Nationalism and Secularism |
Nationalism and secularism are the two basic constituents of modern India. Nationalism is said to have been associated with anticolonialism in British India, and the process of nation-in-making started. It was accepted that India could become a nation by appreciating its immense cultural, linguistic, religious and geographical diversities. There was the question of unifying India, and colonialism had a role in doing so economically and administratively, though it was exploitative in nature.
However, India was turning into a nation through the political activity of the Indian people and their struggle against colonialism. Indian intelligentsia had definitely played an important part in promoting the spirit of nationalism and patriotism. Still, the roles of different social classes, including workers and peasants, cannot be marginalised. The vision of independent India that emerged during the freedom movement encompassed rebuilding Indian society through a movement of the masses, establishing a democratic political order based on civil liberties, promoting economic development by using science and technology, introducing social change and social justice, and creating a strong and united Indian nation, accepting and appreciating diversity.
This is not to say that the spirit of nationalism vanished with the end of colonialism. India is now a developing nation. She is striving hard to enhance her prestige and glory in different fields, such as trade and commerce, industry, science and technology, including space science, games and sports and so on. Every Indian still nurtures the spirit of nationalism. We can feel this when India sends a space shuttle to the moon or when it wins the Cricket World Cup. We boast of being Indians when the Indian cricket team wins a Test or ODI, or when India wins a medal in the Olympics.
Nationalism rises above religion, caste and region. Nationalism in India is not the preserve of a particular community or class or a few leaders. After 1947, India emerged as a nation-state ~ a sovereign democratic republic. Secularism has been one of the strongest pillars of this nation-state. The history of heterodoxy contributed to the emergence of secularism in India. The form of secularism that India adopts differs from what is defined in many parts of the West.
She witnesses a spirit of tolerance and........