Secularism in India

Secularism to the West

To the Western countries secularism is rejection of religion, denial of God and the life after death in the other world.  It is a persuasion that we have no reason to be concerned with anything other than this world and our life in this world. To the West, therefore, one cannot be religious and also secular at the same time. In India religion is at the centre of people’s life but, paradoxically, the country is secular. The sacred books of the Hindus say that we should respect all religions. That accounts for the multiplicity of religions in India.

India’s openness

There was never a time when India had but one religion. Even before the Aryan invasion there were numerous cults in India. They were mostly Dravidian. People in Indian society were always open to messages from faiths other than their own. Tolerance and pluralism are a continuing part of Indian religious tradition. After the Aryan invasion there was a mingling of Dravidian and Aryan cults, though they were diverse. Later, Islam and Christianity got added to the existing Indian religious traditions. Yet, there was no inter-religious tension, no bloodshed in the name of religion in India. Its emperors like Ashoka and Akbar promoted religious tolerance.

Detachment of religion from power centres

As Islam had Sufi tradition ( this tradition stressed devotion to God) so had Hinduism the Bhakti tradition. The saints of both these traditions were open to teachings of other faiths, were never sectarian and they never desired closeness to any power centres. This is unlike the history of the West where polity and political power were based on religion.

Unity of religions

The heir to emperor Shajahan was inclined to Sufism and was a scholar in both Sufism and Hinduism. He would quote from Islamic and Hindu books to show that the two religions had similar teachings. He called them the mingling of two oceans. Thus he also contributed to inter-religious harmony in India. Notwithstanding conversions, castes in India persisted in all religions. Castes cut across religions and worked as a counter current to possible religious tensions.

Change after the advent of the British

The situation witnessed a change after the coming in of the British. There arose differences among the Muslim and Hindu elites for economic, political and cultural reasons. The Hindus quickly adjusted to modern education, industry and commerce.  Unable to so adjust to modernity, the Muslims were left behind. Newly acquired political and economic power widened the difference between them. As India is multi-religious the Congress party adopted secularism as one of its main policies.  The context was the competitive politics where the Hindus and the Muslims organized themselves on religious lines. When this polarzation happened the Muslims felt less secure and wanted to have a power sharing arrangement before the British left India. Thus, secularism was adopted by the Congress more as a political expediency than as a philosophy.

Freedom caused no deviation

 Independence and the partition of India did not cause any deviation from the preferred secular path. There is no State religion. People are free to practice any religion of their choice. Hence secularism in India is equal respect for all religions and cultures and not denial of religion. It means that religion will not interfere in governance. There will be no discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, gender or class. One can profess, practice and propagate a religion of one’s choice. Conversion to a religion of one’s choice is one’s fundamental right.

The real issue in Indian secularism

The question before us is not how many Indians believe in God and how many do not. Rather, the question is how many of us respect the minority religions. The issue concerning secularism in India is thus different and peculiar. The presence or absence of belief in God is the issue for Western secularism.

Tolerance is faith, not political expediency

Though deeply religious, the Indians tolerate and respect other religions. This paradox underlies Indian secularism. The Sufi saints and the saints of Hindu Bhakti cults are also secular in this sense. Tolerance in India is not latitude, nor is it absence of bigotry. It is a positive faith and is prompted by religion. Indian religions teach that truth is one but it is manifested in different forms in different religions.  The real Being is one and we are all appearances of that real Being. This faith in inclusiveness, in oneness is common to both Islam and Hinduism.

The real divisive factors – political and economic

In India it is not religion that is divisive. It is only politicians who divide the people in the name of religious, caste and ethnic identities. These identities got erased long ago. The medieval Indian society was not competitive and hence was more tolerant. The modern Indian society is economically and politically competitive and is, therefore, less tolerant. When development is not even throughout India and across its communities, this competition becomes acute. It may surprise the West that India, though religious and religiously plural, is secular and tolerant.

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 (Material prepared by Dr. Jayaraman, Department of English, for IMSc students)