But i write down these opening features of secularism at the outset because they seem to me to be invariant among the different forms that secularism may take in different contexts. Secularism and its critics, oxford university press, new delhi, 1998. The very concept, out of its political aspect, has been blamed for focusing exclusively on the present life and on the material world. According to sen, the first view requires the state to be equidistant with respect to. The dewesternization of knowledge introduction 3 the nature of man 9. Pandit jawaharalal nehrus views on secularism marathi. Kanta devi abstract jawaharlal nehru, the first prime minister of india was a great statesman and thinker of modem india. Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti that which exists is one. Islam was defined by its founder, jinnah, in the frame of his twonation theory, as an identity marker cultural and territorial.
Why nehru dropped and indira inserted the sword in the constitution ironically though, it was nehru along with the chairman of the drafting committee of the constitution, b r ambedkar, who were also most opposed to the idea of including the word secular in the preamble of the constitution. So given this more sophisticated understanding of secularism, lets look at some of shermers claims. Nehru s view was equal protection by the state to all religion. If secularism has its relevance only in context, then it is natural and right to think that it will appear in different forms and guises in different contexts. India dont need lecture on secularism 4m so called liberals duration. Officially, secularism has always inspired modern india. The razing of the babri masjid in ayodhya led to riots and killings by muslims and by hindus. Secularism as practiced in india, with its marked differences with western practice of secularism, is a controversial topic in india. It has always been the claim of indias politicians that their country is a secular state. It has been said that pandit nehru was the staunchest champion of the secular state. Nehrus conception of socialism economic and political. The mind and face of secularism economic and political. In these times of ineradicable modernity, secularism of the nehruvian kind, which has even lost its claims to be founded on the dubious notion of implicit negotiation between communities, is bound to seem an imposition. The contemporary western christian background 1 ii.
Supporters of the indian concept of secularism claim it respects muslim mens religious rights and recognizes that. The concept of religion and the foundation of ethics and morality 51 iv. The word secularism has never been used in the indian context in the sense in which it has been used in western countries i. Secularism means very different things in different times. Constitutionalizing secularism, alternative secularisms or liberal. Russell blackfords freedom of religion and the secular state is one. This is similar, although not identical to donald e. Understanding secularism in the indian context the hindu. He wanted a secular state to be one that protects all religions but does not favour one at the expense of others and does not itself adopt any religion as the state religion. I had the pleasure of talking to mr kalyanam, the last private secretary of mahatma gandhi a few months ago. Nehru s secular ideals are one of complexity and aim to harness the plural nature of the diverse range of religious beliefs and traditions in india. Nehrus concept of religion is intended to serve the needs ofan individual who is free.
Secularism has many opponents and has been heavily criticized since the idea was born. Concept, scope and its importance 32 the problem of the relationship between religion and the state emerged with the rise of christianity, with its distinction between the spiritual and the temporal, render therefore unto caesar the things that are caesars. Nehrus india was supposed to be committed to secularism. Is there any difference between gandhis secularism. The grand chamber does not even take into account official documents, let alone discuss. New delhi, oxford university press kapur, ratna and brenda crossman 1999. It corresponds to our fundamental human rights which kant defined as innate and inalienable.
That is to be found in his unflinching efforts to establish and practice secularism within the countrys. At the same time, secularism as a social and political philosophy has been opposed by many who believe that it is the reason. Secularism and nonreligion is the worlds first journal dedicated to the investigation of secularism and nonreligion in all forms. Chapter vi nehru on secularism an evaluation evaluating any aspect of nehru s ideas is a daunting task. This is especially so when it is on a controversial topic like secularism. The supreme court judgement forces us to relook at what indian secularism really. Secularism means very different things in different times and places people in europe often speak of secularism as if it has a single and straightforward meaning. In matters of law in modern india, however, the applicable code of law is unequal. Opinion india, france and secularism the new york times. The selective pampering has now extended to caste and creed lines. Nehru, however, did not be lieve in gandhi s metaphysic of non violence nor in nonviolence as a creed.
Jawahar lal t s father, mot ilal nehru was a highly successful lawyer, who had great admiration and appre ciation for the english men and their ways and early in. As we are all aware the word secularism was coined by george holyoake 18171906 while publishing a statement of secular doctrine in an issue of reasoner in 1851. Social context india is an ancient land of religious pluralism and cultural diversity. In other words, it is not the goal of this article to argue that because secularism is a particular good, it is a universal good. The question we should be asking is not whether the modi. Spera and documents oil the india colutitllllon, vol. Chapter vi nehru on secularism an evaluation evaluating any aspect of nehrus ideas is a daunting task. With the fortysecond amendment of the constitution of india enacted in 1976, the preamble to. Pdf pandit jawaharalal nehrus views on secularism marathi. Pdf the rise of hindutva has often been interpreted as a threat to the secular. Furthermore, scholars have considered the centrality of claims about female emancipation to secularist ideologies and projects in fairly limited and restricted ways. How far he succeeds, it is difficult to say, given the elusiveness of the subject. Secularism its meaning, models and issues insightsias. Arda guiding paper rethinking islam and secularism copyright association of religion data archives 2 of 26 support.
Nationalist forces aside, all is not well with indian secularism. With the fortysecond amendment of the constitution of india enacted in 1976, the preamble to the constitution asserted that india is a secular nation. Joshi on november 14 falls the one hundred and eighteenth birth anniversary of jawaharlal nehru. Nehru often quoted buddha s doctrine that a real victory is one in which there are neither victors nor vanquish ed. Secularization without secularism in pakistan summary pakistan was created in 1947 by leaders of the muslim minority of the british raj in order to give them a separate state. The kantian metaphor of the apple of gods eye is a good starting point for examining kants liberal secularism. When the country celebrates the 125th birth anniversary of pandit nehru, an occasion arrives to explore his most important contribution to all of us. Since gandhi s was a fearless fight against wrong in an open, dignified way, his nonviolent struggle attracted nehru. List of books and articles about secularism online. Secular or non religious is the idea of something 2. His farsightedness and political wisdom was based on a comprehensive theory of democracy, socialism, secularism and. Indias constitution grants its citizens, individual as well as group rights. The secular state is a convenient phrase but an illogical concept.
This largest democracy on the globe is a federation of 35 constituents 28 fullfledged states and seven union territories, two of which are selfgoverning and the rest ruled by the central. In the quotation above, shermer notes that scientific reasoning emerged in the enlightenment. Patel, nehru and others in the constituent assembly that muslims had agreed to go along. Secularism, religion, and moral progress catholic moral. According to 20th century websters dictionary, secularism is the belief that religious and ecclesiastical affairs should not enter into the affairs of the state and public education. We all know, however, that theory and practice are two very different things. On the other hand, all kinds of anxieties and doubts beset secularism in india. By giving a platform and meeting ground to scholars of secularism from around this world, this research network showed that there are as many meanings of secularism as there are. Secularism is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and or religious beliefs. Nehru himself was an enigmatic personality embodying in himself past traditions, present compulsions and future aspirations of the people and the country.
Secularism in india has very different meaning and implications. As such, indias secularism tends to emphasize the neutrality of the state in religious affairs as opposed to a strict separation of the state from religion. Nehru and the secular state of india loyola ecommons. With the social changes of the late 70s and the early 80s, communalism got a strong boost and it started attacking secularism in a big way.
Blackshield defines secularism as religious freedom, tolerance and respect for ideas of rationalism, materialism and humanism. What is secularism contemporary world situation i will deal with the first part briefly. Pdf the paper argues that the concept of secularism that has emerged from the. It could be said that it was his influence that gave the term currency in indian public life and created the impression that. The recent massacres of innocent hindus in godhra, presumably ignited by smouldering muslim resentments against the hindutva proponents over ayodhya. Associational governance of religious diversity, 2007. To mark the occasion, mainstream reproduces in the following pages articles from distinguished contributors touching on different areas of immediate concern for the. Gandhinehru tradition and indian secularism mainstream. The meaning of secularism in india berkley center for. Secularism in this sense is an ideology or system of belief. Since these are the most dominant and defensible western versions of secularism, i shall put them together and henceforth designate them as the mainstream conception of secular ism. In practice, unlike western notions of secularism, indias secularism does not separate religion and state.
On the one hand, almost every politician swears by it. Indias concept of secularism is to equalize all religions so that the state neither actively chooses, nor demonstrates through legislation, a preference or prejudice of one religion over othersa definition that in theory could work. This traditional attitude is reflected in the indian constitution in which the many importations from the west relating to. Democracy and secularism are therefore twin siblings. Why nehru dropped and indira inserted the sword in the constitution ironically though, it was nehru along with the chairman of the drafting committee of the constitution, b r ambedkar, who were also most opposed to the idea of including. Jawaharlal nehru s views on nationalism and internationalism dr. The wise call it by various names this is the indian concept of secularism that god is one and there are different paths to attain it sarva dharma samabhava all approaches are equally. Secularism is challenged not only by clerics and religious nationalists but by some politicians, social activists and even. The system has multiple layers and is a highly complex process. Conference paper pdf available september 2018 with 465 reads. The antecedent concept of political secularism is thus equality.
Blackfords always and admirably accessible overview covers not only a wide range of prominent controversies, but a number of equally crucial yet commonly overlooked issues such as religious proselytizing and the legitimacy of official church establishments. Articles are published on a continuous basis, ensuring publication as soon as submissions are accepted and formatted. The indian constitution has allowed extensive interference of the state in. He is a sprightly 95yearold, lives in chennai and goes about maintaining a garden. The author argues that the concept of secularism is fundamentally.
Authors note to the first edition ix preface to the second printing xl i. Thus, for example, in north africa, the algerian ulama calls for jihad and islamic publications played a prominent role in denouncing french. Rajagopalachari papers, 5th instalment, subject file 37. Our constitution doesnt acquire its secular character merely from the words in the preamble, but from a collective reading of many of its provisions, particularly the. I will deal with the secular scenario in india in details.
The mind and face of secularism economic and political weekly. Islam and secularism, syed muhammad naquib al attas. Ever since the modi government placed a newspaper ad that displayed the original preamble and not the altered one that contains the word secular, we have begun demanding answers without, one might add, asking the right questions. Madan, secularism in its place, ashis nandy, the politics of secularism and the recovery of religious toleration, partha chatterjee, secularism and tolerance in rajeev bhargava ed. Gandhis secularism and india gandhis secular theories took on a special significance in the particular context of the indian national movement.
Nehru and his views on secularism mainstream weekly. Born in a elite family he was educated in england for seven year. The future of secularism, oxford university press, delhi, 2006, pp. His secularism is in opposition to the framework of secularism found in europe and america, and is of great importance to the country todaygiven the perversion of his ideology which has been.
From his dissection of communalism nehru discovered that secularism was the sole response to the communal forces. When secularism was to be practised, no other political system could be established except one which was a functional democracy. Indian secularism is fundamentally different from western secularism. Secularism is an orientation to life that places paramount importance on the matters of this world, and considers observation and reason the best means by which the things of this world can. Secularism in india, secularism in india essay, indian. Secularism in india is widely considered to be under threat. Nehruvian secularism was anything but secular the sunday.
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