Subhashini Ali, CPI member, declared that secularism is absolutely essential to keep the people and country together (Midnight’s Children, THI 27th January). Ignoring the historic role of communists in persistently trying to break the country, this view represents a poor political thinking which unfortunately cuts across all ideologies. Has any major discourse even wondered why ‘fundamentalism’ is increasing in the country despite a vigorous implementation of ‘secularism’?
It is wrong to associate the present-day people with crimes of their so-called historical ancestors. One cannot use history to extract revenge. However, Indian brand of secularism did weaponize history. It whitewashed the past wrongdoings done in the name of Christianity (the Goa Inquisition for example) and Islam in a tacit acceptance of the idea that the contemporary Christians and Muslims are somehow related to the past brutalities. The same charity did not apply to Hindus as the social sciences and humanities simply continued with the colonial missionary narratives. A ‘pure’ Vedic religion which degenerated into the present caste and atrocity ridden ‘Hinduism’ through a vile patriarchal ‘Brahmanism’ remained the only understanding across centuries from the earliest traveller reports to present day academia. Secularism in this sense became an abuse of the majority where it told the Hindus that it will ‘never forget and never forgive.’ It became an appeasement when it told Muslims and Christians that it forgets, forgives, and blanks out its history too. That has been a terrible solution for post-independent India.
Secularism was specifically for Christendom of Europe at a particular time of its history when the multiple denominations were fighting each other on their individual doctrines. Each party knew what God or Christ meant in the background when secularism separated the Church from the state. It was not a solution for non-Western pagan cultures. Even European secularism today faces severe problems with the influx of Islam into its society. Indian traditions are not religions and understanding this as a first step would go a long way in harnessing solutions. Secularism is a disaster for non-Christian cultures which do not have religions in the definitional sense but only various traditions and whose solutions for co-existence are entirely different. We were dealing with our multiculturalism in a far better way but the fascination for the west superseded rational political thinking post-independence. Today, everyone is surprised at the intolerance and the rise of ‘Hindu fundamentalism’ but many serious thinkers have shown that it is precisely the Indian brand of secularism which is the problem. Converting Indian traditions into religions as a first step and then applying secularism as a solution to achieve harmony can never succeed.
https://www.thehansindia.com/my-voice/myvoice-views-of-our-readers-29th-january-2023-779743
Letter published on 29th January (as online) and 5th February (as print) in THI
RANDOM MUSINGS 