THE COMMON PATH

THE COMMON PATH

My greatest worry these days is the increasingly rabid view on religion. The younger generation is more fanatical than any of the generations before and the global violence in the name of religion seems to be getting worse.

India is getting dragged into this terrorism war involuntarily. Even as I was wondering if Chennai will be the next city to be on the terrorist radar, I saw a Black Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) swerve dangerously on to the middle of the famous GST Road of Chennai. It shot out from a small by-lane, scaring the two wheelers in front of it like a mini tsunami. On the rear of the SUV was written in bold:

“FOLLOW JESUS, HE WILL LEAD YOU ON THE RIGHT PATH”

The driver of the Jesus SUV seemed driven. The vehicle lurched to the left and the right as he wove speedily through the cluttered traffic. A bewildered auto-rickshaw jumped out of the SUV’s way like a frog. This bossy road manner of the SUV driver irked the ego of the driver of a green hatchback who wouldn’t take this lying low and decided to prove a thing or two.

The green hatchback zoomed ahead, chasing the Jesus SUV like a devil. On the back of this hatchback was written in bold:

“ALLAH, THE ONLY GOD – ISLAM THE ONLY PATH”

The Allah hatchback found it being slowed down by a share auto-rickshaw which was just in front and this was hindering its chase. The share auto gave an impression of a vehicle carelessly assembled at a backyard. The body was loosely sitting on the chassis and slightly tilted to one side like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This tilt can be misleading to a driver behind as it takes a while to judge if the vehicle is moving to the left or right. The Allah hatchback honked the share auto out of its way, and was closing up rapidly on the Jesus SUV.

The driver of a large bright red sedan parked on the roadside, saw the 2 vehicles burning rubber like in an F1 race and decided to join the fray. With wheels screeching, kicking up dust and smoke, he piled on to the traffic terrifying everyone. The rear of the red sedan carried in bold:

“SHIVA, HE LAYS THE PATH FOR EVERYONE TO FOLLOW”

The Shiva sedan was getting irritated by a garbage lorry lumbering ahead. The lorry seemed much larger than its original size due to the tarpaulin sheet which was covering the overflowing contents like the Victorian dress. The ends of the tarpaulin sheet were liberally sweeping the road as the lorry pulled along. Smart thinking by the Chennai Corporation I thought.

The traffic thinned out as the GST Road left the Chennai city behind and soon the Jesus SUV, the Allah hatchback and the Shiva sedan were neck to neck. This was a contest not to prove their driving skills but to show which God or path is superior. Most stupidly, the drivers believed that a failure in this race will be interpreted as a failure of their religion.

The drivers were pushing their vehicles to the limit and were dangerously close to each other. Just as they strained to look at each other, a mammoth 40 ft container truck decided to take a “U” turn cutting across the highway. The Jesus SUV slammed on to the rear of the truck and was a piece of twisted metal in no time. Drivers of the Allah hatchback and the Shiva sedan put all their weight on the brakes and their vehicles stopped in kissing distance of the truck. But, fate caught up with them as the huge 40 ft container, which was dislodged in the impact, came crashing down on the vehicles.

The scene now shifts to My abode:

“My Lord, the Supreme God of the Universe, I bow to thee” said my assistant.

“Who are the special guests today? Oh, it is those three young men who were driving recklessly to prove their religion is it?”

“Yes, my Supreme God. Here is their book of accounts showing their good and bad deeds”

“Just close those books. Show them the path to Hell. That is the only path for religious fanaticism”
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By Chandra