IN SEARCH OF TRUE SECULARISM

I am proud to be an Indian. Not because India can be considered a developed nation. Certainly not because Indians as a nation are anywhere near being honest or corruption free. My pride does not arise from the fact that India is the birthplace of one of the oldest civilizations in the world with an unbroken, continuing tradition even today... I am proud for the sole reason that the founding fathers of our Constitution, in their infinite wisdom, decided to describe India as a secular country. I was born a Hindu. I studied in a Christian institution. I have visited churches and mosques, Gurudwaras and Buddha Viharas. I enjoy sweets for Deepavali. I relish the mutton biriyani dished out by my Muslim friends for Ramzan. The plum cake is a favourite during Christmas season...

While this is so, my tranquil, “secular” world was suddenly shaken up yesterday through a series of messages on WhatsApp!

We have this group of about 100 odd old students of Madras Christian College School – Batch of 1975 on WhatsApp. We were all batchmates in school. We have played together, eaten together, worked mischief together, been punished together... There were no Hindus or Christians or Muslims amongst us. Just friends.

Yesterday, one in the group – Sudhakar – forwarded a video. A Christmas greeting, rather naughtily made. It was a good laugh.

But Anand Issac took umbrage. “This video is in bad taste as it makes Christmas look like some vulgar festival...”, he griped. Benedict tried to soften things up. “There goes Anand... Hey, just look at the talent...”, he reasoned. But in the process, he only managed to stir the hornet in Anand. “Would you guys take the same liberties with other religions?” he snapped. “Would you ever have the guts?” he challenged. “What have jingle bells and Santa got to do with Christmas, anyway/” Benny reasoned. But Anand was only warming up. “What has bhangra dance to do with the Sikh religion?” he asked. “Try posting a Bangra dance PLC with your middle finger up...”

Gurdeep Singh chipped in sarcastically : “No, they use the index finger...” Now it was Anand’s turn to be defensive. “I am sorry if I had hurt my Sikh brothers by using that example”, he said. Meanwhile Sudhakar, who had started the chain of texts with his video post, came in with his apology “Sorry Issac, my apologies. No intention of hurting anybody’s sentiments. I just forwarded what I got. Cool please...”

And what  threatened to break into a communal flare-up on WhatsApp cooled down.

This really got me thinking. If educated, mature, above-middle-aged, greying men could squabble like this over a virtual non-issue, how would things be like in slums and ghettoes where people of diverse religious groups and of varying temperaments, incited or egged on by vested interests? Little wonder in a multi-religious country like India, communal flare-ups occur at the drop of a hat.

True secularism, obviously was a far cry away.

I looked up the world wide web for a definition of secularism. It threw up many answers :

According to one definition, secularism meant being irreligious. Another said a secularist is one who does not believe in God -- an atheist. The American concept of secularism is one where the separation of the Church and the State is absolute...

None of these definitions fitted into my concept of secularism. To me, secularism is acceptance of all religions. Secularism is the acceptance of all faiths as true. A secular nation is one where I should have the freedom to pursue any religion. I should have the freedom to visit a temple one day, a mosque the next, a church the day after... I should have the freedom to quote freely from the texts of all religions... I should also have the freedom to criticise, without being derogatory and abusive.

The only problem lies in the fact that here in India, as elsewhere in the world, the true meaning of the word tends to get distorted, to suit different perspectives; to suit individuals; to suit multifarious communal groups; to suit certain political interests...

How else can we condone the demolition of a mosque to build a temple on the specious claim that a temple had been desecrated centuries earlier to build the mosque? This certainly would not have happened if we had considered all faiths as one. How else can we condone the offer of money and gifts as inducement to illiterate tribal masses to convert them to a different religion and then sowing the seeds of religious hatred between brothers merely to create a hostile atmosphere for them to fish in troubled waters? How else can we accept the mass killings of innocent men, women and children in public places and even schools and places of worship as part of a jihad or holy crusade? How else can we accept orgainsed mass re-conversion programmes grandiosely described as ghar wapsi or “homecoming” ?

Every religious denomination or communal sect has been guilty at some time or other of being insensitive to the other communities. It’s sad that the true secular fabric of India is being torn asunder by narrow politico-religious interests – mostly with an eye on consolidating vote banks on religious or communal grounds.

If India is to move forward, it is necessary for Indians to truly understand the concept of secularism.

Over the ages, mankind had created multiple religions. And religions gave birth to a multiplicity of Gods. Today, we are fighting over these religions and Gods, forgetting that we all hail from the same common stock. In the beginning there were no religions. We merely followed certain codes of living, which were refined and modified from time to time. This is what the Indians termed as Sanathana Dharma or an eternal way of life. Dharma cannot be translated as religion. Dharma goes beyond religion. It is an Indian word that defies literal translation in English.

It was the Greeks who first referred to the people who lived on the banks of the River Sindhu (Indus) as Hindus. Over time, the entire country came to be known as India (a derivative of the word Hindu) and the Sanathana Dharma followed by the people of the region came to be known as Hindu religion. Nowhere in any Indian religious text is the word Hindu used.

The highly refined tenets of Sanathana Dharma contained in the Vedas and Upanishads, over time got clouded, leading to misunderstanding and misinterpretations. And they required to be simplified or annotated. Such interpretations were made from time to time by men of learning and vision, who stood out as glorious examples of righteous living; to the extent that they were extolled, often worshipped, not merely as Messiahs, but as God almighty. Veda Vyasa, Valmiki, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Adi Sankara... all interpreted the mores of right living according to the need of the times.

The tenets of Sanathana Dharma had also spread westward beyond the Persian Gulf, right up to Europe. In the West too, the need for interpretations and explanations arose over time. And the likes of Moses, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed did the job admirably. Some of their followers were so taken up by their interpretations of the tenets of righteous living that they formed new religions... Over time, man got so obsessed with their respective religions that they lost sight of the original dogmas.

The import of what I am saying will become clear if we care to compare some of the tenets of Sanathana Dharma (or Hinduism as we know it today), the most ancient of religions dating back about 10,000 years and Islam, which came into existence in the fifth century AD. Many similarities exist between the Quran and the Vedas.  Maulana Shams Nawed Usmani,  an avid scholar of Islamic, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh scriptures has brought out some of these similarities in his book “Agar ab bhi na jage tho. The English translation of this wonderful work which espouses the cause of inter-religious unity, is NOW OR NEVER.

Let us look at some of them.

Vedas	Quran
Praise be to the Creator of this world                                      (Rig Ved 5.81.1)	Praise be to Allah the Cherisher and Sustainer of the world         (Al Fateha V-1)
Who is the Bestower and is Merciful                                      (Rig Ved 3.34.1)	Most Gracious and most Merciful                                             (Al Fateha V-2)
For our benefit show us the right path                                      (Rig Ved 40.16)	Show us the right path        (Al Fateha V-5)
He is the Owner of the great heavens and the earth. That Ishwar only will help us.                                      (Rig Ved 1.100.1)	Knowest thou’ not that to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and beside Him ye have neither patron or helper                           (Al Baqarah V-107)
Parmatma created everything                                                                                  (Athur Ved 7.19.1)	It is He who created every existing thing                                                (Furqan V-2)
God is only one. He the Benevolent gives His bounties to those who give charity                                     (Rig Ved 1.84.7)	And spend in charity for the benefit of your own soul                                                                                                                                  (Al Tagabun V-16) If ye loan to Allah a beautiful loan, He will double it to your credit                                          (Al Tagabun V-17)
Parmatma does not eat but He gives others to eat                          (Rig Ved 1.164.20)	And it is He that feedeth but is not fed                                        (Anam V-14)
There can be no idol for this Parmeshwar                                   (Yagur Ved 32.3)	There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him                                         (Shura V-110)
All directions are His.                                   (Rig Ved 10.131.4)	To Allah belongs the east and the west                                      (Al-Baqarah V 115)
Creator of the world. He is in the east, west, above and below. (Rig Ved 10.36.14) God’s eye is everywhere and his face everywhere.                  (Rig Ved 10.81.3)	Whither so ever ye turn there is Allah’s face; for Allah is All embracing and All knowing                                                                                                                       (Al Baqarah V-115)
You are nearest to us and our Protector                                       (Rig Ved 5.24.1)	And We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein                             (Kahf V-16)
Neither the earth nor the heavens can reach the limit to which God encompasses, neither can the spheres of the sky nor the rain from the sky. Except for God no one has power over His creation.                                   (Rig Ved 1.52.14)	Nor shall they encompass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth.                                   (Al-Baqarah V-255) It is He who sends down rains                                   (Luqman V-34)
He knows the ship sailing in the oceans                                   (Rig Ved 1.25.7)	Seesth thou not that ship sail thro’ the ocean by the grace of Allah.                                  (Luqman V-31)
The God who has power over all living creatures has established the system of the day and night        (Rig Ved 10.190.2)	Seesth thou not Allah merges night into day and merges day into night, that He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His law) each running its course for a term appointed and Allah is well acquainted with all that ye do.      (Luqman V-29)
O’ Parmatma You give goodly reward to the pious. This is Your real attribute.                                     (Rig Ved 1.1.6)	This is a grace from Us: thus do We reward those who give thanks.                                     (Khamar V-35)
It is incumbent on man that he should tread the path of truth with humility.                                      (Rig Ved 10.31.2)	Allah loveth not the arrogant and the vain- glorious.                        (Nisa V 36)
That Ishwar knows very well the world.                                      (Rig Ved 10.187.4)	Allah knows all that is in the heavens and the earth. He has full knowledge of all things.                           (Hujrat V -16)
He who stands, walks, he who cheats, he who harms others and those two who are in secret discourse, Ishwar the third knows all.                                (Athur Ved 4.16.2)	He knows what you hide and what you reveal and He knows (the recompense) which you earn (by your deeds)                                           (Anam V-3) He is with you where so ever you may be; Allah sees well all that you do.                                         (Al Hadid V-4)
He is powerful over all living creatures                                      (Rig Ved 10.190.2)	He is irresistibly Supreme over his servants                                         (Anam V-18)
That which is on earth and the sky or over them, Ishwar sees.        (Athur Ved 4.16.5) He knows the routes of the pleasant wind and He knows all those things, which depend on it.                  (Rig Ved 1.25.9)	He knows what enters within the earth and what comes forth out of the earth, what comes down from heaven and what mounts up to it.                          (Al Hadid V-4) And He is who sends the wind as herald of glad tiding before His mercy.                                        (Furqan V-48)
He made day and night.                                                                          (Rig Ved 10.190.2)	And it is He who made the day and night to follow.                            (Furqan V-62)
The Creator controls the sun and the moon as He did the earlier creations                                      (Rig Ved 10.190.3)	He makes the night for rest and tranquility; and the sun and the moon for the reckoning.                       (Anam V-96)
Supplicate with humility and outstretched hands to the Parmeshwar who guides the earth and the heaven on the right path.                                       (Rig Ved 2.16.46)	Verily His are the creation and the command. Blessed be Allah the Creator and the Sustainer of the worlds. Call on your lord with humility and in private, for Allah loveth not who trespass beyond bounds                            (Aaraf V-54 & 55)
Indeed God is very great.                                   (Athur Ved 20.58.3)	He is the great the most high.                                         (Raad V-9)
The laws of God are not changed                                   (Rig Ved 1.24.10) Nobody can change the laws of God                                   (Athur Ved 18.1.5)	No change can there be in the word of Allah                                 (Yunus V-64) No change will thou find in the practice of Allah                                 (Fatah V-23)
O’ God the heavens and the earth tremor with your power. O’ God with your terror You annihilate the guilty; and to the pious You establish spiritual greatness                                                                  (Rig Ved 1.80.11)	Yea, to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth so that He rewards those who do evil according to their deeds and rewards those who do good with what is best.                              (Najam V-31)
O’ Parmeshwar You are the first and greater in knowledge over everyone else.                                      (Rig Ved 1.31.2)	He is the first and the last, the evident and the hidden and He has knowledge over all things.                               (Hadid V-3)
God separated the truth from falsehood and ordained ‘O, People bring faith in truth and do not bring faith in falsehood’                                       (Yagur Ved 19.77)	Truth stands out clear from error. Whoever rejects Tagud and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold                                           (Baqarah V-257)
People without brains do not see the book inspite of seeing it and do not hear inspite of hearing.                     (Rig Ved 10.71.4)	Yet you study the scripture? Will you not understand?                                         (Baqarah V-44)
O eternal All Powerful God, You are so valuable that I will not leave you at any cost, neither for thousand, lakhs or crores of worldly bounties.      (Rig Ved 8.1.5)	And do not sell my signs for a small price and fear Me, and Me alone.                                         (Baqarah V-41)
You only act and You only reap the fruit                                       (Yagur Ved 23.15)	And no bearer of burden can bear the burden of another            (Najm V-38)
O all Powerful and greatest Sustainer we went astray due to our ignorance. Be kind to us.                              (Rig Ved 7.89.3)	Verily Allah will not deal unjustly with man in aught, it is man that wrongs his own soul                              (Yunus V-44)
He who eats alone out of his earning, he eats sin.                          (Rig Ved 10.117.6)	By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give of that which you love.                                        (Al-e- Imran V-92)
He who spends on charity over the poor and the needy, he alone is philanthropic, he earns goodness.                                                                                                                  His enemies become his friends.                       (Rig Ved 10.117.3)	Those who spend in prosperity or adversity, who restrain anger and pardon men for Allah’s love are those who do good                             (Al-e- Imran V-134)
He who does not give bread to a deserving orphan inspite of possessing it and with hard-heartedness eats it himself, he does not live in comfort when adversity comes to him                        (Rig Ved 10.117.2)	Such is the one who repulses the orphan and encourages not the feeding of the indigent; so woe to the worshipper                                       (Al Maun V-2, 3,4)

    

How I wish there were more of Maulana Shams Nawed Usmanis in every faith...