A person can strongly believe in the tenets of their religion, and there’s nothing wrong with that as long as they acknowledge that people of other faiths also have a space in society and can coexist. Human rights are equal for everyone.
But religious intolerance seems to be increasing in many parts of the world, particularly in my beloved country, India. Divisive tendencies based on religion have existed in this country for some time now, stoked by communal elements spreading hatred against other communities. Lately, it’s being used as a political weapon openly aimed at minorities. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, even tall national leaders from the ruling party maliciously targeted a particular community in their election speeches, calling them infiltrators. Unfortunately, the Election Commission of India chose to ignore it.
Secularism suffers when one religious community weighs their rights against another, creating an imbalance. So far, secularism has a firm foundation in the Indian Constitution, but it’s questioned from time to time, not only by a majoritarian community but even by the party currently ruling the country, and that while taking an oath in the name of the Constitution. Some political leaders have even expressed that the Constitution needs to be changed to ensure India becomes a Hindu Rashtra.
It’s not easy to shake the political foundation of a country coexisting with diverse faiths (even within its religions) by means of ideological encroachment disguised as cultural correction. Elsewhere, not far from this region, we’ve seen how religious ideology has been used as a conquering war machine to sweep away everything that doesn’t concur with it. Religion as a ruling doctrine has been the cause of many destructive wars in the Middle Ages, and now there’s a return of this tendency. We must be aware that our nation has progressed through the harmonious existence of diverse religious thoughts throughout the ages. Even Vaishnavism and Shaktism are contesting tenets in Hinduism with wide differences in outlook.
The concept of nation transcends religion. It seeks the underlying unity of common cultural heritage, finding a common bond in belonging to one motherland (a geography uniquely distinguished by a tall mountain range on the north and vast seas and an ocean on the three other sides). It seeks a political destiny through a multi-lingually tolerant existence, in a shared geo-body of common continuing existence in a multicultural setting. This common destiny, above all, is an economic one.
The idea of India as a nation transcends the idea of religious communities. The future of the nation belongs to all its members as a whole. The fruits of its economy need to be shared equally by all people to strive for happiness. Any attempt to treat one section of its citizens as an intolerable minority will drag this country, aspiring to become one of the three major economic powers, into a strife-torn political state where peace will elude it.
The destiny of this land lies in striving for common happiness, not only ignoring religious and ethnic differences but any kind of sectarian intolerance. This way, political unity can lead to economic progress in a peaceful atmosphere. We are a political nation of people with different religions, cultural customs, and ethnicities, but with common citizenship, striving for a place in the sun. In an atmosphere of hatred, peace eludes us, and the happiness of all people suffers.
Harekrishna Deka is former DGP of Assam and a renowned critic and poet. He can be reached at: deka78@gmail.com