"Secularism" - As it called in India

“Secularism” is the much discussed topic in India. I would wonder what it actually meant and what it meant. The Oxford Dictionary says, “Se-Kyu-lar” that means beyond religion or that is not bound by any religion. We can also say that secularism is an Antonym of Spirituality. This means it is something similar to Atheism.

Is it practiced in India with this meaning? I wonder whether any Indian had tried to understand the real meaning of Secularism. Is India a secular State? It was not; till the Emergency Days. It was, Courtesy, Indira Gandhi’s autocratic style of functioning, this phrase was thrust into the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

Whether one likes it or not, it has become our practice to draw parallels with US practices. When an atheist parent from California objected to his kid reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, The US Supreme Court ducked it stating that the plaintiff lacked the standing to file such a case at the outset.

The US Supreme Court had ruled this case stating that phrase “under God” would remain in the Pledge of Allegiance. They also state that US is not a secular country (means a country that believes in religion and it wanted to set itself apart from the Godless Communists). In the forth coming Presidential elections, both the candidates refuse to claim themselves as secular. One is a devout Catholic and the other is born-again Christian with links to Evangelical sects.

See what happened in India? The Supreme Court had ruled that the students of Jehovah’s witnesses need not sing our National Anthem as they feel that Jana Gana Mana deifies their Motherland. The elected representatives of a particular community object to sing the “Vande Mataram” as their religion does not believe doing so. What an irony?

In India, anti-Hindu stance has become a pre-requisite to get a certificate of Secular credentials from the so-called educationists or the media. If 50 odd Hindus are burnt alive in a train bogie, none would make a noise but a reaction to the incident will be discussed, debated and trials after trials will be conducted for years to prove their secular credentials. Why can’t these personnel do the same to the Kashmiri Pundits who were met with a similar fate? These are rhetorical questions that remained unanswered all these days.

Let’s buy the argument that secular means equal to all religion, then why do we have different laws for different communities? Why can’t we have a uniform civil code? Why don’t some citizens sing our National Anthem?

Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism are all a part of Hindu religion. In fact, Buddha is considered as one of the incarnations (Avatar) of Lord Sri Vishnu. But in India, they are declared as separate religion and are treated as minorities. Why? This is called as vote-bank secularism. By this principle one good day, we will have religion called Shirdi Sai religion, Puttaparthi Sai religion, Melmaravathur religion, etc., there is no dearth of spiritual leaders in Hinduism. Every one has choice to choose their leaders and follow their principles. It does not mean that they have formed a new religion.

How they are wooed by declaring themselves as minority? The sops given by the Govt. Only in India the majority is given a step-mother treatment. All political parties turn a blind eye to infiltration from Bangladesh. Why to make noise. They are the future vote-bank who would vote for the seculars.

Being a Hindu itself is a proof of secular to the core. Secular means not to be bound by a religion’s law. In Hinduism there is no law. There are no compulsions on the number of times one has to pray or the number of times to visit their worship spot. The success of its spiritual leaders and their principles adapted in modern management is a proof to this.

A party can join hands with Muslim League and issue fatwa on whom to vote and call itself Secular but a party speaks for Hindus is labeled as communal. Even the Election commission believes so. When Janta Dal had a split, the group that opposed BJP has got a name Secular Janta Dal. Can Mr. Lyngdoh explain on what basis this name was suggested? What does he try to imply to the people of India by christening the party so? This is the irony.

When a Moulvi was murdered in Kanyakumari 10 years back all of the secular leaders blamed the RSS and gave certificate of terrorism to Hindus. They did not mumble a word when later it was found that his own son killed him. Same is the case with Ishrat whose links to the terrorist groups are clear but all secular parties fought with each other and gave certificates of her innocence. What do they have to say now?

Media has grown multiple folds. All of them want to be in limelight. So they choose this easy stupid path of fake secularism.

Pope John Paul II had said that these seculars had made Sundays as entertainment days whereas this is for only Praying. Imagine how our media would have reacted had the same statement was made by our Sankaracharyas?

The reason is we are tolerant to the core. We are religious. We neither love our religion nor hate others. Other religions teach you to hate other religion than loving yours. They believe in conversion and say that your God will be pleased if you indulge in conversion. We read this, see such atrocities but still remain silent speak high of morals switch off the TV or switch channels to watch half-naked girls smooching.

The Govt banned Rushdie’s book “The Satanic verses of Quran” but published the book of Ambedkar wherein he cheaply criticized Shri Ram and Sita. What happened to the freedom of speech then?

Thank God these people have not labeled Gandhi as communal because he said, “Hey Ram” when he died. They are doing business on his name so they would not do so.