A V E
Issue 30, 2020
Established: 1995
Saturday, February 8th, 2020
Do We Remember? Illustrator: Ssara Jha
-Anoushka S. Rabha, XI
The deep rot in the Indian democracy that we all speak of and do nothing about: the misinterpretation of Secularism. A new understanding of secularism represents India’s best chance at moving beyond the constraints of religion. Rethinking the idea of Secularism is due for the Indian populace, from being a term that meant separation of the State from religious institutions to one that evoked fear; Secularism has come a long way. As Secularism returns to the center of India’s political debate, due to the infamous CAA, NRC and the tumultuous Shaheen Bagh , we must understand that it is not a concept that can be taught inside the four walls of a classroom. It has been on the back foot since the majestic mandate of the BJP, who identify Secularism with ‘minority appeasement’, making it a suspect doctrine in the eyes of the Hindutva biased masses. No surprise when the appeal of multiculturalism has been more effective in shaking up the ethos and rhetoric of majoritarianism. Even as we hear about grand declarations of the alleged attack on Secularism in India, we must remember that when the NRC process began a few years earlier some 1.9 million people were on the verge of statelessness, including many Hindus. Since then the country has been fixated on the core question, “Is India Secular?”. In this regard we may agree to disagree that secularism too is a utopian ideal along the lines of Democracy, in its true nature. The underlying assumption of Secularism is that the State ought to be disassociated from religion. Yet, the
truth of the matter is far from that. The State isn’t blind to religion. Take their different strokes for different places of worship for example. The blindfolded Lady of Justice is also guilty of not being Secular. In a courtroom, the oath that one takes involves religious texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and the Quran. It is high time we reach the conclusion that religious tolerance and Secularism are two separate concepts and must be treated so. Secularism as a political construct stemmed from the conflict between the majority and the minority. While the intent of the Constituent Assembly was to ensure multiculturalism, yet the manic fear of a ‘Hindu Rajya’ ensured that multiple clauses were added into the Constitution that permitted other religions, to function according to their own code. The idea of Secularism thus got diluted at its very birth. The Ram Rajya that Gandhi spoke of which the Left hated, was about equal rights and pluralistic Secular beliefs. That was the India that Gandhi had dreamt of and not this version where an illusionary, utopian Secularism exists. Contrary to popular belief, Secularism was missing in the Gandhian and Nehruvian vocabulary because of their firm belief that religion was intrinsic to Indian society. As India continues to be ripped apart by the misconception of Secularism, we must reflect and redefine while we still can. Either Secularism corrects itself and broadens its ambit to recognize pluralism or multiculturalism as a part of it or we will find ourselves in a crisis bigger than a Coronavirus outbreak.
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Weekly Newsletter of The Assam Valley Express