Nationalism and secularism are the two basic constituents of modern India. Nationalism is said to have been associated with anticolonialism in British India, and the process of nation-in-making started. It was accepted that India could become a nation by appreciating its immense cultural, linguistic, religious and geographical diversities. There was the question of unifying India, and colonialism had a role in doing so economically and administratively, though it was exploitative in nature.
However, India was turning into a nation through the political activity of the Indian people and their struggle against colonialism. Indian intelligentsia had definitely played an important part in promoting the spirit of nationalism and patriotism. Still, the roles of different social classes, including workers and peasants, cannot be marginalised. The vision of independent India that emerged during the freedom movement encompassed rebuilding Indian society through a movement of the masses, establishing a democratic political order based on civil liberties, promoting economic development by using science and technology, introducing social change and social justice, and creating a strong and united Indian nation, accepting and appreciating diversity.
This is not to say that the spirit of nationalism vanished with the end of colonialism. India is now a developing nation. She is striving hard to enhance her prestige and glory in different fields, such as trade and commerce, industry, science and technology, including space science, games and sports and so on. Every Indian still nurtures the spirit of nationalism. We can feel this when India sends a space shuttle to the moon or when it wins the Cricket World Cup. We boast of being Indians when the Indian cricket team wins a Test or ODI, or when India wins a medal in the Olympics.
Nationalism rises above religion, caste and region. Nationalism in India is not the preserve of a particular community or class or a few leaders. After 1947, India emerged as a nation-state ~ a sovereign democratic republic. Secularism has been one of the strongest pillars of this nation-state. The history of heterodoxy contributed to the emergence of secularism in India. The form of secularism that India adopts differs from what is defined in many parts of the West.
She witnesses a spirit of tolerance and religious diversity, and holds a rich civilizational heritage with an absorptive and accommodative character. The spirit of multiculturalism was inherent in Indian culture. India serves as a home for the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Parsees, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and others. The Vedas paved the way to what is now called Hinduism. Buddhism and Jainism became dominant in Indian society and survived as powerful religions in India. Each religious community managed to retain its identity within India’s multi-religious spectrum. We have seen this spirit of religious toleration during the rule of Asoka.
Interreligious tolerance has become a major component of the ideas of Ramananda, Nanak, Chaitanya and others, including Mira Bai, a sixteenth-century female poet. India became a meeting ground of different cultures that either emerged from within or were brought from outside. India’s uniqueness lies precisely in its cultural diversity, the coexistence and integration of different linguistic, religious and cultural strands. Secularism means equal regard for all religions, absence of discrimination among citizens on the grounds of religion and active opposition to communalism.
Secularism has a feature specific to India. In India, secularism arose as an ideology of uniting the Indian people vis-à-vis colonialism and as a part of the nation-making process. It is argued that secularism, which was championed by Indian leaders in colonial India, is something of a reflection of Western ideas. But it would be misleading to say that Indian secularism has no connection with earlier traditional thoughts and writings. India was the cradle of such a secular spirit and nurtured it over the centuries. India is still carrying the legacy of the secular or syncretic concept of showing respect to all religions from ancient times.
India’s sanatani culture speaks of multiculturalism where a Hindu can boast of being a Hindu, a Sikh of belonging to Sikhism, a Buddhist of embracing Buddhism. Secularism does not mean abusing a particular religion and appeasing another. This is what may be called pseudo-secularism, which misguides the state. What is wrong if a Hindu calls himself or herself a devout Hindu or if one feels proud of the glories of the Hindus? This does not imply that he or she is intolerant of other religions or that he or she is not secular.
P C Ray, the distinguished scientist and also a historian of science of India, while drawing serious attention to some of the scientific traditions and accomplishments of ancient India, stated, “I am as proud of the glories of the Hindus of old as anybody”. This kind of assertion would not cause any threat to people of a particular religion. If each community pursues its own religion without encroaching on others, peace will be sustained in society, leading to its progress, and there will be no religion-centric conflict. Every religion speaks of liberalism and humanism; only fundamentalists infuse a venomous spirit into the minds of a particular community. Self-respect in one’s own culture and religion is the essence of the secular spirit.
This spirit of secularism is entrenched in Hinduism. Many of our Hindu forefathers had fought for secularism, not for sectarianism. Hindu organisations are not eroding the legacy of secularism. Rather, democratic and secular values are reflected in many Hindu or Vaishnava institutions. It must be remembered that if these values of India’s traditional culture and religion are threatened, attacked and are in danger, Indians have to confront the challenges. Our national leaders dreamt of India being built on the values of nationalism and secularism. Nationalism that developed in India is secular in character.
There were challenges to the processes of consolidating India after 1947, but nationalist leaders like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Shyama Prasad Mookherjee and others struggled hard to maintain national unity in diversity, the main ideal of our nationalism. They were not associated with one region, one language, one religion or one caste. They believed in pluralism and thereby in secularism. India has been successful in strengthening unity politically, economically and emotionally, and has been pushing forward the process of nation-building.
India’s diversity still sustains and flowers. India can boast of its national unity and democratic political system, despite political disturbances and economic problems like poverty. Surprisingly, the more we talked about secularism, the more communal our society became. This happened because we wanted to please every section of society and ended up pleasing none. The debate is on the policy of appeasement. The government sometimes promotes a community in various ways and succumbs to the pressure of a particular community on certain issues to gain electoral benefits.
Thus, the government resorts to the politics of concessions and compromises, which lead to more complications. This happens because politicians do not normally look beyond short-term interests. Religion is a personal affair, and it has nothing to do with politics. In 1950, Sardar Patel declared, “Ours is a secular state. We cannot fashion our policies or shape our conduct in the way Pakistan does. We must see that our secular ideals are actually realised in practice … Here every Muslim should feel that he is an Indian citizen and has equal rights as an Indian. If we cannot make him feel like this, we shall not be worthy of our heritage and of our country.” That legacy is still being carried on.
(The writer is a retired Professor of History, The University of Burdwan)