Humans, or Animals?

that mean the Hindus had burnt Hindu homes?” Kalyan Singh replied in the affirmative. Then I asked which was his house. He pointed to his house, which was still smouldering. He told me also that this was his shop as well as his house. “I used to make tyres for motors and cycles. That is why it is still smouldering.” Then I asked him, “Kalyan Singh, what would have been its cost?” He replied, “The house was valued about one lakh and the shop too.” My astonishment went on increasing. “Then why on earth did the Hindus burn the Hindu houses?” Kalyan Singh said, “The mob came and asked us to tell them which houses belonged to Hindus and which belonged to Muslims, as they wanted to burn only Muslim houses. We refused to comply. They got enraged. They inquired from others. Others too refused to do so. Then they shouted, ‘Then we will burn all the houses!’ We replied, ‘Do as you want.’ Then they sprinkled petrol on the houses and set all of them on fire. Only when the fire had engulfed all the houses did they leave the place.’ I asked, “Kalyan Singh, why did you allow your two-lakh worth of property to be burnt to ashes? Perhaps it was your lifetime’s savings? Why did you not tell them you were a Hindu.” Kalyan Singh introduced me to some Muslims standing there saying, “We are both from the same village in Sikar, Rajasthan. First we Hindus came here and settled and did good business. Then we invited our Muslim neighbours to follow us and earn their livelihood in the city. They trusted us and followed us. They were good craftsmen. Soon they succeeded in their business and established their shops and houses. Now, those who have been our acquaintances for hundreds of years, who belong to the same village, who came here on trust, whom we call uncle, how could we allow their houses to be burnt? How could we have shown our faces to the Lord above?” I was so moved, I could not control myself. I said, “Kalyan Singh so long as people like you survive in India, no one can shake the foundations of mutual love and unity in this country.” Human Nature Whatever Kalyan Singh did was at the dictates of his own nature. Everyone is born with an upright nature, and everyone is initially under its influence. But when a man is provoked, the uprightness of his nature is then submerged and his animal instincts come to the surface. That is why all incidents of barbarism take place only when man has been constrained by provocation to deviate from his inborn nature.