Friday, August 28, 2009

Secularism and The Constitution

The word 'Secular' was inserted in the preamble by the 42nd
Amendment Act 1976.
Secularism has been explained and described as...
1. the belief that all religions are equally good and efficacious pathways to perfection on or God realisation.
2. Secularism in India does not mean irreligion. It means respect for all faiths
and religious.[ref SECULARISM - BROODING SPIRIT OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION
* DR. R.P. RAI]
The question now stands whether any of these priciples are being upholded in either letter or spirit??
As per the first priciple , does it not automatically become the responsibility of the State to ensure that the infringement of one's religion by another by a supposition that it is superior to the other, be considered as against the basic spirit of secularism as enshrined by the constitution. If this is the case, isnt missionary Conversion a crime in the eye of the law.
as per the second principle , does it also not concer that it is the duty of the State to not be apathetic to the considerations of the faithful and provide equal and fair provisions to all.if such is the case, has justice been done in the attitude of the State towards pilgrims to Haj vis a vis Amarnath; Gujarat riot victims viv-a-vis Hindu pandits in Kashmir; the Shah Bano case,etc

I feel that a very significant fact that we tend to overlook is that religion is not just a matter of faith..it is linked to nationalism as well as cultural identity..as an example take the case of geographical areas wherever the ethnic balance has been tilted and Hindu majority has been reduced to a minority..Assam,J & K,Meghalaya,Tripura and manipur..there is a violent and vociferous demand for separitism and secession...a sense of Indianness seems to have evaporated from these lands..
have we wondered why??...
and is there lessons to be learnt...

3 comments:

  1. u do not know anything about our constitution and don't u know that this is a secular country, where we r bound to live by the law and the law states equality.... ok that's what many will say about u....
    but i also do not know anyone who r so passionate about the real law and the real equity. it will be very hard for u to live here (in this country) as there is ample chance that u may be labeled as an outcaste for speaking the truth. pls don't lose this honor and continue to hit the hearts of many, the way u r doing it right now. it would be the right thing for u to contest in any election. we do need people like u, who r not afraid to stand up and face criticisms and just demolish them with pure and solid logic. pls give it a thought. u have all the qualities to be a leader and i hope that we all will see u someday on the face of Times Cover, instead of the people that they currently feature. u rock! and Godspeed.
    p.s. i would like to share your writings on Facebook, if it is okay with u. people do need to know that India still rocks.

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  2. ya sure saurav..go ahead..
    but before we go and face the public we need to know the intricacies of our democracy . the law[ as established by Dharma] has been warped in a subtle manner..it needs more than intellectual skill to make people see that..just being rational is not enough..one needs to have a very open mind and a thorough understanding of our scriptures..
    good to hear from you ..looking forward to your reviews..

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  3. thanks so much for your wishes..

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