Verdict!

The verdict came in. The High court decided to split the area up and give the central most disputed area to a Hindu party and another part to a Muslim part. A third part is being given to another Hindu sect, whose role in this I do not fully understand.

It has already been decided that the case will be appealed to the Supreme Court, so as far as I can tell nothing has happened or will. But the massive police presence certainly gave everyone the impression that something would happen.

We'll see tomorrow. But for now, I am happy that things seem to remain peaceful. I would have no problem if the Supreme Court decided to wait several years before making its ultimate decision.

Preparing for Lockdown

Saw three buses filled with Police/Soldiers today going down the road as I went out to get my provisions for the next few days (Dates, Pomegranates, Soda Water, and Sweets). If I'm gonna be trapped I might as well get a treat for it, right? The Ayodhya decision that was supposed to come last friday will come out tomorrow at 330pm local time - about 6am on the East Coast.

No one knows what's going to happen, but everyone seems to be preparing for the worst. I'll keep you posted.

Allen

Ayodhya Redux

Sorry to those who were worried that I didn't post anything on September 24th when nothing happened. Basically, on the 23rd the governement decided to postpone the announcement until the 28th supposedly to give the parties a chance to work it out for themselves. Many Indians, as well as myself, found this to be tremendously annoying as they had already cancelled schools planned to close business, etc. Karnataka made the 24th and 25th state holidays so that everyone could stay home and hide from the potential riots. So now, after closing for those days, they will prepare themselves to close again on the 28th - though I expect that the announcement will be delayed again for one reason or another.

Frankly, I think this is about the worst time the Government could have POSSIBLY chosen for addressing this issue to the public. 1) The country is in the international spotlight for its complete and utter failure at the Commonwealth Games, and 2) This is the festival season in which all over India local theater groups are reenacting the story of Ram's life and adventures. the religious fervor surrounding RAM in particular makes this a terrible time to talk about whether or not a Mosque should be re-built on the mythical birthplace of this Deity. Why would you talk about this now? It would be like trying to address a topic sensitive to Christians during Advent, or a topic sensitive to Jews during Passover. Bad Idea.

In a related note, I am planning on attending a Ramlila performance tonight will hopefully have some pictures and/or video for you later. Or maybe my plans will fall through. This is India after all and expectations are best not had at all.