SECULARISM (1 of 2)

This is First part of article based on Secularism:

1. Basic definition and broader idea of Secularism. 

2. Linking Secular state(typical Indian) with Constitution of India.

धर्मनिरपेक्षता (सर्व धर्म संभव) (HINDI)

▪︎Protection of minorities with tolerance of all religion and presence of communal harmony is the common idea that we have about secularism, which is not exactly what it is. 

However Indian character of secularism is based on the two basic principles that deal with:-

1. Separation of Religion and Politics.

2. Considering Religion

Now a days in India one is considered as a secular person when he or she  plays a role in paying  significant amount of interest and importance to a minority religion. This is the witty thing one can observe that one is considered as a secular when he or she gives a bit of importance to a religion 

*This never to be concluded as ignoring minorities their demand and rights.*

IT'S NOT THE RELIGION IT'S POLITICISATION OF RELIGION WHICH IS DANGEROUS 

*Secularism in different backdrops:

▪︎In Western Context it is separation of Church from State, and guaranteeing citizen to follow and profess any religion.

▪︎In Indian Context the word is misunderstood in an anti-religious sense and one of the prominent political scientist Ashish Nandi (Indian political psychologist, social theorist, and critic)characterised it as 'Indianism'.

▪︎S.R.Bommai V. Union of India 1994 AIR, SC 1981 The Hon'ble Supreme court held that ''secular not only meant that the state should have no religion of its own and should be neutral as between different religious."

▪︎Dr Radhakrishnan, in his book, Recovery of Faith, explains secularism in our country as follows: "When India is said to be a secular state, it does not mean that we reject the reality of an unseen spirit or the relevance of religion to life, or that we exalt irreligion. It does not mean that secularism itself becomes a positive religion or that the state assumes divine prerogatives….we hold that not one religion should be given referential status."

▪︎Thomas Pantham in his work on Indian Secularism and its critics stated that "Secularism in west is usually taken to be emphasising the separation of the state and religion , where as Indian secularism stress on equal tolerance of all the religion (sarva dharma sambhav) even though it also upholds a certain differentiation and relative separation of the political and religious spheres."

•Indian secularism is also different from French notion of secularism which is called laicite demanding that the government and its institutions should have complete absence of religion and vise versa.In contrast Indian state provides support to religious education institutions.India's attitude has always been one of basic unity, tolerance, and even religious harmony.

In practice Indian secularism is based on the idea of respect and equality on religious ground.

 

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▪︎ Secularism,Legacy of Idian culture and tradition:

It is neither a all new concept for Indians nor a total foreign concept adopted by Indians from west. It has also a very rich history in India, its emergence gradually started from different general movements thoughts and feelings and sharing of ideas among different groups and communities. This made India's culture a composite one - unifying many to one.

•Sufi movement of Medieval India gave a vast thrust to bring people of different communities closer to each other. Leaders of this movement Kabir, Mira Bai, Guru Nanak, Baba Farid, Khwahja  Moinuddin Chisti, and Dadu Tukaram contributed to the development of one of the great element of harmony among differences that is Composite Culture.

With the above discussion we can say that Indian secularism is nothing like western secularism and doesn't have a clear separation rather it has 'principled distanced' between religion and politics. 

The term 'principled distanced' is coined by one of the prominent personality in the name of political theory Rajeev Bhargav he has explained that Indian secularism does not create a wall of separation  but it doesn't mean that there is no boundary but that boundary is porous. Which means state intervenes in religious matter in the form of grants to religious institution, state interference on such religious institution that deny temple entry and untouchability. 

 Rajeev Bhargav also termed Indian secularism as 'contextual secularism' which mean that it is based on the context and vary from place to place, it also puts moral ethics to this context of India which vary from that of the western concept. 

The question of secularism is not of sentiments and emotion rather it is of law, the secular objective is expressed specifically by the the 42nd amendment act of 1976 in the preamble of Constitution. The framers of Constitution have clearly mentioned this in Part-III Article 25,26,27 of Constitution of India.

Next post will be on Linking Secular state(typical Indian) with Constitution of India. Secularism (2 of 2).

Soon there will be a blog post on comparing Indian and European secular characteristics.

Article by : Sidharth Shankar sidharthshankar441@gmail.com  

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1.DD BASU- Introduction to the Constitution of India (2021 EDITION)

2. Dr. Fadia-IGP(2019 EDITION)

3. R. Bhargava State religious diversity and the Recovery of Religious Tolerance(2011 EDITION)

4. A. Nandy The politics of secularism (1988 EDITION)

5.Secularism in the Oxford companion(2010 EDITION )

6.The complete words of Vivekananda,(1),P.127

7. Dr. Radhakrishna-Religion and Society,P.103