The recent incidents of Lord Ganesha murti's being desecrated in a shop at Bahrain have been acting like a fuel towards concepts of religious tolerance and idea of secularism.Though the incident is sad & devastating to see for all who resonate with Lord Ganesha, on a generalised level it is understood that certain countries strictly follow a particular faith in totality as a law. Hence any kind of tolerance towards any other faith must not be expected from them; If it is there it can only be respected. In countries of middle-east where all Islamic protocols are followed as law any deviations also incur punishment. Their policies regarding religion are clear cut & any migrants who go there for economic or other purposes subconsciously are aware of this adherence. This small incident incites me to reflect on India considered as a Secular Democracy & the very tenets of Religious tolerance which have evolved over time especially with Islam, the future & the foundations. It wont be wrong to say that India historically has accommodated all faiths with high amalgamation. Zoroastrian, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism have totally merged in the concept of India. Even to a larger extent "the Abrahamic complex" has found its own ground. However when it comes to Islam there have been a lack of prudence. With time this disparity which to be honest has been exploited for politics leading from partition to terrorism & the threats its posses it sometimes make sense to dwell on its foundations.
We humans are symbolic species. We associate our struggles, failures, success through associations from history, their relavance in present & the projections in future. Physical Structures like monuments, temples, mosques give as a sense of belonging. Be it Kaba or Kedarnath, the very vision of them reaffirms our religious lineage, throws us in a realm of that unbroken chain of divinity making sense of our existence from birth to death & thereafter. This elaboration may help us understand the roots of disparity amongst communities. Though Jainism, Buddhism or any other concepts of spirituality have met with resistance with the fundamentalist of their own faith, for most parts it has been a evolutionary process towards coexistence. If we scan through history, there is hardly any place of worship of a Agiyari, a Monastery or a Gurudwara which is located on a land of dispute. Neither is there any tyrannical history to their constructions. These structures have been accepted & amalgamated without a trace. To be fair most of these faiths were born in India & evolved from prevailing religious diaspora , while some like Parsi faith sought refuge in India & blended over time. So we can make some logical sense behind their coexistence.
India was invaded by two faiths, Abrahamic complex & Islam. Invasions are always brutal. History has taught us that. They happen with force with an intent to stamp the authority of the invader in terms of beliefs, economy & lifestyle. If we trace the history of "Abrahamic conceptual influences" on India, in terms of Portuguese, Dutch, French & the British we hardly find any conflicts with their structures of worship. Though India has considerable number of churches & chapels very few have been on disputed lands or built on foundations of temple. Even if it maybe so, most have lost their symbolic values or have mutually dissolved in coexistence.
In that sense the Islamic invasion of India is distinct Though as violent as any invasions, it has managed to leave a symbolic trail behind it. A trail of utmost disparity. It wont be entirely wrong to say that many mosques in India have been built by razing temples. It's hard to believe that the Islamic invaders did not have accessibility to any open real estate. The reasons to raze temples and build mosque must have been purely political as a show of strength. It's easy to kill a man who does not obey, but hard to kill a community with strong faith. Weaken the faith & the ensuing chaos gives control. This tyrannical invasions were rapid & followed a plan to control the wealth of India very much like all invaders tried to do.
As India ushered from these scenarios towards a republic , the symbolic structures slowly keep reflecting the tyranny. It becomes difficult to ignore the oppression that gets carried over from generation to generation finding parallels in current thought actions & environment. The theory that with education, the world would become less radical & more inclusive is slowly going out of the window. The reasons for this especially for India and its youth lie in the concept of secularism. The word instills moral high ground when thought, discussed but fails miserably on application. Though they're maybe many parallel , I have my own inferences of why it fails.
Let us start with definition of Secularism
- Politically it defines "Separation of religious institutions from state institutions and a public sphere where religion may participate, but not dominate.Equality so that our religious beliefs or lack of them doesn't put any of us at an advantage or a disadvantage".
- Religion wise it defines as "Freedom to practice one's faith or belief without harming others, or to change it or not have one, according to one's own conscience".
We can derive that there is slight difference between Secular State & Secular mind. A secular state basically talks about a framework where laws are not modelled on a religious guidelines that invade the privacy of others. A secular mind defines the freedom to practise ones faith without interfering with others. We can logically ascertain that to create a secular state we do not require a secular mind, but just a majority to arrive at a consensus.
Now let us take 2 definitions of secularism as understood in India
DharmaNirpekśatā (धर्मनिरपेक्षता) & SamaDharmaSamabhāva (सम धर्म समभाव)। Though both may sound & mean same there is a etymological difference in understanding & application.
- DharmaNirpekśatā means, "I do not expect you to follow or understand or influence my faith, but to respect its existence as I do for yours".
- SamaDharmaSamabhāva means "As i feel towards my religion, same I feel for all".
The former in a nutshell gives an idea of applicative secularism. Where truth prevails, where there is no fantasising of a moral high ground. This is the example why Parsi, Buddhism, Jainism & many other faiths coexisted & progressed in India. To a larger extent even the "Abrahamic concepts" found their own peace. The latter projects idealism. On applicative grounds, it is far from truth. To be honest, Religion is personal which ever we may follow. How one perceives divinity depends on ones own experiences & relativity which keeps evolving over time. The friction between Islam & Hinduism lies here. Idealism in words forces to reflect SamaDharmaSamabhāva when practically DharmaNirpekśatā is required. A Secular State built on guidelines of SamaDharmaSamabhāva will always have shades of secessionism, appeasements & political opportunism. There is thin line between uniformity of rules for all & prejudice. What may seem a straightforward rule in one faith may blur the lines of religious apathy in others. On the contrary a Secular state built on honesty of DharmaNirpekśatā can lay down solid rules of acceptance & application which over time can create a strong cultural foundation.
Though there are many layers to this , a positive start towards this shift can be done with symbolism. A time where we all make amends to erase the symbolic gestures of past & start at neutral with DharmaNirpekśatā model of Secularism. Mosques built on places which historically have been a landmark of Hindu faith and history must be corrected by Islamic youth themselves. Similarly mosques who with time themselves have become a larger symbol of Islam must be accepted & restored by others. This can be done creating a national charter in an organised manner. We can take cues from the fact that there are temples & mosques in India which have no complex tyrannical history & have amalgamated into secular lands. There are Mosques which Hindus visit & there are temples which Muslims visit.
This shift however simple it may sounds, it has its political hurdles & manifesto. Religion, faith & its flow are primordial instincts of Human mind because it is its inherent nature to surrender to a higher calling which it holds as primordial entity towards creation. A logical affirmation to alogical happenings that surround us depicting fear, ecstasy, health, disease, happiness & suffering. Eventually as India becomes a nation with youngest population globally, the onus lies on them how they want to refine their history & redefine their future...
Disclaimer
Post reflects general views of author & does not endorse or look to hurt any religious beliefs & sentiments.
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