“OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN ”

by Nargis [Shanker] Natarajan.

Memories are such funny things. You remember some. You forget some. But almost all of us can never truly forget our school days. ‘Those were the days’, we would love to recall them as. What I remember most about ‘those days’ was that each of my mornings started the same way. With a prayer! One more thing I do remember. Standing there in the assembly, amidst different human shapes and sizes, we were not Hindus or Muslims or Sikhs or Christians. We were just
children. And as good obedient children, we listened to our teachers when they asked us to stand erect in straight lines, with folded hands and closed eyes, to
offer a humble prayer. A collective voice would then boom out in our school courtyard. ‘Our Father’, it would resound, in the disciplined serene atmosphere,
‘who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come’. And our casteless, creedless lips would continue to chant the entire prayer, honouring our Creator, entreating him to offer us ‘our daily bread’ and beseeching him to keep us away from ‘temptation’ and ‘evil’. Anyone who understands simple English, would agree that there was nothing bigoted about it. That is indeed what every morning religious prayer should comprise of.

The ten-thirty break was what we kids looked forward to. It was then that we got our ‘daily bread’, often in the form of parathas or sandwiches or chocolates or whatever. I often noticed the long queue for the ‘free porridge’ that the kind
hearted missionaries offered to the poor. More than a few times I was tempted to go for it but always refrained from doing so, afraid that I would be refused. I never thought about it then (because my childish mind was not conditioned to think that way) but even now (with accusations and allegations pouring forth from all quarters), I cannot for the life of me imagine, that a mere cup of porridge or a vial of tablets would only serve as ‘temptations’ to follow the path of Jesus Christ. Even if they did, who are we to judge?

There was no dearth of groceries in my mummy’s kitchen and my Doctor daddy had an almirah stocked with pills, vitamins and tonics. They both also had a lot of faith in me. So even if I had joined in the queue, I don’t think it would have made any difference to my religious convictions. But, if one of my underprivileged friends did decide to join the line, just because there was no Mummy to bring her those delectable brunches, would that be considered something ‘evil’? Or, if my maidservant decided to enroll herself in those interminable rows outside (where free medicines were offered for the destitute) just because she couldn’t afford the life saving drugs required for her ailing husband, would that be something ‘evil’? I don’t think so. Temptations can be thwarted and evil can be avoided, but only if hunger and humiliation do not stand in the way.

When the stomachs and the pockets are bursting to the brim, when shallow
lifestyles precede the fundamental needs, when tact and deception become the unhealthy keys to the doors of religion, only then do all the Gods attain
importance. No God can be revered if His religion does not offer even the basic sustenance to His human followers, be it foodstuff or dignity. It is then up
to the individual himself to feel free to choose his own path, either for sacred, diplomatic or helpless reasons. Spiritual attainment can be preached and
practiced in a variety of ways. Except on an empty and dying stomach. I am sure that if one looks deep into the heart of today’s child, it would be the same as it was years ago- pure, simple, honest and innocent. I am sure that given a fair chance and without any interference from the devious adult world, every child would still love to start his day with the same humble prayer that we
started with. And when those chaste lips utter the words ‘Our Father’, it should not imply ‘My Jesus’ or ‘Your Ram’ or ‘His Allah’ or ‘Her Guru’. It should be
a unanimous appeal to the one and only undisputed Creator- OUR FATHER!  

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