Uniting Indians: What will bring us together?
The global Indian community needs to be united. And the increasingly divisive debate on secularism and terrorism is not helping. Various communal incidents and the recent bomb blasts have once again highlighted the difficulty in finding unifying themes that genuinely bring the Indian community together. Yes, we all love mirchi ka aachar, Lagaan, and Ustad Bismillah Khan. But for a country aspiring to great power status these are not enough. We must find some soaring, inspiring themes that define us as Indians, and then bind us together to act collectively.
Collective action and unifying themes are central to national progress. Most great powers have been bound together in a shared national enterprise. America has always been the “home of the free, land of the brave.” It is the land of opportunity that beckons immigrants to remake their lives in the Promised Land. Ronald Reagan called America the “shining city on the hill,” the custodian of freedom and liberty, and the torchbearer for the free world. As every American politician will tell you: “it is always morning in America, let us march to the glorious future…” and so on. More recently, Dean Nye at the Kennedy School has emphasized that America’s soft power (its culture, institutions, and way of life) are a broad civilizing force bringing free markets and democratic ways to oppressed countries around the world.
The British Empire marched to the drum of the white man’s burden. Professor Niall Ferguson argues that Empire-making was good for the world and bequeathed civilizing institutions on various underdeveloped nations. England was bringing fair play, democracy, the rule of law, railways, and cricket to the Caribbean, Australia, India, Kenya, etc. Thousands of white men left England to spend time in the colonies thrilled by the great Victorian adventure of empire-building. London crackled with excitement — empire’s hub — with goods and sterling pouring through its ports and the City.
Now China has embarked on its own soaring arc of superpower ambitions. The Middle Kingdom has always felt that its manifest destiny is to be the leading nation on the planet. So it ever was, so it ever will be intone the mandarins of Beijing. China’s billion strong workforce – dedicated, disciplined, and diligent – has been unleashed on the global economy. Prices on manufactured goods everywhere are plunging as China’s factories remorselessly capture market share. The Chinese people have come together to make China an economic and military superpower. By some counts, Greater China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) already is a larger economy than all of the European Union. Chinese political, military, and business leaders (in China and overseas) are collectively building up China and themselves.
What of India? Yes, we have all the ingredients: lots of young people, intelligence a-plenty, abundant natural resources, and democracy. But do we truly have any unifying themes or the will to act collectively? Look at the traffic on our roads - racing helter-skelter to grab open space on the road completely disregarding each and every traffic rule. Lane driving be damned! Or consider the appalling state of our cities: crowded, teeming with slums, open drains, and rude traffic everywhere. Visitors to India are constantly shocked at our apathetic acceptance of the most inhumane conditions, and, more importantly, our inability to act as a society to address these problems. If we cannot stop for a red traffic light or respect each other’s personal space on a bus or a train, how can we agree on unifying themes that benefit everyone?
Rather than acting in concert, Indians often end up fragmented and bickering. It was not always so. During the Freedom Struggle every patriotic Indian was clear about national goals and aspirations. Even in the 1950s and 1960s there was an exciting nation-building theme that drew Indians together. Today our constant bickering has taken an unfortunate turn with the Hindutva versus Secularism debate. This is a very divisive dispute and goes to the heart of “the idea of India” as Sunil Khilnani describes it. If we cannot agree on the essential aspects of our shared identity - our Indianness - then it will be very difficult to forge an inspiring vision that can stimulate collective action.
The Hindutva vs. Secularism debate is confounded by the ill-defined Hindutva and Secularism concepts. The following explanations emerge when the passionate rhetoric is parsed. The Hindutva proponents argue that India is anchored in Hindu religion and civilization. Freedom of worship is integral to Hinduism and thus secularism is actually embedded in the fabric of Hindu life. Their overarching concept is that India is a fundamentally Hindu country that embraces all religions. No other religion needs to fear Hindutva because by definition it is tolerant of all faiths.
The Secularists submit that this is an inherently unfair position that exalts one religion above others. They subscribe to the Nehruvian view that India is a progressive, “modern” country. Since India is inherently a multi-layered, multi-religious country no religion should claim to be superior to any other. As a pluralistic country comprised of many different religions, languages, ethnic groups, and caste distinctions, India’s unifying theme is that it does not have a unifying theme. The Secularists urge us to celebrate our diversity and not impose any imperatives for collective action across the country. Their overarching concept is that India is a “secular, democratic republic” with multiple, equal religions. Our temples of advancement are the dams, planned cities, and steel mills of Modern India.
Electoral politics have polarized the Hindutva vs. Secularism debate. On the one hand, Hindutva supporters project themselves as true patriots defending Bharat Mata against all foreign ideas and ideologies. They claim that their critics are unpatriotic and playing into the hands of enemies that ring our borders. The Secularists, on the other hand, debunk the Hindutva brigade as medieval troglodytes that are converting a proud, progressive India into a communal state. Invective, slogans, and unfortunately blood is being spilled on the basis of these conflicting representations of India.
We should not expect reasoned debate in the heat of electoral politics. Elections are ultimately about polarizing issues that will cleave a majority vote from the population. “Either you are for us or against us,” such are the stark choices that are posed by the electoral process all around the world. Affirmative action, abortion, and tax cuts are the polarizing issues that cleave the Republican faithful from the Democratic loyalists in the American electoral process. Government services, joining the Euro, and top-up university fees are the issues that separate Labor from the Conservatives in England.
Electoral politics will therefore not yield a satisfying sense of Indianess. What do our intellectuals then propose? The dominant intellectual view as articulated by Sunil Khilnani, Dom Moraes, and others suggests that India is too vast and diverse to adhere to any unifying ideology. India’s great strength is its various splintered groups, religions, and beliefs. Our country is fragmented and pluralistic, deeply tolerant, and will resist any simple generalizations. The international press also appears to be deeply committed to this view. India is manifestly splintered; the country is fragmented on so many dimensions: wealth, language, caste, religion, politics, geography, and ethnicity. The evidence is so real and so compelling that it is difficult for anyone to argue against this perspective.
But still this idea of India is ultimately neither true nor particularly inspiring. While we are endlessly fragmented, we have come together as one nation so many times. For example during the Freedom Struggle and the wars we have fought in 1948, 1962, 1971, and 1999; while watching the Cricket World Cups; and after the Gujarat earthquake. Some unifying national spirit is triggered during these momentous events, the same national spirit that leads us to exchange coy smiles when we see another Indian in the unfamiliar streets of Copenhagen, or Tokyo, or Buenos Aires. Moreover, this fragmented view of India is also not an inspiring theme that can knit us together so that we can act collectively or cooperate with each other. If we accept this idea of India we will continue to inhabit our separate, splintered spaces and we will continue to disregard each other.
Are there unifying themes that can make sense of India’s diversity, yet can powerfully rally us together? Can such themes reconcile Hindutva and Secularism? There is in fact a resolution to this paradox. The resolution lies in the difference between the terms “heritage,” “state,” and “religion”. Unfortunately, much of today’s heated debate mixes up these terms leading to real confusion. Let us agree on some clear definitions for these terms. Our “heritage” represents our civilization, moral values, and way of life as based on thousands of years of history and traditions. The “state” is the means by which we operate our governmental apparatus. And, “religion” is how we conduct our personal spiritual lives.
Undeniably much of our heritage does center on Hindu spirituality and philosophy. From the great Hindu religious works we have inherited the moral values of reverence for elders, the spirit of sacrifice for the family, a deeply tolerant and fatalistic worldview, and the notion of dharma. But our heritage is also profoundly shaped by the Muslim influences of music, dance, mysticism, beauty, and opulence. Then again, our civilization owes much to British traditions, Sikh community values, and Jain non-violence. Thus our heritage is assimilative, multi-hued and truly unique. We share most of this heritage with both Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Though we mostly share a common heritage, the Indian people made different choices from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi people when it came time to create a “state.” Because our founding fathers stayed true to our ancient, tolerant heritage we created a secular state. Our neighbors chose differently and decided to create an Islamic state that does not separate heritage/religion and the state. In India, all religions co-exist within the secular state - Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhs, Jainism, etc. – all are equal in the eyes of the law. The Indian state is thus a specific product of our unique, composite heritage. Is this heritage exclusively a Hindu heritage? Of course not – it is an Indian heritage that includes elements from multiple religions, lifestyles, specific geographic attributes (for example, love of the monsoon), food, music, and so on.
Clearly, our heritage is separate from the Indian state and the various religions that we follow. Our state is defined by the Indian constitution and is utterly secular. There can be no disagreement on this issue – it is enshrined in our voluminous constitution and fully protected by the Supreme Court. Now the Hindutva vs. Secularism debate is shown to be simply an argument about our heritage. Thus the idea of India has nothing to do with the state, but everything to do with how we define our heritage and unifying values.
In this light, Hindutva proponents say that much of our heritage is based on Hindu values and that all Indians should recognize the benefits (such as a secular constitution) as well as the pressures (for example the ban on cow slaughter) that the Hindu elements in our heritage place on the state. They claim that the unifying values that will appeal to most of the population will reflect our largely Hindu heritage such as singing Vande Mataram. The Secularists, seem to be suggesting that the Hindu ethos should be placed on par with all other religions and, going forward, we must define our heritage to include all religious traditions equally. Moreover, since all religions traditions are equal, our unifying values should be based on “socialist, modern” ideology.
The Secularist position will certainly find support and, in a fragmented electorate, may even yield political success. However, it will probably not succeed in unifying India. We will need to find deep-rooted, emotionally powerful identity triggers to forge inclusive national values.
The themes that will bring India together must reflect our Indian heritage and, realistically, must incorporate elements that are particularly emotionally satisfying to the majority of Indian citizens. This idea of India must be forward-looking and inspire us to work towards great power status. It must celebrate Sachin Tendulkar, Infosys, the IITs, all the Devdas versions, and Salman Rushdie. It must assert that India is simply going to be world-class at everything because we will work together as one nation. No more shabby cities, long lines at stations and airports, shoving and jostling crowds, and petty bribery everywhere. We must unite to demand more from each other so that we can deliver more to each other. And in doing so, build the great nation that we so utterly want.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Dear Sir,
I would like to give my views on the unifying theme and Hindutva
1. I start with Hindutva first.
There is no word called “Hindu” in reverred scriptures Of Old Indian Civilization. By reverred scriptures i only mean “Vedas” and “Gita”. Apart from it all other scriptures are derived from these scriptures and at times the derivation is not correct (like in Purans).
Vedas and Gitas were Philosphical Teachings which were passed from one generation to another. In case of Vedas there was no single author. If i think logically and scientifically then i come to the conclusion that generation after generation the great philosphers and thinkers of that time (Known as “Rishi”) kept on refining the knowledge of Vedas and kept passing on the knowledge to the next generation. In traditional Indian family there are a lot of values like Reverence of Elders, Tolerance etc. These values were discovered after thousands of years of efforts and collaborations of those Rishis. And in fact the process was Continuous just like the
Continuous Improvement Process in Japanese Manufacturing. This continuous improvement kept on going till Indian Civilization prospered. Once the prosperity stopped (because of whatever reason) the knowledge of Vedas stopped increasing. Inspite of that it is still extremely relevant to Indian Culture. Ever wondered how the art of Yoga, Meditation, Dhyan came into existence.These arts are so difficult to attain that even with so many books and so
many teachers it is extremely difficult to master them. The great thinkers (Rishis) of that time must have worked hard and collaborated with each other to give a shape to these arts. These arts are extremely well written in our Vedas.
I think that once the prosperity period ended not many great Rishis remained and thus even the practice of this art became very difficult forget about improving the art.
This knowledge of Vedas and Gita is what our Heritage and Civilzation actually was. In last 1000 years a lot of things changed and we have almost forgotten this knowledge of our ancient civilizaiton. Here i am not taking an old school stand. The reason i give for its support is that lot of this knowledge is being found very useful in this materialistic age. Say for eg Gita’s preaching of not worrying at the end result but worry about the action. This is so true in today’s age. I have seen a lot of young engineers so frustrated about their promotion and
sallary increments. On the other hand i see people who are immersed in their work and are far more happier even if they dont get a promotion. Similarly see the effect of Yoga on our country as well as western country. See the effect of mediatation and see how useful this is in today’s age. There are lof of other learnings like this. Their success in today’s world is because of the fact that all these situations were already experienced by ancient civilizations (in some form or other) and they came up with solutions in the form of Vedas and Gita.This is very similar to our modern science. First Newton and his followers worked hard. Then a lot of new sceintists came up wither thier theory. Neil Bohr, Heisenberg, Kelving etc. Then came Einsten and his followers. All these works just added to science and even thoug some of these works are very old but they are still true to a large exten. Thus i say that this stand is not an Old School Stand.
Coming back on the word “Hindu”. Some scholars say that this word is derived from river “Sindhu” which invaders used to cross to come to India. Actual heritage is nowhere related to this word. Whenever this word is used some people always attacha negative connotation to it. However if we take the word “Yoga” nobody attaches any negative connotation to it. Similarly when somebody preaches the values in Gita (not the mythology) we accept it whole heartedly. The reason lies in the fact that people still have respect for “Vedic Philosphy” and this word is far more better than the workd “Hindu” if at all we want to used it to unify the country. This word gets respect
because of the knowledge inside it and not because it belongs to a particular community. The knowledge was cointed by a group of intellectuals of that age known as Rishis (Just like we had Aristotle, Plato and Immanuel Kant in Europe).
2. On unifying the Country
I really dont know what underlying theme can unify the country. But i know for sure that word “Hindutva” will not be the underlying theme. May be we should give a try to word “Yog” or “Yoga” or “Vedic Philosphy” a try. But the problem is that people have very limited konwledge of these words. However i think that with growth in economy we will soon see the side effects of growth in very prevalent manner in the form of depression, loss in social values etc. I therefore think that it will be the correct time to again look back at knowledge imbibed in these scriptures to help us out (We should be careful not to mix knowledge with Mythology as people these days can not be fooled by imaginary mythology).I also believe that just using the word Heritage will not help. The underlying theme must stir the emotions in people in a positive manner. Heritage and moral values are very cliched words and they can not stir emotions in
people. Word “Hindu” stirs a lot of emotions but at times it stirs them in negative manner. On the other hand see the scuees of Baba Ram Dev and other spritual gurus. Even if they are correct only to the extent of 20 % people would still listen to them and nobody speaks against them and nobody calls them communal. This is what is called as stirring emotions in a positive manner. The only problem is that till now these babas have not been able to stir emotion in youth.
Regards,
YSB
Excellent view about Indians, we have to come together and work toward development of India.
I think one should not start with the assumption that there is no unity among Indians. Yes, there have been sectarian conflicts, but I believe it is more due to the failed policies of the state rather than a sense of disunity among Indians. On many occasions, the feeling that Indians have for one another does come out forcefully, whether it be when Sachin Tendulkar or Abhinav Bindra or Viswanathan Anand scale glorious peaks in their fields, or when our jawans beat back the enemies during Kargil or when we achieve something unique in science and technology. I am only talking about the average Indian or the well-informed Indian here. There are those who take biased viewpoints for reasons well known to them, I am not going to worry whether they feel unity or not. Good enough if we keep their numbers minimal! Of course, they are also Indians!
I think as a society we need to create more opportunities for all citizens to know more about and fully appreciate and celebrate what India is all about. This land between Kashmir and Kanyakumari is special with a past unlike any other country’s past. So what can stop us from having a future unlike any other?
The problem is that we have totally failed to unlock our true potential in the last 60 plus years, due to which too many Indians are fighting for too few things in life. When we open up the entire field of possibilities and help every Indian realize their true potential, then all these skirmishes will go away and we will become an outwardly united society as we are feeling inwardly now. For this to happen, we need leadership at the local-most level that is fully aware of the country’s great past and its great unfulfilled potential and transfer this awareness to others and translate that into a movement for renewal. All this has to be done in the most positive manner. We need to go back to our exemplary youth icons such as Swami Vivekanand to learn how to combine a sense of history, optimism about future, dynamism in thought and action and a willingness to give and receive from the whole world. Such people should be nurtured at all levels, not just in big cities. If this happens, all our problems can be solved in due course of time.
Even in the pancha-kosha theory, one needs to master the vijnana-maya kosha before achieving ananda-maya kosha! So to get a sense of unity, we need to nurture the field of intelligence in the society first! Clarity and strength in thought and action, that is what we need first.
India rise/wakes only at the occasions like Disasters,epidemics and blasts. But if you met with an accident on a road and not able to stand it will be a big surprise that someone is going to help you Am i right or wrong? Concern for countrymen is seen rarely.
You are right, few people are concerned about fellow citizens. There have been so many disasters, terrorist strikes, and accidents that we have become completely apathetic. It is very hard to look beyond your immediate family, let alone beyond your community to your country. But it is absolutely crucial that we come together on a few national issues to move our shared future forward. Some things can only be done at a national level such as a better central government that is able to push through economic reform. If we just vote our narrow interests, we will end up with another fragmented government that cannot push through much needed reforms. We will then stay in the hands of vested interests - those that seek to capture the state for their ends - rather than moving the entire country forward.
We have heard enough speeches, read too many good article let do some thing NOW….
we need to start acting now…even single action can trigger big chain of event.
we can have discussion on top 10 action. I suggest we should have top 10 action finalise in coming months
and start doing them.
sometime i think…we should collect money and hire lawyer (start from 3 district first) and then using RTI
unearth corruption scams and start chasing them till we get culprit behind bars. During that process we should keep
pressing all political leaders to improve justice system to stop corruption.
Dear Dhirunami
I think you are right - its time for action. Why do you not step up and do it. Come up with a clear plan for one district (wherever you live) and post it on the Indiabanao website and perhaps you will get a group moving. Note that you need a CLEAR plan - including cost, objectives, media plan and so on. Be the change you want to see…..
Hi;
We hear a lot of discussions on the Cummunism, Secularism, Leftist, Rightist….. Let’ think over some basic questions!
1) We Say that every Indian citizen is having equal rights as per right of Equlaity; are we really equal ?
In India, our constitution gives different rights to different citizens based on religion. e.g. Hindu citizen is liable for all the laws but not Muslim citizens. why?
Every backward class citizens get a lot of facilities compared to other so called upper cast people. The students from the upper class but very poor are not getting any facilities. In the same time the students from the backward class whose father is earning more than 4 lacs, gets reservations for admissions & fees refund because he is from particular community. why?
2) Our goverment is not executing the punishment given to a terrorist to keep Muslim votes in there side. If you say that person is a terrorist, obvious he is anti national. If the so called vote bank is with that terrorist then the votebank is also anti nationals. In the same way the goverment which is supporting this vote bank is not a antinational ??
3) The hindutva activist are always called as a communal who are trying to support Indian culture taking all Indians together. Against this the muslims who are fighting Jihad against Indians are not called communal forces by political parties in India. Why ??
4) The politicians in India are increasing there vote bank by promoting Indian Muslims & Bangladeshi’s which is very very harmful to country. So why we are just silently looking at it. why ??
5) The moneny coming for the antinational activities are coming from outside country & the madrasa’s are acting as mediators for antinational activities. Even though goverment is having this information but not taken action. Why ??
6) Why muslim community is more involved in illegal activities. why ??
Lets think over the questions & try to get the answers!!
Regards;
Avinash
1. We must first capture the universal essence of Indian culture and heritage, which will then give us better appreciation of how to unify and harmonize the multifarious conflicts, including those between rich & poor, developed & under-developed, secularism, state and religions, etc.
This is a great task which Indiabanao can work towards. It is for the enlightened youth to undertake this ennobling task, as neither religions nor politics are interested in this.
I am suggesting that clarity on the aim & purpose of life can give us better guidance so that in and through all actions we can continue to grow towards it. Without a common & universal understanding of ‘a highest and best’, and a common, universal goal there can be no real understanding of bad, good and better.
The moment we bring into equation a common, universal purpose of life into our daily reckoning, it becomes easier to bring people together on a sustained basis, not just during emotional events.
If people are not educated towards developing the strength and fearlessness to walk the critical path towards a common universal goal, then it becomes difficult to unify the multifarious conflicts between secularism, state and religions, etc.
2. Essence of Indian culture & heritage:
The Indian and the Eastern worldview is based on the concept of ‘oneness’ and focus on ’subjective’, whereas the so-called modern or western worldview, is based on the concept of ’separateness’ and ‘objective’ focus. If we reflect, we will see that there can be but ONE subject, but there will be an infinite variety of objects. Therefore, the more we can identify with our subjective, the more we can feel our oneness with others and the better we would be as teachers and leaders of society; and the Indian ideal is not a man of wealth and power but such a person, a Rishi, who can feel oneness with the whole creation. That is why the Vedanta, the essence of the Vedas are our guides.
The question is: In and through all our thoughts, motives, choices and actions are we going outwards towards the objective world of chaos and conflicts or are we being educated, trained and developed so that in and through all our choices, work and actions we can gradually grow to realize our unlimited potential, the one subject, where there is freedom, peace and joy that we are really seeking through our actions in the objective world? Only such a person who is relective enough to have grown and developed to bcome closer to the subjective, can and should be the guide and teacher or a leader. And democracy, can in no way ensure this! So, is democracy a good system of governance?
3. Let us briefly try to capture, appreciate and understand the universal essence of Indian culture and heritage:-
* Each being has unlimited potential (or we may say each being is potentially divine). This idea is universal because:
* Education in Latin implies ‘to bring forth from within’
* UNESCO has titled its Report on Education as ‘Learning The Treasure within’
* The Bible says: The kingdom of God is within
* Sufi Islam says: Ana-al-haqq or ‘I am the Truth’ and
* Vedas say: You are That
4. The common and universal aim & purpose of all our education, development, work and life must therefore be to be in Rtm or rythm to manifest this potential already within us. Every moment, we have choices; each choice can either help us to manifest our potential or to cover it up.
5. Along with modern education of the 3R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic)Education and training from the earliest years, must help us get established in self-development processes to develop powers of discrimination, will-power, self-control, strength and fearlessness to walk the critical path to our common universal goal, to help manifest our potential, not to cover it up.
6. Indian culture (culture means to refine)from the earliest vedic times has designed systems to help each person to take up that profession and life style which is best suited to his growth and development based on their closeness or otherwise towards the ’subject’.
SUNIL KUMAR
an engineer but interested in Vedanta