Secularism-The Sanest Choice

It is the teaching of Indian history that in a country so large and varied as India, successful political life can be built up only on the willing allegiance of all sections of the people. Identification of the State with any particular religion would tend, to violate this principle. There is a good deal of misunderstanding about the concept of secularism. Some people think that sectularism implies antagonism or at least indifference to religion which entirely a wrong notion, for the religious tradition in India is so strong that any attempt to deny the value of religion would lead to its immediate repudiation by the Indian people. Secularism, therefore, has a different meaning in the Indian context and must be understood as refusal to identify the State with any particular religion

A Dangerous Temptation

Where one community is in overwhelming majority, there is no doubt a temptation for the members of that community to exalt their religion and their way of life above others. This is, however, fraught with danger; for history in India and elsewhere teaches that minorities make a contribution, out of proportion to numbers, to national life and culture. The peculiar structure of Hindu society itself demands that the question of religious exclusiveness should not be raised. Once this question is posed it will not stop at discrimination between Hindus and non-Hindus but will soon affect the relations of different sections of the Hindu community itself.

The Traditional Policy

Neutrality between different religions has been the traditional policy of India through the ages. India has been a great diversity of faith and worship from the earliest times, but this has not interfered with the peaceful pursuit of their respective ways of life by different sections of the people. It was not an accident that Christians and Jews who came to India in the first century of Christan Era found a hospitable reception here. Several centuries later, Parsis and Muslims received an equally cordial welcome and, ever since, the Indian scene has been marked by the survival and prosperity of men and women professing different religious faiths.

Hindu society is essentially federal in character. This applies to social and economic institutions like caste as well as religious attitudes and beliefs. Hinduism includes many different types of faith and practice. Sometimes the difference between one Hindu sect and another is as wide as between any two well-organised religions of the world. It is a matter of history that Buddhism and different forms of Hinduism flourished in India side by side for many centuries. Asoka was one of the first of the kings to identify himself with a particular religious faith, but he insisted on equal treatment to followers of other religions. This was also true of the Ikshwaku kings of Vijaypuri who gave equal protection and patronage to Buddhists and Hindus. In their case, it is stated that generally the queens were Buddhists while the kings were Hindus. If the priests enjoyed the favour of the Hindu kings, the bhikkusreceived equal support from the Buddhist queens. In both North and South India, the State prospered and the people flourished so long and only so long as this policy of toleration continued. When the policy was changed and there was favour or partisanship for either Buddhists or Hindus, the result was discord and ultimately decay of the kingdom.

Mughal Period and Afterwards

The same story is repeated during the period of the Pathan and Mughal rulers of India. The Pathan kings learnt fairly early that they must win the loyalty of their Hindu subjects, as a State based on fear alone could not survive for long. The greatness of Akbar lies in raising this policy of expediency into a philosophy of life. He consciously worked for the principle of equal opportunities for all his subjects. The result was that, during his reign, India attained a level of civilisation and culture which was the envy and despair of contemporary Europe. When his policy of equal treatment for all subjects was reversed, the decline of Mughal Empire started. During the interragnum between the break-up of the Mughal power and the rise of the British domination, we find fresh example, of the operation of this principle. Shivaji achieved spectacular success because he meted out equal treatment to men following different faiths. Some of his successors did not have his imagination and ability. Their policy of discrimination led to an alienation of their non-Hindu subjects and soon a stage was reached where Hindus other than Marathas turned against them. It is thus the teaching of Indian history we are following now. Once the principle of religious discrimination and exclusiveness is introduced into the Indian polity it would lead to a break-up not only of the Indian nationhood but that of Indian society itself.

Besides these historical reasons, the scientific and technological advances of recent times demand that contemporary India must have a secular policy. Different civilisations and cultures of the world are today confronting one another on a stage that is becoming steadily narrower. In India, such confrontation is both closer and more acute than almost anywhere else. Toleration and respect for different points of view are essential for the survival of man in this atomic age, more so in India.