When Baha'u'llah founded a new religious faith in 1863 in Iran, he envisaged a new order where peace would reign and man's intellect would mature beyond realms of evil. As the Bahai community in Pune celebrated the 181st birth anniversary of Baha'u'llah its 250 members had reasons to rejoice for having survived earlier attempts to erase the faith and gradually grow as a sizable community.The early Bahai followers were persecuted in Iran and fled the country to spread the new religion all over the world. The persecution still exists in a number of countries where Islam is dominant.According to Sarmad Garmroud, a Bahai, ``Our world has seen a rapid technological advancement but sadly our social laws have not been able to keep up. Any harmonious existence requires a balance between our material pursuits and spiritual awareness.'' The Bahai religion aims to create a world that is unified by a common language and common economic exchange standards. Continues Sarmad, ``Ours is a progressive religion, we don't believe in conversion but the freedom to choose and follow the religion.''Adds Tahirih Ahmadi, also a Bahai, ``The codes of the religion are those for everyday living. What the prophet has said is valid for today. So it means that I help a person in trouble or I don't tell a lie.''Both Sarmad and Tahirih claim that Bahai is the religion of the youth. Sarmad, 22, came to India to pursue a degree in engineering from Africa. He says, ``A lot of my classmates don't understand why I follow the tenets of my religion so faithfully. I am old-fashioned because I have no interest in watching pornography or drinking.'' Adds Tahirih, ``Chastity of thought and behaviour is an important part of my faith. My religion does not say that I can't be friends with boys but there is definitely a strong line between friendship and intimacy.''Don't they ever feel the pressure to conform? Doesn't the task of responsibility wear them down? Shrugs Tahirih, ``I don't regret belonging to this community. There are times when you are at crossroads - to help someone who has been in an accident, for example. Where perhaps another person might turn the other way and leave because of the hassles involved, I would definitely help even if it meant a trouble for me. My conscience would never allow otherwise.'' Adds Sarmad, ``Religion teaches you to live a better life. Therefore it is best to begin when you are young. And when you follow a way of living it is not a pressure.''Elaborating the practice of the faith, Sarmad says, ``There are three daily obligatory prayers which can be said at any time of the day. Our calendar year comprises 19 months and 19 days for every month. So we have 361 days a year and then there are four more days which are for festivals. We have a spiritual assembly that consists of nine people elected for a period of one year. There is also a universal house of justice which is elected for a period of five years. These members conduct everything from marriages to providing order. There is a gathering in the city every Saturday as members gather, pray and exchange views.''Tahirih maintains, ``It is the words of the prophet that we don't debase ourselves. So we don't encourage begging or give to beggars. But charity in the form of food, clothes and work are always undertaken.'' She adds that there is no such thing as a confession as the relationship between an individual and God is a personal one. So when a person commits a sin, he does not have to confess before a person but just seek forgiveness from God.There is a sense of personal freedom and responsibility that comes with the faith. Followers see this as the only way to attain the maturity that was intended for man. Says Sarmad, ``This may sound utopian. We are not assuming that this will go on forever. All we say is that right now this seems to be the only path away from the miseries and injustices in the world''.
