When a country is termed as ‘a secular country’, it means that the State has no official religion nor does it discriminates based on religion. India is one such country.
The word ‘secular’ was not included in the Constitution during its early days and was added to the Preamble in accordance with the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976. However, the Supreme Court said that although the words ‘secular state’ was not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, there was no doubt that the Constitution makers wanted to establish such a state where all religions have the same status and support from the State.
India being a diverse and multi-cultured country secularism is integral, a right and fundamental to the effective functioning of the country. Jawaharlal Nehru puts it in the best way, “We call our State a secular one. The word ‘secular’, perhaps, is not a very happy one and yet for want of a better word, we have used it. What exactly does it mean? It does not obviously mean a society where religion itself is discouraged. It means freedom of religion and conscience, including freedom for those who may have no religion. It means free play for all religions, subject only to their not interfering with each other or with the basic conceptions of our State.”
When the British invaded India, unity in diversity was prevalent in order to drive out the enemy. People of different religions and communities joined hands in the freedom struggle. Since then, the leaders of India had assigned ‘secularism’ as the dominant principle in the path of modernity and integration of the Constitution.
Religion in India is still intertwined with the lives of people and it serves as the basis of faith, understanding and assurance of things unexplained and the unforeseeable.
Secularism does not mean separation of Church and State as in Western society. Each religion has its own institution and principles and there is no doubt that sometimes in a country where many religions are practised, misunderstandings emerge.
Majority of the ever growing population identifies as Hindu, nonetheless, citizens of other backgrounds have held high positions in society. Threats to secularism in India do arise with rumours and influential people often making assumptions and causing palpable tension. Domination, partiality and prejudice are rooted in the society. Riots and conflicts that target minorities end in death and destruction.
Adjustments to a religion or culture sometimes become hard in addition to this misconceptions, tradition and superstition which cause violent outbursts which test how secular the society can be. Partitions have taken place in India that marred the fabric of unity.Even in present India many people are facing hardships because of their beliefs.
In conclusion, the history of clashes and intolerance is a long one; secularism is an option for the cooperation and co-existence of religions. Education about the histories, hardships, sacrifices, contributions of other religious communities should be encouraged excluding distorted facts and perceptions.
Creating an environment without any hostility towards each other, eliminating bias, enlightenment amongst all sectors of society, alliances and tolerance are critical in a secular society so that cultures are protected. Politicians and people alike should promote ideas of inclusiveness and bridge the gap irrespective of caste or community.
Though there are constant threats to the secularism of India, our Constitution’s foundation lies in the acceptance and judgement beyond religion to promote a progressive India.
(Contributed by Ibanylla Kharbuli)