A Secular Re-Think

Heal the world, make it a better place,

For you and for me and the entire human race!
There are people dying,
If you care enough for the living,
MAKE A BETTER PLACE FOR YOU AND FOR ME!
We too can heal this world of ours by casting our differences in terms of religion
aside.
Down the ages the thinking power of man has increased. From the Stone Age to
the Plastic Age in which we live today man has discriminated his fellow men on the basis
of race language and as of today religion. For example, the Wars of the Cross (i.e.
Crusades) were fought between Christians and Muslims during the middle ages. Another
prominent example is the strained Hindu-Muslim relations that led to the creation of
Pakistan, etc. These events have left their mark in History.
Thousands have laid down their lives in the so-called “religious- wars” but few
like the emperor Ashoka repented after seeing the bloodshed in the Kalinga war. After all
these persecutions religion survived.
In today’s modern and scientific world the meaning of religion has drowned. It has
lost its true identity. The meaning or the interpretation of secularism is now confined to
the black and white letterings in Civics textbooks.
Talking of secularism and its importance we can say that, to enable citizen belonging
to different sects of religions, like the Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Parsis, Hindus,
et’al live in peace and harmony, India has adopted secularism.
The state does not discriminate among the citizens of India, on grounds of religion,
and does not interfere in their religious matter, except for the maintenance of law and
order and eradication of unhealthy customs. The religious segregations have been
affecting people right from pre-independence period.
Geographically, India has a vast area with an ever-increasing population from
Kashmir to Kanyakumari we have different cultures, customs, costumes, traditions,
religions, etc. Maximum of amount of languages are spoken in India. Similarly,
maximum amount of religions are found in India. Religious grouping are also a factor for
a cultural diversity in India. Cast and sub cast with harijans being untouchable still
continues to exist.
In spite of these diversifications and classifications of the people
India still clings to be a secular state.
The excessive pride in one’s religion i.e. Fanaticisms gives rise
to conflicts, destroys social harmony and is a threat to national unity.
Religious fanatics are on the prowl like man-eaters. Everyday, they are
running the youth by drilling in their minds ugly thoughts of hatred
that in turn leads to violence. Infecting the young mind is the main
criteria
 The Delhi riots of 1984,the Bombay blast of 1993,and the
Gujarat riots of 2001 cannot be over looked so easily. The after effects
are still seen so prominently. Although the cases are pending in the
High Courts, the fact still remains that there are thousands who are
still trying to recover from the loss of their loved ones.
We understand the pain only when we are hurt; otherwise we
flip through the pages of the week newspaper and forget all about the
incident within a week. We Indians must learn to change our attitude
towards our religion
. God is one although we revere him by giving him different
names like Jesus, Allah, Krishna, et’al.
Today, secularism is not only the hot topic of the media but also it
has slowly except into politics. Many politicians buy their votes not by
money but by propagating their religion. It influences the choice of
candidates by political parties as well as voters at the time of election.
This has to stop otherwise the 1947 episode will repeat and we will
have different theocratic states like Pakistan emerging.
In my opinion India is suffering from an intolerant religious
crisis and it is spreading like cancer in the minds and hearts of the
Indians today. Care must be taken to avert this crisis otherwise it may
become too late- - - - -
India will suffer a major loss because of religious propagation.
If Hindus, Muslims, Christiains, Sikhs, Buddhists,Jains & Jews come out
on the roads propagating their religion you may well imagine the chaos
and confusion it would cause.
Secularism is one of the major factors nurturing democracy
apart from others like liberty, equality, etc. It gives equal treatment to
every citizen in the country. Unlike the situation in the eighteenth and
nineteenth century when the orthodox nature of the elders barred the
younger generation to cross the seven seas, today the situation has
changed quite a bit because people are giving up their orthodox
beliefs.
If we scrutinise our History textbooks we find that rifts caused
in the past were the results of the misunderstandings caused between
the people of different faiths. This shows the lack of unity and herd
mentality of the people at that time.
As the Christian missionaries arrived in India, the Indians were
unable to adjust themselves. Slowly, and steadily they settled in and
the missionaries were able to preach Christianity in India. But just a
few years back, the horrifying murders of the Staine’s family in Orissa
left an impression on the minds of the people all over the country. Was
there any valid reason for this brutal massacre? In my opinion the act
was mere “insecurity”. Perhaps the only excuse that anyone could give
is that he was converting the people to Christianity. The question still
remains, ‘Where is Secularism in such cases?’’
 Indians are famous for shouting slogans without knowing the
true depth of its meaning enshrined in the constitution in short what
we are facing today is nothing short of ‘Mobocracy’.
We speak about our principles and values but when someone
points out our folly we find it below our dignity to accept it. Instead of
owning up we tend to blame others. Thus it is said, “CHARACTER IS
THE TRANSCRIPTION OF KNOWLEDGE INTO ACTION!”
Today, India is no more among the underdeveloped &poverty
stricken countries. India is now gaining its own individual outlook. We
have the latest technology and modern machinery. We have now left
our own mark in all possible fields. Yet we have failed in the domain of
secularism. A narrow attitude on the basis of religion of any
community, which goes against the wider interest of the society and
the nation, is called communalism. The seeds of communalism still
hold value today.
It is necessary to do away with religious imbalance in India to
strengthen the democracy in the country. Apart from voting, we as
responsible citizens must learn to express ourselves i.e. voice our
opinions and thoughts. The problem with us is that we all tend to
become introverts and do not share our views with others. We must
give suggestions and if necessary to criticise them when need be.

In recent times the Sonia Gandhi issue that cropped up is still

fresh in the back of our minds. The
opposition found it hard to digest that despite being an Italian
Mrs.Gandhi was elected to one of the supreme & prestigious position of
India i.e. the Prime Minster’s post. But the opposition was shell-
shocked when she humbly declined the offer by handing it over to
Dr.Manmohan.Singh.
We claim to be the followers of Mahatma Gandhi, then why do
we turn violent at the wrong time and for the wrong cause? Riots,
Internal rebellions, political assassinations, suicide bombings, etc. are
caused due to internal misunderstandings. Indifference and apathy on
basis of religion is detrimental to our Indian democracy. Religious
indifference obstacles the way of economic development and social
mobility. If only we could come together and resolve these
misunderstandings!
The British left India but their policy of ‘DIVIDE & RULE’
continues to exist.
One of the main barriers which obstacles secularism is that of
language. We must have a common language apart from our mother
tongue to avoid misunderstanding. Although Hindi is spoken on a large
scale, there are many who cannot understand a single word in Hindi.
 Another problem that we face is lack of expression. We fail to
voice our opinion and express our thoughts. This in turn creates mind-
blocks. If an attempt is made to use our freedom of expression then it
will help to improve our international relations.
Also, if we promote the feeling of ‘TOGETHERNESS’ it will help
in promoting the feeling of unity. We must retrieve information about
one other’s religion. After all there is absolutely no harm in gathering
information. In this way, we not only derive knowledge but also realise
the importance of each other’s religions, which in turn reduces half of,
or problems.
In almost all religious scriptures like the ‘Bhagvad Gita, The
Bible, The Quran, The Guru Granth Sahib etc.all preach the ideal of
loving your neighbour. If we are well informed about one another’s
beliefs & faiths. This in turn will boost secularism. If we reach out to
others by lending a helping hand we will be able to walk hand-in-hand
and then get rid of anti- social elements and
their violent (terrorist) activities.
From secularism springs the spirit of NATIONAL
UNITY &INTEGRITY! We have to make conscious attempts to
preserve this national integrity.
Since I have started this essay with the verse of a
song I would like to end it on the same note:
People killing, people dying,
Children hurt and children crying,
If you practice what you preach ,
There will be meaning to what you teach.
Father, Father, Father,
Send some guidance from above
Because people really got me questioning,
Where really is love?
Essay By – Katherine. Abraham
College - Nowrosjee Wadia College of Arts.