It
needs to be reinterpreted for a new time.
In the Indian context, secularism
cannot mean an anti-religious attitude or even an attitude of indifference
towards religion on the part of the state.
Written by Karan Singh | Published
on:June 26, 2015 12:31 am
The classical concept of secularism
we adopted after freedom is under immense pressure. There are three main
reasons for this. First, the Western concept of secularism originated in Europe
when the separation of church and state had become a major concern. India has
never had an organised church, so this concept was not really relevant to us.
The term “sarva dharma sambhava (respect for all religions)” is a far more
meaningful formulation for us.
Second, our secularism was based on
the erroneous assumption that religion is a purely private affair with which
the state is not concerned. This may be true as far as individual prayer and
spiritual practice are concerned, but quite clearly, the collective impact of
religion on society and the state is far from personal. That millions of
Indians should flock regularly to the kumbh melas and numerous other places of
worship, whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or any other, is itself an indication that
the state has necessarily to take cognisance of religion as a social force.
When we add to this the conflicts within and between religious groups that
create serious law and order problems, and the way religion is widely used for
political purposes, it becomes quite clear that the myth that religion is a
purely personal matter can no longer be sustained.
Third, the assumption that, as
education increases and living standards improve, religion will steadily lose
its hold over the minds of people has been repeatedly disproved. On the
contrary, there is evidence to show that with increasing affluence, the
interest in religion shows a marked upsurge. A survey of rural India will show
that a place of worship is one of the first demands of a newly affluent area.
The upsurge of Islam in the oil-rich countries of West Asia proves the case
convincingly.
It is clear that we have to move to
an entirely new concept of secularism. In the Indian context, secularism cannot
mean an anti-religious attitude or even an attitude of indifference towards
religion on the part of the state. What it should mean is that, while there is
no state religion, all religions are given respect and freedom of activity,
provided they do not impinge upon each other and that foreign funds are not
allowed to be channelled through ostensibly religious organisations for
political purposes. Any attempt to disturb communal relations
must be put down with a firm hand.
must be put down with a firm hand.
It is also essential that we
overcome the religion-phobia in our educational system. At present, we are
getting the worst of both worlds. We refuse to make a positive attitude of
presenting our rich, multi-religious heritage to our students. And we leave
religious education entirely in the hands of bodies that are seldom equipped to
undertake the task, and usually offer narrow and obscurantist interpretations
of the living truths that permeate religious traditions.
India is by far the richest area for
multi-religious studies anywhere in the world, and should attract some of the
best scholars. Hinduism itself, the religion of over four-fifths of Indians, is
a vast treasure house of philosophy and mythology, sociology and worldly
wisdom. Yet, in the last four decades, more work on Hinduism has been done by
foreign scholars than by our own.
It is incumbent on us to ensure that
the younger generation understands and appreciates not only its own religious
traditions but also those of the other religions in the country. How many
Muslims in India are able even remotely to appreciate the depth of feeling
among Hindus for the sanctity of Lord Ram’s birthplace? Conversely, how many
Hindus understand the emotional trauma of Muslims when they saw what they
genuinely believed was a mosque being destroyed brick by brick?
No nation can continue to grow if
its central concepts become fossilised and it loses the capacity for creative
reinterpretation of its philosophical roots. The great secret of the Indian
civilisation, which has survived so long despite massive incursions, holocausts
and two centuries of colonialism, lies precisely in its capacity for such
periodic reformulations.
What is needed is a deeper
understanding of the importance of religion in the life of our people, and a
new and dynamic interpretation of secularism.
- See more at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-suitable-secularism/#sthash.2dUEOY30.dpuf
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