhammed Helps BB Lal Prove Prince Ram's Legacy
Shri KK Muhammed, a junior archeologist with the Archeological Survey of India, worked along with his senior BB Lal in unearthing a Ram Mandir (an old Hindu temple) that had stood long before the Babri Masjid. As a conscientious professional, against all threats to his professional growth, this Rafiki helped BB Lal. Thanks to Rafiki KK Muhammed and BB Lal, a travesty attempted by Marxist Historian, Irfan Habib and others, proved futile. This historian, once the toast of intellectuals, stands largely discredited among the erudite these days.
Unearthing & Then Standing By The Truth
Shri KK Muhammed had been a junior employee officer under probation, and it would have taken a lot of moral strength for him to back BB Lal against the hostility the pseudo historians of those days unleashed. This Rafiki helped in removing all doubt about an ancient existing temple at the site before the Babri Masjid mosque was built. His interview on Times Now recently was insightful, though one could not make out all that the gentleman tried to convey.
Of Mohammed Rafeeq
Coming to Mohammed Rafeeq, now in the eye of a storm. Inspector of Police, Shri Mohammed Rafeeq of the Hubballi or Hubli police station decided the new year, 2024 was as good a time as any, to arrest the 1992 'karsevak' Shrikant Poojary wanted for rioting. So it may seem to the many supporters of Poojary.
Poojary & Unworship-worthy Activities?
What if we realize the case of rioting during 1992 is just one of the several cases against Poojary? It is believed that Poojary has also been wanted for other unlawful activities like illegal liquor, gambling etc. Prima facie, it does not seem an act of vendetta against a Ram Mandir supporter.
'Auto'matic Absconder
One is surely amused, nevertheless, how an auto-rickshaw driver can be classified as absconding by the police and the miracle behind his sudden discovery & arrest by the official machinery. He would have been plying his trade under the very nose of the police in the town. But one should also credit Inspector Mohammed Rafeeq for his work in arresting Poojary. Assuming of course, that all the charges against him are genuine and he had been really absconding.
Hamlet, Another Lion King
Shakespeare in 'Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark' has this eponymous character remark the following of his uncle, Claudius. 'One may smile and smile and may still be a villain'. Hamlet had recently learnt from the ghost of his late father that his own brother (Claudius) had killed him for the throne. Sounds strangely like The Lion King, isn't it?
Anti-social or Real Rambhakt
If the Karnataka Government version of the Poojary story is accepted, it is disconcerting that an anti-social offender is masquerading or is being celebrated as a genuine Ram Mandir campaigner or a Ram Bhakt. Even if the reverse is true, and the official apparatus has some malicious axe to grind, it is appalling.
Long Way To Ram Rajya!
Ironic, all the more, that these happen in the name of Ram, the 'Respect-worthy Ideal Man' (Maryada Purushottam). The Prince/ King who eschewed personal comfort and convenience to ensure that the highest ideals of Dharma (Right Conduct and Governance) were always upheld!
