New Delhi .Actor Mukesh Khanna has reacted sharply to actress Sharmila Tagore's recent comment regarding Vande Mataram. He said that concerns related to other religions should not affect the attitude towards the national song. Mukesh also raised many questions regarding Sharmila Tagore's views on this issue.
Mukesh Khanna says that Sharmila Tagore has expressed her views on Vande Mataram on the basis of her understanding and perspective. According to him, Sharmila's argument is that people belonging to other religions may not accept this song in the same way. However, Mukesh questioned why this apprehension should affect the honor of Vande Mataram.
In this controversy, Mukesh also mentioned the personal and family background of Sharmila Tagore. He made her marriage in the Pataudi family and her subsequent life in a Muslim family a part of his argument. In this context, Mukesh addressed Sharmila as Ayesha Begum and asked whether after marriage she came to know about different religious beliefs.
Mukesh also mentioned Sharmila Tagore's Bengali cultural ties. She said Sharmila grew up in Bengal, where many Hindu religious traditions, including Kali Puja, are part of social and cultural life. His question was that despite being associated with Bengali culture and films for a long time, why does he now feel that people of other religions will not be able to accept Vande Mataram.
Mukesh Khanna also expressed his views regarding the concept of God in Hindu religion. He said that in the Hindu tradition the number of Gods and Goddesses is mentioned in different forms, but it does not mean that there are many Gods. According to them, God is formless and one and the devotee can see the same Supreme Being in different forms like Ram, Krishna, Shiva or Hanuman.
Referring to Muslim religious belief, he said that some people talk about bowing only before God and for this reason do not accept bowing before anyone else. Mukesh made his point by linking this idea with the objections raised regarding Vande Mataram.
Mukesh Khanna also clarified that it is important to respect the national symbols of the country, but a person should not be forced to physically bend or do any activity. He said that if a person does not want to bow his head before Bharat Mata, he should not be forced to do so, but he does not understand the point of raising objection on singing Vande Mataram.
At the end of his statement, Mukesh also accused Sharmila Tagore of having political motives behind her stance. He claimed that this stance could be linked to vote politics and maintaining support among the Muslim community. However, this is Mukesh Khanna's allegation and political assessment, independent confirmation of which has not emerged. This debate regarding Vande Mataram is once again bringing to the fore the question of balance between religious sensitivity, personal faith and respect for national symbols.