DMK and the Janata Dal (U) would

leave the alliance if the VHP was ap-

peased. What if the President were to
dismiss the government for flouting a
Supreme Court order? There also re-
mainedothe strong likelihood that the
Prime Minister might not play ball.
Thus RSS pressure was brought to
bear on the VHP. With the Prime
Minister too pressing hard, VHP
leader Ashok Singhal finallY suc'
cumbed. A day after Giriraj Kishore's
fulmination he averred that the VHP
would honour the court verdict. Many
in the VHP are still furious at the con-
cession. Singhal claimed that he had
made the same commitment in his
memorandum to Vajpayee on Febru-
ary 27.
In fact, the memorandum makes
no such clear assertion. But it does Photofiouraa
have a telling paragraph on whY the The Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam
PRAYING $lDE BY SIDE=
VHP turned out to be less intractable and the Peria Kanchipuram Sunnath Jamaat masjid
than expected. "I bring to your kind
notice that Paramhansa Ramchandra
Das, president and myself, the secre-
tary and several trustees are all above
15 years of age.... Their life span being
Putting peace together
uncertain, the leading members ofthe Muslims and Hindus live in harmony in
Nyas all have a desire to construct the
temple during their lifetime, or at this town in Thmil Nadu
least commence the construction."
But if Singhal yielded easilY, rfremple bells peal as the crowds make way for Sri Vrjayendra Saraswati
Vajpayee has not. There are indica- I Sankaracharya on his wayto the aradhanapujaat the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti
tions that he might ultimately con- peetam. The azaan(call to prayer) too has just rent the air and the devout head
cede the demand for "apeaceful, joy- for the mosque situated two doors away for noon prayers. In the dusty town of
ful puja" as Singhal put it, on a small Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Hindus and Muslims literally pray side by side.
piece of land outside the disPuted The Peria Kanchipuram Sunnath Jamaat G.M.A. Masjid, constructed in
area. "But only a small puja will be al- around 1685, and the mutt, which was established byAdi Sankaral,2OO years
lowed, with only a small number of &go, have not seen even a mild skirmish in the last couple of decades. "The line
Nyas members attending," said a of control does not exist only on the border," says Sri Vijayendra, who has
PMO source. "The VHP will not be worked hard to maintain peace between the communities. "There is a line of
allowed to transport any construction control for all things in life. So long as individuals and communities exercise
material to the area." self-control at their end, peace will prevail."
Before that the government hoPes The temple and mosque management are quick to take steps to redress any
to obtain a directive from the Su- grievance that the proximity ofthe structures may gt e rise to. Haji A. Bhukari,
preme Cour[ to the effect that permit- who runs a shop adjacent to the mosque, recalls how during one Ramadan the
ting the puja does not violate the 1994, temple had installed two loudpseakers which disturbed the prayers at the
judgement which insisted on preserv- mosque. "We requested the temple authorities to change its position or turn
ing the status quo at the disputed site. down the volume and they did so immediately," he says.
The allies still remain a problem: On another occasion, dignitaries visting the mutt asked the late
how will they react to such a puja be- paramacharya ifhe wished to have the mosque relocated. He is reported to have
ing ultimately permitted? "It all de- said that, on the contrary, the azaanwoke him up and enabled him to star[ his
pends onhowthe Personal LawBoard duties early. When he died on January 8,1994, the imam led a congregation
reacts," said a SamataPafi source. "If of too people to pay homage.
the Muslims have no objection, why Successor Jayendra Saraswati sent a basket of apples to the mosque as a
should we? But if they adopt a hard token of appreciation. "The mosque and the mutt have coexisted in peace all
stand we will have to seriously con- these years," says assistant imam S. Syed Shamsuddin. "There has never been
sider whether to support the govern- any room for hatred so far. Why should we start now?"
ment an)rrnore." Farwa lmam Ali
Men 77 2OO2
44 Eits,?rilI