Vikrant Massey’s Secular Stance: Raising Vardaan beyond Religious Stratification
Vikrant Massey, embracing pluralism, left his son’s birth certificate's religion column blank, rejecting dogma and emphasizing a worldview shaped by spiritual liberty, familial diversity, and introspective coalescence of faiths.
New Delhi: Actor Vikrant Massey, currently promoting his film Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, recently shared a profound decision involving his newborn son, Vardaan. Speaking on Rhea Chakraborty’s podcast, Vikrant disclosed that he deliberately left the “religion” column on Vardaan’s birth certificate unfilled.
What’s Happening
On the show, Vikrant expressed his conviction that no individual should be judged or treated based on caste, creed, or religious affiliation.
"On the birth certificate of my baby boy, we left the space for religion blank. So when his birth certificate came from the government, there was no religion stated on it. Toh yeh nahi hai ki sarkaar aapko bolti hai likhna padega (So it's not like the government forces you to write it). It depends on you. The moment we got his birth certificate, I put a dash in the religion column. I will be so heartbroken if I realise my son is treating anyone based on the practices they follow. I am not raising my son that way," he said.
Vikrant hails from a family where religious heterogeneity is normalized. This interfaith upbringing has fostered in him a deep sense of syncretism, the amalgamation of different beliefs.
"I think religion is a personal choice. For me, it's a way of life. I think everyone has the right to choose their religion. Mere ghar pe har prakaar ke religion aapko milenge. I think religion is man-made. Mai pooja karta, gurudwara bhi jaata hun, dargah bhi jaata hun (I offer prayers, I go to the gurdwara, and I also visit the dargah). I get peace with all of this," he added.
Family of many Faiths
Vikrant’s familial landscape is a tapestry of spiritual diversity. His father is Christian, his mother is Sikh, and his brother embraced Islam at the age of 17. Vikrant himself is married to Sheetal, who belongs to a Rajput Thakur lineage. Despite this polyreligious backdrop, Massey identifies as spiritual rather than devoutly religious.
He revealed that a namkaran (traditional naming) ceremony was held at Vardaan, merging cultural respect with personal beliefs. His views align with transreligious thinking, emphasizing unity beyond theological divisions.
In Essence
Vikrant Massey's decision to leave his son's religion column blank is a gesture of nonconformity and compassion. By rejecting dogmatic imposition and encouraging autonomy of belief, he embodies a humanistic ethos that many find increasingly relevant in a polarized world.
