READ: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's full out-of-court Ayodhya settlement proposal which is to be sent to the AIMPLB

As deces-old Ayodhya Ram Mandir dispute reaches a critical phase, Republic TV has accessed a letter by Art of Living founder and Ayodhya dispute mediator Sri Sri Ravi Shankar detailing his proposal.

Here is 2-page letter, which is to be sent to All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday,  reproduced in full:

THROUGH THIS LETTER I WANT TO PUT FORTH CURRENT SITUATION AND FUTURE POSSIBILITY OF OUR NATION REGARDING RAM JANMABHOOMI BABRI MASJID ISSUE. AS WE ALL KNOW, ISSUE HAS BEEN AN OLD AND CONTENTIOUS ONE BETWEEN HINDU AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES. AS OF NOW CASE IS IN SUPREME COURT. LET US EXAMINE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES OF SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT FAVORING ONE COMMUNITY OVER OR.

FIRST POSSIBILITY IS THAT OF COURT DECLARING SITE BE GIVEN TO HINDUS BASED ON ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE THAT TEMPLE EXISTED LONG BEFORE MASJID. IN THIS SCENARIO, MUSLIMS WOULD HAVE SERIOUS APPREHENSIONS ABOUT OUR LEGAL SYSTEM AND IR FAITH IN INDIAN JUDICIARY MAY BE SHAKEN. THIS COULD ALSO LE TO MUSLIM YOUTH RESORTING TO VIOLENCE AS ONE OF MANY REPERCUSSIONS. 
EVEN THOUGH MUSLIM PERSONAL LAW BOARD AND OR COMMUNITY LEERS SAY THAT Y WILL ACCEPT IT, INLONGRUN FEELING THAT COURT HAS DONE INJUSTICE TO COMMUNITY WILL PREVAIL FOR CENTURIES.

SECOND OPTION IS THAT HINDUS LOSE CASE AND ENTIRE LAND IS GIFTED TO MUSLIMS FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF BABRI MASJID. THIS WILL CAUSE TREMENDOUS HEARTBURN IN HINDU COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT IS A MATTER OF FAITH AND ONE, FOR WHICH FOR Y HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR 500 YEARS. THIS COULD RESULT IN HUGE COMMUNAL DISTURBANCES ALL OVER COUNTRY. IN IR VICTORY, MUSLIMS WILL LOSE OUT ON GOOD WILL AND TRUST OF MILLIONS OF HINDUS RIGHT FROM VILLAGES UP. WINNING THIS ONE ACRE OF LAND, Y WOULD HOWEVER, PERMANENTLY LOSE GOODWILL OF MAJORITY COMMUNITY. 

THIRDLY, IF COURT UPHOLDS ALLAHAB HIGH COURT'S VERSION, WHICH SAYS THAT RE SHOULD BE A MOSQUE BUILT ON ONE ACRE, WHILST REMAINING 60 ACRES BE UTILISED FOR BUILDING TEMPLE, IT WOULD REQUIRE DEPLOYMENT OF 50000 POLICE PERSONNEL TO KEEP PEACE, GIVEN PROXIMITY OF TWO PLACES OF WORSHIP AND HUGE SECURITY RISK. THIS TOO WILL NOT IN ANYWAY BE BENEFICIAL TO MUSLIM COMMUNITY.

ACCORDING TO LOCAL MUSLIMS, Y DO NOT NEED THIS PARTICULAR MOSQUE TO GO AND PRAY AS Y HAVE TWENTY TWO OR MOSQUES AND ONLY FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE USE M. THIS IS ANOR POINT OF CONTENTION AND WE ARE GIVING A CHANCE FOR A REPEAT OF 1992 BABRI MASJID DEMOLITION SITUATION AND WILL BE A CONTINUOUS POINT OF CONFLICT. THIS IS NO SOLUTION AT ALL.

FOURTH OPTION IS THAT GOVERNMENT BRINGS ABOUT A LEGISLATION AND BUILDS A TEMPLE. IN THIS CASE AGAIN, MUSLIM COMMUNITY WILL FEEL Y HAVE LOST. SO IN ALL FOUR OPTIONS, WHER THROUGH COURT OR THROUGH GOVERNMENT, RESULT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR NATION AT LARGE AND MUSLIM COMMUNITY, IN PARTICULAR.

IF MUSLIMS WIN, Y WILL CELEBRATE IN EVERY VILLAGE AND IT WILL ONLY INVITE COMMUNAL TENSION AND VIOLENCE. SIMILARLY, IF HINDUS WIN, IT COULD INVITE WRATH OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY AND LE TO RIOTS THROUGHOUT COUNTRY, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN PAST.   

PEOPLE FROM BOTH COMMUNITIES WHO ARE AMANT ON FOLLOWING COURT’S VERDICT ARE ALSO DRIVING ISSUE TO A SITUATION OF DEFEAT.
BEST SOLUTION, ACCORDING TO ME, IS AN OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT IN WHICH MUSLIM BODIES COME FORWARD AND GIFT AN ACRE OF LAND TO HINDUS WHO IN TURN WILL GIFT FIVE ACRES OF LAND NEARBY TO MUSLIMS, TO BUILD A BETTER MOSQUE.

IT IS A WIN-WIN SITUATION IN WHICH MUSLIMS WILL NOT ONLY GAIN GOODWILL OF 100 CRORE HINDUS BUT IT WILL ALSO PUT TO REST THIS ISSUE FOR BENEFIT OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN COMING CENTURIES. A PALAK NAMA WILL RECOGNISE THAT THIS TEMPLE HAS BEEN BUILT WITH COOPERATION OF BOTH HINDUS AND MUSLIMS.

GOING THROUGH COURT IS A LOSS FOR BOTH COMMUNITIES. SO I REITERATE THAT AN OUT OF COURT SETTLEMENT WILL BE A WIN WIN SITUATION FOR BOTH.

I URGE LEERS OF BOTH FAITHS TO TAKE THIS ACTION SERIOUSLY, ORWISE WE ARE PUSHING OUR COUNTRY TO BRINK OF A CIVIL WAR. WORLD HAS SEEN TOO MUCH OF THIS ALREY IN SYRIA, IRAQ AND IRAN. LET US INSTE, SHOWCASE TO WORLD THAT INDIA IS DIFFERENT AND THAT WE CAN RESOLVE OUR INTERNAL ISSUES AMICABLY.

NOW, BIG QUESTIONS IS WHER IT IS PERMISSIBLE BY QURAN TO SHIFT MOSQUE TO ANOR LOCATION. ANSWER IS YES. I HAVE PERSONALLY HEARD THIS FROM RESPECTED CLERIC MAULANA NVI AND MANY ORS MUSLIM SCHOLARS. Y ARE NOT SURRENDERING THIS LAND TO PEOPLE WHO DEMOLISHES BABRI MASJID OR TO A PARTICULAR ORGANISATION. ON CONTRARY, Y ARE GIFTING IT TO PEOPLE OF INDIA. Y MUST KEEP THIS IN IR MINDS AND SPIRIT. RE IS NO SURRENDERING. IT IS ONLY RECONCILIATION AND AN EXPRESSION OF IR BROMINDEDNESS, BENEVOLENCE, MAGNANIMITY AND GOODWILL.

LET US BE REMINDED THAT SUPREME COURT ITSELF SUGGESTED RESOLVING CONFLICT OUTSIDE COURT. I REQUEST ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO THINK OVER SE OPTIONS WITH HOPE THAT Y PUT NATION FIRST, ABOVE PETTY POLITICS AND SENTIMENT AND ALLOW FOR FOSTERING AND BUILDING OF TRUST, LOVE AND BRORHOOD BETWEEN TWO COMMUNITIES.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's letter comes at a time when massive developments are forthcoming deces-old Ayodhya dispute. Efforts are ongoing to reach a settlement, even as Supreme Court is scheduled to hold a hearing in case on March 14.

Earlier on Monday, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar h spoken exclusively and at length to Republic TV about many of mes mentioned above. His entire interview can be found here and his thoughts on individual topics in related stories.