Gandhi and Religious Beliefs

Elvira Fernandez

The other day I heard a little boy say

“Is there a God, tell me, pray!”

‘Of course there is!’ said the religious leader.

‘You can go the temple, mosque or church any day!’

“But many maim, burn, kill and die in the name of God!”

‘God is the master and we are His servants

Those who don’t defend Him will perish in a furnace!’

With eyes bloodshot said the infuriated religious leader. 

‘Stop questioning us boy! You’re causing a disturbance!’

“Hate the sin and not the sinner said a man called Gandhi!

Gandhi was a great social leader and believer,” said the little boy.

“Why do you kill the sinner then and not his sin destroy?”

This angered the man of God, the venerated religious leader. 

He raised his hand and down fell the little boy like a wooden toy!

Asked the boy, “How many will you hurt in the name of religious beliefs?”

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Bio: Elvira Fernandez is an English Lecturer and an avid reader of all kinds of literature, but Children’s Literature, Fantasy and Romance top her list. She is an Indian author who loves to write for children. She has written short stories, plays, poems, content for some academic books and e-zines, apart from doing some editing assignments. She has won several awards – including the first prize for her English essay in a competition organized by AINACS in 2019 and the Editor’s Choice Certificate for her story in the AILC 2020 organized by the Creative Post.

Her love for Nature, children and her pets find expression in her writings, especially in the Ferns and Blooms Trilogy, a fantasy series. The first two books of which have been recognized as an Enchanting Series of Books by Nissim Prize for Fiction 2020.

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Setu Special 2020 :: Setu, October 2020