Shon Mehta

We are frequently told that the world would be a gentler place if we simply outgrew our ancient faiths. Recently, I encountered several articles and discussions making exactly that claim—that religion is the root cause of violence in society. Yet this view rests on an oversimplification, one that risks misunderstanding both history and human nature. Not everyone who follows religion supports violence. For most people, prayer acts as a coping mechanism, a means of finding peace and spiritual growth. Prayer isn’t meant to be a grand display, but a surrender—a quiet confession into the silence, seeking peace, trusting that someone, somewhere, might be listening. Ancient scriptures reflect the time in which they were created, while human ethics continue to evolve. These scriptures do not speak with one voice because they were never written at a single moment. They carry within them the dust of wars and the fragrance of compassion, the helping hands of saints and the clenched fists of bloo...

Pedro had been wide awake the entire night. All the coconut oil on his head couldn't help him calm down. Even the sleeping pill he had taken could not make him sleep for long. His anxiety about his impending homelessness had triumphed over all. He kept imagining himself sleeping on a footpath near a gutter, with filth all around him. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He had not felt this anxious ever, not even when fed up of his father's abuse, had run away from a small fishing village in Goa to Mumbai. Then, he had health and youth on his side. Now he had neither. One long illness, and his entire world had come crashing down. He lost his job, and his life's savings were gone too. Now he was a frail man with an aching body, approaching sixty, with no money, no job, and no one to turn to. He still had the same thoughts, and had the same dreams of traveling the world, but his hitting a rough patch had made him a lesser person in other people...