SECULARISM:What does it mean?

“Secularism” is not the right word for all that we might wish to communicate by the word. The dictionary meaning of the term is neither sufficient nor to the point, because it does not go beyond the theoretical meaning to encompass the elements of social living or community life. This factor is particularly important with reference to India as the country has been the home of several religious communities that lived together in the spirit of common brotherhood until British diplomacy succeeded in dividing them, labeling the groups as 'the majority' and 'the minority. The use of these terms is communal for several reasons and presents the picture of the minority (the Muslims, in particular) being denied, because of the power of the majority, equal rights and status. The majority-minority distinction hit the Hindus badly for if they said that they are Hindus they would be called communal, and if they said they are the majority they would be understood as saying boastfully (or even threateningly) that they hold power with them. Thus, meaning of the term is not restricted to the thought that the State shall have no religion of its own, and it will treat all religions at par and keep them the same distance away from it.

In a secular state, members of a religious community can follow their faith and rituals. To be consistent, they shall not comment or do anything against what the members of other religious community believe or do in conformity with the norms and procedure laid down by their scriptures. Secularism for the state does not mean that it will be indifferent to what may go on in the name of religion. This means that the state shall keep with it the power to intervene and take action if anything goes wrong in the name or religion. It is, indeed, the duty of a secular state to contain communalism, which causes crimes against humanity and disrupts harmony of community life, lived in the spirit of common brotherhood.

Thanks to British diplomacy that the emotions of the Muslim minority was raised to such high pitch that their leaders demanded a separate homeland for the Muslims. The Islamic state came into existence, but India remained a secular nation. The Muslims of the land preserved their identity as "Indian Muslim." In the course of time, the politics of vote resulted in their raising afresh the issue of a separate identity for the sake of certain "gains" and forcing the parties in power, or seeking power, follow the policy of appeasement. Some parties, particularly the party in power, which can more easily make promises to appease them, play the political game at the time of elections. How much they believe in secularism and how much they allow secular thoughts in political issues is another matter. However, one thing is certain: the policy of appeasement corrupts the definition of secularism, because it is inconsistent with a harmonious community life.

There are certain provisions in our Constitution, which can help us define secularism. The chapter on "Fundamental Duties" provides, among other duties, the following:

1. Follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom. Well, we got freedom because the Indian defeated the British. In other words, we were neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian; we are one person, one being, one force, and the proper epithet is "Indian."

2. Promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood among the people of India transcending religious diversities. That is to say, we must prove that we are one nation despite diversities. We are the sons of the soil and we must live together in harmony as one family.

3. Uphold and protect the sovereignty and unity and integrity of India. That is to say, we must not allow anything to happen that may spell danger to us, - I mean the nation. We understand what harm communalism can do; so, we must always fight it tooth and nail and ultimately defeat it.

4. Preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture. We can know better as to how to perform this duty if we understood the true meaning of "bharatiya." The term is not to be defined in terms of citizenship but the feeling of pride in Indian culture and its land. That is to say, a true Indian is he who is Indian by heart, and not by law.

In the context of what we have said, secularism, in its meaning, essentially contains "bharatiyata" (Indian-ism, you may call it, but I doubt if "ism" can be used both for thought and feeling.) I am secular not only because I believe in religious harmony and living together in the spirit of common brotherhood but also because I take pride in being the son of the soil and the product of its culture.