Secularism in India
The Problem of Secularism in India
Secularism is one of the most contested ideologies in most parts of the world. As T.N. Madan (1997) states, we may not hear of wholly secularised societies, even in the West, which is responsible for introducing the ideology to the rest of the world. In the Indian context, no other ideology may have generated more attention, debate and controversy since the country’s independence. Yet, despite the vast and varied literature and public discourse, the ideal of secularism remains elusive. Another reason for this ambivalence could be as H. Srikanth states “Like liberal Hindu gods who can take different forms and give a chance to devotees to worship in any form they like, in India the concept of secularism has acquired so many interpretations and it now means different things to different groups of people” (Srikanth (1994) cited in Roover 2002). The term has assumed a negative connotation and is deemed as insult to be called “secular” in many quarters today. Many observers argue that what we have in India is pseudo secularism. This paper will examine reasons for failure of secularism as an ideology in India.
Let us begin with some commonly cited arguments against secularism. T.N. Madan (1997, p. 176) makes many persuasive arguments against imposing secularism on the Indian society. Firstly, Indian society has been predominantly Hindu. According to him, this presents the first dilemma in the discussion. Historically, it has been difficult to define Hinduism as a religion. Hinduism’s lack of a single deity, a unifying religious text, and any central beliefs or practices makes it more a ‘way of life’ than an organised religion. It draws from and influences Buddhism, Sikhism as well as Jainism. On the other hand, secularism has its roots in Christianity and is an outcome of 18th century Enlightenment. The ideal demands a separation of political and religious practices in the public domain. This poses many problems in a society like
Secularism is one of the most contested ideologies in most parts of the world. As T.N. Madan (1997) states, we may not hear of wholly secularised societies, even in the West, which is responsible for introducing the ideology to the rest of the world. In the Indian context, no other ideology may have generated more attention, debate and controversy since the country’s independence. Yet, despite the vast and varied literature and public discourse, the ideal of secularism remains elusive. Another reason for this ambivalence could be as H. Srikanth states “Like liberal Hindu gods who can take different forms and give a chance to devotees to worship in any form they like, in India the concept of secularism has acquired so many interpretations and it now means different things to different groups of people” (Srikanth (1994) cited in Roover 2002). The term has assumed a negative connotation and is deemed as insult to be called “secular” in many quarters today. Many observers argue that what we have in India is pseudo secularism. This paper will examine reasons for failure of secularism as an ideology in India.
Let us begin with some commonly cited arguments against secularism. T.N. Madan (1997, p. 176) makes many persuasive arguments against imposing secularism on the Indian society. Firstly, Indian society has been predominantly Hindu. According to him, this presents the first dilemma in the discussion. Historically, it has been difficult to define Hinduism as a religion. Hinduism’s lack of a single deity, a unifying religious text, and any central beliefs or practices makes it more a ‘way of life’ than an organised religion. It draws from and influences Buddhism, Sikhism as well as Jainism. On the other hand, secularism has its roots in Christianity and is an outcome of 18th century Enlightenment. The ideal demands a separation of political and religious practices in the public domain. This poses many problems in a society like
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