DISHONOURING SAFFRON ROBE

The saffron robe symbolises purity and renunciation. It is unfortunate that a sadhvi and a self-styled Shankaracharya, Dayanand Pandey, have had to be arrested for their alleged role in Malegaon bomb blasts. It is galling that such people are still sought to be held in veneration by some despite strong suggestion of their involvement. Ironically, Pandey was given the honorific title of Dharmaguru, when his actions were totally antithetical to dharma. Hopefully, ordinary people will soon come to distinguish between the genuine article from the fake. Wearing a saffron robe alone does not make one pure and spiritual.