God and loud speaker

Sir,

All religions whether big or small, recent or ancient believe God to be invested with three fundamental powers which are not shared by any body else, but Him alone. These three powers are that He is omniscient, He is omnipotent and He is omni-present. But sadly, His such powers are not believed intensely by man of the Earth. It may sound strange but it is a fact, otherwise, how could we puncture the best parts of the day i.e Dawn and dusk with blaring loud speakers perching boldly atop temples, mosques and gurudwaras. This does not happen one day but all the year round. It is as if our God has turned a deaf ear, or He has become so dreadful of our sins that He has been forced to turn the otherway. And we, with all the might of our loud speakers shout at Him. It is obvious that if He has got dreadful then He will not hear us, how much we cry or shout.

It is not ordained in any religion nor written in any scripture to pray loudly. Rather it is discouraged. Real religion is about surrender and silent prayer. It is about silent and sacred love for God. If we look around and see those men who cry aloud through loudspeakers from mosques, temples and gurudwaras etc. are miles away from God and those who pray silently are nearer to Him. Is it not in bad taste to disturb the morning calm through loud and high pitched prayers sent across through a maze of loudspeakers? How conveniently we forget and ignore that the noise generated can disturb an old man, a patient, a student and importantly it can disturb a true man of God who is silence remembers Him.

The situation has gone out of control. Places of worship like population are proliferating and so have loud speakers. Now one place of worship fights it out with other place of worship by installing loudspeakers of higher power so that they are strongly counted as more zealous followers of God. People on filmsy grounds or for a prayer at home use a loudspeaker. They are used in marriages, mundans or Havans.

Through nights they blare out noise, making life unbearable. Scientific research has proved conclusively that noise beyond 90 decibels in harmful. It can damage brain or man can behave violently when exposed to regular noise.

It is high time that regardless of our faith and creed we cry an immediate halt to blaring loudspeakers and under stand the actual essence of religion. Let us learn to pray with dignity and decence. Let the Government take a decision to ban the use of loudspeaker from place of worship etc. so that this world becomes a better place to live in.

Yours etc...
Pardeep Koul (Khodballi)
Ambika Vihar, Jammu.

Qualified candidates

Sir,

The Election Commission of India, following the Supreme Court's Judgement of March 13, 2003, issued fresh guidelines for legislators from State assemblies to Parliament, making it mandatory for them to declare their criminal antecedents, assets, liabilities and educational qualifications.

The order cum guidelines is highly appreciated for multifacet reasons known to one and all.

However, so far as educational qualification is concerned it should have been given more weight. A bold step should be taken in this regard. Mere informatory declaration of the educational qualification is not sufficient. Minimum academic qualification, at least graduation, should be made compulsory and declared as an eligibility for every candidates desirous of contesting such elections.

Even Pakistan, where literacy rate is too low, has also felt the importance of educated legislators. Before stepping in the last general elections in the country sometime back it declared graduation as minimum compulsory educational qualification for the contexting candidates.

It is doubtlessly a pressing need of the time, particularly of the Nation like India, that the standard of the largest democracy of the world should be raised by fixing minimum educational qualification of those who by contexting elections become custodians of the noble institution. In the changed and developed times, it has now become our right to have qualified educated candidates in Parliament and Assemblies as well.

Yours etc...
Swatantra Dev Kotwal
Udhampur.