Next door are the Baha’is

Kazem Samandari is well known even before the sun sets on the grounds of the Baha’i House of Worship (the Lotus Temple) and the celebration of the community’s elected body’s 100 years in India gets underway. Samandari is a prominent figure in the Baha’i community, which has a population of over two million in India and over 4,000 in Delhi. He is the founding chairman of the French baking business L’Opéra. He is “working the room,” meeting and introducing politicians, diplomats, and leaders of many religions to one another. But was there ever a period of time when he felt like the odd man out at parties?

In 2008, our family relocated to Delhi. He claims that “it frequently happens that my family and I are the only Baha’is in a room, at a conference, at an event, or at a social gathering.” However, there is very little sense of otherness since our religion teaches us to be receptive to other faiths. “We feel that the people in the room are also Baha’is because they adhere to Baha’u’llah’s teachings,” he explains. India has accepted Baha’i ideas and its people, taking what it pleases from them. This active acceptance of others has guaranteed that no outsider remains such for long. Baha’is are often seen as belonging to the same “faith” or “community” and having a particular worldview.

Identify the Baha’is.

The founder of the Baha’i religion was an Iranian nobleman named Baha’u’llah, who separated from Islam in the 1800s. The primary cause of the persecution of Baha’is in Iran, the birthplace of their religion, is that they do not recognize clergy, and Muslim clerics find it hard to believe that a divine revelation, as claimed by Baha’u’llah, could occur after Islam.

The abolition of the holy war, or jihad, in the sense of a war against other creeds (including Islamic ones) and faiths that are upheld by a few extremist groups, the duty of conducting one’s own independent research for the truth, the community’s collective management of affairs without the intervention of priests, new marriage laws and (compulsory) monogamy, and new personal ordinances for fasting and prayers are some of the salient social teachings of the Baha’i faith. These are a few of the beliefs that distinguish the Baha’i religion from Islam. However, try explaining all of that to a typical Delhi resident.

Being subdued and the reasons for it

Student Adib Mishra, 22, claims that he was treated unfairly by his name growing up as a Baha’i due to sporadic conflicts between Muslims and Hindus. He says, “By the way, no one becomes a Baha’i.” After studying all faiths, young people are given the option to “declare” themselves Baha’is at the age of fifteen, which is regarded as the age of adulthood. “I also went through a time when I wondered whether I was following my parents’ example or what my religion was teaching me.Ultimately, our beliefs emphasize that we must do independent inquiry and reach our own conclusions. My decision was influenced by our societal values, which emphasize gender equality and fairness. Thus, I said a prayer and signed a card—the latter being only for record-keeping so that those who share the Baha’i faith are aware of your residence—he explains.

Religious leaders present during the event
However, Adib’s name could not be avoided—his parents had named him after the Baha’i scholar Adib Taherzadeh. Nearly anybody has a query about it. “Kiske bhai hai tu?” (Whose sibling are you?) People often ask me why, since I’m not a Muslim, my name is Adib. Thus, I’ll merely begin at the Lotus Temple,” he declares. “It made me understand what my Muslim friends go through because the parents of one of my close friends hate me.”

The community remains welcoming and inclusive because of a practice of research, introspection, and ongoing integration of elements of several religions; this has an effect on everyone who interacts with it. The event’s Sufi scholar, Gulam Rasool Dehlavi, 31, says he has been taking part in dialogues at the Baha’i House for the last seven years. It enhances my comprehension of other religious traditions. Muslims that are conservative have issues with it. They see it as a threat to the authority of their clergy,” he argues.

Are misunderstandings about the community caused in part by its low-key activities? The 22-year-old Angamba Irungbam, who works in the Lotus Temple’s information office, states: “Baha’is tend to see their practice as a sort of service, so there is a certain spotlight-lessness to what we do. When people inquire about the lotus, I reply that it is a well-known flower in India and has nothing to do with religion (at least not for us).

It’s perhaps best expressed by Fariborz Sahba, the Iranian-American architect who constructed the Lotus Temple in 1976—often referred to as the Taj Mahal of the 20th century. He states that beauty, which is highly important to Baha’is, “is seen as the magnificent perfection of god” and that he has built a temple “not for my god, but for anyone who believes in a god, or may not believe in a god..,even if a person believes in a force, we have built our building for that” in a 2021 video exchange with other Baha’is in an attempt to explain what the building stands for and the uniqueness of its design.

all under one roof

Prayer maintains the majority Young and elderly, centered and connected to one another are Baha’is. It serves as a crucial hub for communication with neighboring villages. People of all religions are encouraged to read from their own scriptures what has been wisely and best spoken about a predetermined subject during these monthly devotionals. At sessions led by the Samandaris, prayer themes as diverse as “Living the life,” “War and Battle,” “Fruits,” “Trees,” and “The Golden Rule” have, for example, been addressed with a Vivaldi violin concert break, chants from the Gita, and the anti-war hymn, “Guantanamera.”

According to Mishra, “there is a special conversation that takes place after the prayers, and it follows that we are all talking and praying about the same thing.” The Baha’is actively work to spread this sentiment.

However, why are they so scarce? Samandari claims that because they don’t have any priests, it is everyone’s duty to continue it. Preaching is simple, but living a life is challenging. Additionally, it is against Baha’i law to convert others, but adherents of the faith are free to share their knowledge and beliefs with anybody who shows an interest. Our strategy is gentle; impact is more important than quantity, he argues.