In 1947 Hindustan was divided on two
nations for two religions theory by the outgoing Britishers into two parts. India and Pakistan emerged – the former adopted
Secularism whereas the latter adopted Islam as its official religion.
What do we mean when we use the term
“Religion” and “Secularism”?
Religion
After the advent of civilization, the human beings
started to live in some groups. To facilitate smooth living, some code of
conduct based on some beliefs and experiences came into form and that code of
conduct became religion in due course of time. We can thus say that a religion
is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that
relate humanity to an order of existence. As the number of the groups
increased, the number of religions also grew up as per the geographical
circumstances in which the individual
groups lived.
Many religions have narratives, symbols, and sacred
histories that aim to explain the meaning of life, the origin of life, or the Universe.
From their beliefs about the cosmos and human nature, people may derive morality,
ethics, religious laws, or a preferred lifestyle. The
development of various religions has taken different forms in different
cultures. Some religions place an emphasis on belief, while others emphasize
practice. Some religions focus on the subjective experience of the religious
individual, while others consider the activities of the religious community to
be most important. Some religions claim to be universal, believing their laws to be binding for everyone, while others are
intended to be practiced only by a closely defined or localized group. In many
places religion has been associated with public institutions such as education,
hospitals, the family, government, and political hierarchies.
Curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence,
order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, status, tranquility,
eating and vengeance etc. are some factors which appeal to the man
towards approaching to some religion. Professor Reiss said: 'It doesn't matter
whether God exists or not as religious belief is aimed at fulfilling our basic
human desires. New theory claims
religions are an attempt to satisfy basic human desires. Psychologists say that
it helps to explain the many contradictions in religion. Atheists also
tend to be people seeking to fulfil a desire for independence
The five largest religious groups by world population, were
estimated in the year 2010 to account
for 5.8 billion people and 84% of the population, are Christianity sharing 32%,
Islam 23%, Hinduism 15% Buddhism 7% and
folk religion to the extent of 6%.
In India,
the most dominant religion today is
Hinduism. About 79% of Indians
are Hindus. Around 500 BC two
other religions developed in India,
namely, Buddhism and Jainism. Today only about 0.5% of Indians are Jains and
about 0.7% are Buddhist. One comparatively new religion in India is
Sikhism and it was established in the 15th century. About 2% of
Indians are Sikhs. Along with the religions that developed in India, there
are followers of non- Indian religions. The largest non-Indian religion is
Islam. They are about 17% of India's
population. Christians are more then 2% of India's population. There are also
Zoroastrians who even though make less then 0.01% of India's
population, are known around India.
There are also a few thousand Jews in India. Judaism and Christianity
might have arrived in India
before they arrived in Europe.
Secularism
Secularism
what
we understand generally is
the principle of the separation of the state and government institutions from
the religions being practised by the citizens, religious institutions and
religious dignitaries. Secularism is asserting the right to be free from
religious rule and teachings, or, in a state declared to be neutral on matters
of religion, from the imposition by government of religion or religious
practices upon its people. Another manifestation of secularism is the view that
public activities and decisions, especially political ones, should remain
uninfluenced by religious beliefs and/or practices being followed by one or
more groups.
The purposes
and arguments in support of secularism vary widely. It is a movement toward
modernization, and away from traditional religious values. This type of
secularism, on a social or philosophical level, has often occurred while giving
subsidy to the persons going on Haj, granting financial assistance to the
Madarsa or controlling the shrines/temples through government machinery. Some
argue that state secularism has served to a greater extent to protect religion
and the religious from governmental interference, while secularism on a social
level is less prevalent.
Maharaja Ranjeet Singh of the Sikh empire of the first
half 19th century successfully established a secular rule in the Punjab. This secular rule allowed members of all races
and religions to be respected and to participate without discrimination in
Ranjeet Singh darbar and he had Sikh, a Muslim and a Hindu representatives
heading the darbar. Ranjit Singh also extensively funded education, religion,
and arts of various different religions and languages.
Now, we understand that a secular State prefers a
society which
- Is not homogeneous, but is
pluralistic.
- Is tolerant. It widens the sphere of
private decision-making.
- ensures deep respect for individuals
and the small groups of which they are a part, equality of all people breaking
down of the barriers of class and caste.
- While every society must have some
common aims, which implies there must be agreed on methods of
problem-solving, and a common framework of law; in a secular society these
are as limited as possible.
- Each person should be helped to
realize their particular excellence.
Secularism is a code of duty pertaining to our life,
founded on considerations purely human and intended mainly for those who find
theology indefinite or inadequate, unreliable or unbelievable. Its essential
principles are three: (1) The improvement of this life by material means. (2)
That science is the available Providence
of man. (3) That it is good to do good. Whether there be other good or not, the
good of the present life is good, and it is good to seek that good.
Secularism is so important to the social life of today
that a Republican lawmaker in Tennessee
has proposed a bill that would ban public schools from teaching
"religious doctrine" earlier than 10th grade after parents
complained that middle school world history lessons on Islam were
inappropriate.
The bill by state Rep. Sheila Butt (R-Columbia) would
delay teaching of "religious doctrine," as determined by the state
board of education, until grades 10, 11 and 12. “I think that probably the
teaching that is going on right now in seventh, eighth grade is not
age-appropriate,” Butt told the Tennessean. Tennessee middle school students currently
read from religious texts and learn about world religions, including the Five
Pillars of Islam. Butt's legislation doesn't specifically mention
Islam, but said students aren't ready to learn about religion before a certain
age. “They are not able to discern a lot of times whether it's indoctrination
or whether they’re learning about what a religion teaches,” Butt said. Parents
had made similar complaints, saying the curriculum focused more on Islam than
on other religions and bordered on "indoctrination."Other Tennessee lawmakers also
have weighed in with concerns about supposed religious indoctrination in
schools -- at least when the curriculum involves Islam.
Immediate after partition, India adopted secularism as the
basic of its governance and later on it was adopted in the Constitution too.
But unfortunately, the political leaders did not honour the spirits of
secularism strictly and gradually, opposition of Hinduism and appeasement of
the minorities started to take place. Even in the democratic set-up, some
communities were preferred on the ground of reservation for scheduled caste,
scheduled tribes, backward classes, other backward classes and minorities. In
the process of appeasement, the merits had been ignored and corruption took
place at the large scale with the nepotism. The other organs of democracy have
been jeopardised and at one time, state emergency was declared in name of
protecting democracy. In this process, development for better environment in
education, infrastructure for better life, employment opportunities and medical
facilities was largely overlooked. The principle of Divide and Rule adopted by
the Britishers was taken up by the political leaders of modern India by
provoking the various communities on linguistic/religious grounds. Many
provinces have been split as such. Secularism has been misconstrued to appease
some communities while ignoring the basic needs of the majority. The successive governments in the State and
Centre followed the same policy obliging their friends in different walks of
life by providing good positions in the government organizations and/or
honours, exceeding the tolerance limit of the majority.
In 2014, there was a change in the formation of the
government at Centre and the voters supported BJP who was so far considered as
the party of the major constituent of Indian Society, ie, Hindus although
Mr.Narendra Modi had started the campaign with the slogan of “Sabka Vikas
Sabkey Sath (Development of All with All at par)”.
The tremendous success and support given to him could
not meet good taste of those who lost the chairs, resulting into the fact that
the opposition is trying its tooth and nail to disrupt his working through all the means they could adopt.
Puzzled with his growing popularity, the opposition leaders have raised a spate
of many controversial issues so that the nation be put to public unrest. On the
ground of increasing public unrest, some writers declared to return the honours
which they were given by the previous governments as if they were in support of
the nefarious activities of the opposition leaders/politics.
While we can sympathize with them for feeling
suffocated in the prevailing intellectual atmosphere generated. But it is also
true that these writers have not so far been able to create literature which
was required for ensuring a secular India. These writers have no match
with Sarat Chandra, Premchand,
Subramania Bharati and Faiz of India or
Dickens, Bernard Shaw, Victor Hugo, Maxim Gorki, Balzac,
Maupassant, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Upton Sinclair, Erich
Maria Remarque, and Pablo Neruda. They do write mainly to make money, and
have no genuine social commitment. They have become largely commercialized,
like the rest of society.
As we understand that the literature is the back-bone
for any country to reflect its conscience, there are broadly two theories of art and
literature. The first is called art for art's sake, and the second is called
art for social purpose. Those who belong to the first school believe that the
purpose of art and literature is only to create a work of beauty for pleasure,
or for entertainment. If art is created for a social purpose, it ceases to be
art and becomes propaganda. Followers of this school are Keats in English
literature, Alexander Dumas in French, Edgar Allan Poe in American, Agyeya and
the chayavadi poets in Hindi, and Tagore in Bengali literature. On the
other hand those who belong to the school of art for social purpose believe
that art should help society, by attacking oppressive institutions, customs and
ideas, and by inspiring people to fight against them and secure a better
life. In a poor country like India only the second school is
acceptable. Art and literature in India should attack inhuman and
outdated feudal and backward practises like the caste system, and inspire people
to fight for better lives as Sarat Chandra, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Subramania
Bharati, Faiz etc did.
Unfortunately our writers have not done so. All they
care for is making money. History shows that for centuries Hindu has been
suffering atrocities inflicted upon by the aggressors of other communities.
Tolerance has a limit. How far can it be endured? Why not other communities
behave like Hindus?
That difference then does it make whether our writers retain their awards or
return them?
Now, what we need to be done about for eliminating
communalism in the society can be enumerated as below:
1. We
may inspire inter-caste/religion marriages with incentives. Those who undertake
inter-caste/religion marriages must be preferred in Government Services.
2. We
may introduce family planning for all the citizens at par.. We may allow each
couple to have only two children with a gap of 3 years without any gender
preference. In case any child expires in infancy stage, the couple may adopt
one child from the recognized orphanage. Those who abide by this condition must
be given incentives.
3. In
case any couple procreates more than two children, that couple must be deprived
of all the incentives.
4. Uniform
marriage and succession laws be adopted for all the citizens at par without consideration
under any particular religion or traditions of the communities.
5. There
be one national language to be adopted by all the States and the Centre
including Judiciary and other organs. If anyone needs the translation of a
document in his/her native language, that must be provided on nominal cost.
6. Every
candidate aspiring to be elected to any law making body like Gram Panchayat,
Nagar Palika, Town Area, Nagar Nigam/Municipal Board, State Assembly,
Legislative Council and Parliament etc.
must have minimum education qualification with minimum and maximum age. These
candidates must have no previous
conviction by any court of law, no special privileges, no secret foreign bank
accounts with the highest integrity, not to indulge in empty talk about helping
the poor but instead amass fortunes for themselves or their families.
7. Similarly,
every voter must have minimum education qualification with minimum and maximum
age. We must have political leaders who are genuinely patriotic and who work
for the welfare of the people.
8. We
must set up a 4 year or 5 year national scientific plan for reconstructing the
economy, raising the standard of living of the masses and reducing the imports
of those articles which can be produced within the country. This must of course
be done with the help of top level scientists, engineers and managers. The plan
will include setting up thousands of industries, high standard educational
institutions, technical institutes and healthcare centres free of cost for the
masses all over India.
9. We
must reform our education system to make it employment oriented. Once we are
able to employ our citizens appropriately, they would not be able to think over
their communal interests.
10. We must
have a re-look upon the working of our judiciary and the laws to provide smooth
and speedy adjudication upon the disputes and crimes.
11. We
should fix the prices of most commodities, and then steadily reduce their
prices, say by 5-10% every 2 years or so. In this way a common man will be able
to steadily buy more goods with the same wage because prices are falling, and
so his real wage is going up ( wages are relative to the price index ). In this
way the market will keep steadily expanding, and simultaneously industrial and
agricultural production can be stepped up, and the increased goods produced
will be absorbed in the indigenous market, instead of there being
overproduction and a glut.
12. All
religious temples, mosques, churches, shrines and other set-ups be managed with
the government interference so that no communal hatred be permitted to flow out
and no funds be misappropriated in other than communities’ development.
13. We must
launch a powerful cultural drive to combat present feudal and backward ideas
and practices such as casteism, communalism and superstitions, to spread
scientific and rational ideas to every nook and corner of the country as at
present most of our people are steeped in casteism, communalism and
superstitions which they have inherited over the centuries. To change their
minds and habits of thinking is an enormous task.
14. 33% seats
must be reserved for females in all the statutory bodies and for their grooming
up to enable them to work independently in functioning, special drive be
carried out.
15. We must
withdraw all the public offs granted on the religious grounds. Only national
days like Independence Day and Republic Day be declared as public off days.
16. No
political leader/official/officer who holds some office in administration must
take part in any religious activity organized by any community for any reason/ground.
17. There must
be no official function involving any religious act for inauguration or laying
any stone etc.
The above
suggestions can be broad general ideas and can not be said to be perfect. They be considered if someone likes to
attempt upon.
