A terrorist does not win merely by killing—he only wins partially by that. His true victory lies in instilling terror in our hearts. When his fear, hatred, and intolerance of diversity begin to poison our own hearts that is when he has completely succeeded.
Secularism is not the absence of religion; it is the embrace of all faiths with equal respect. It thrives on pluralism, not on rejection. India is a land of pluralism, where Dharma Yuddha—the fight for righteousness—takes precedence over battles for revenge.
This act of terrorism has deeply wounded the dignity of humanity—a dignity rooted in fearlessness, freedom, and mutual respect. As we mourn, we must also rebuild. But let us not become mirrors of our enemies. Let our anger not turn into hatred, and our pain not into prejudice.
Hatred has never established justice. Only courage, dignity, and compassion can do that.
In these moments, let us remember the immortal words of Swami Vivekananda, who in 1893 stood before the world and said:
“I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance... We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.”
And let us close with the same hope and prayer with which he ended his historic speech:
“Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.
I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.”