Duty of secularism in Bharath to safeguard sanathanam for future generations

DUTY OF SECULARISM IN BHARAT TO SAFEGUARD SANATHANAM FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Dr.M.Vijaya

Academician, Author, Columnist and Social Worker

Every Bharathiya has the Right to feel proud of the existence of the world’s oldest surviving and great Civilization name Bharat with its Sanathana nature which our ancestors meticulously shaped and safeguarded. It may be considered as our Fundamental Right to Life to experience the honour of being a native part of the age-old Sanathana Bharathiya Civilization.

Bharat is Constitutionally recognized as ‘Secular.’ It requires an honest acceptance, broad mind, and matured attitude to understand what is “Secularism” in Bharat.

‘Secularism’ in Bharat cannot claim the removal of Sanathana identity which is the original identity of Bharat. Instead, citizens irrespective of the religion they follow, can assimilate themselves with the pride of being a part of Sanathana Bharata Civilization.

The term ‘Secularism’ was coined by British reformer George Jacob Holyoake in 1851 to describe his views of ‘promoting a social order separate from religion,’ without actively dismissing or criticising religious belief.

Western concept of secularism holds:

1. Separation of religious institutions from the institutions of the state;
2. Freedom of conscience for all individuals, circumscribed only by the need for public order and the respect of the rights of other individuals; and
3. No discrimination by the state against individuals on the basis of their beliefs.

In Bharat, the term “Secular” was added to the Preamble of the Constitution of India through the 42^nd Amendment in 1976. In general, it indicates the separation of the State from Religion.

To place Secularism in varied societies, it is necessary to study the type of society. The Western society is an Individualistic society and has a different context of Secularism while in Bharat, both Gandhiji and Nehru observed the Multi-culturalist view in two varied angles. Their points of differences were that – according to Gandhi, religion has its role in Public life while Nehru with his socialistic views considered religion as a Private matter.

In the context of Bharath, it has been basically identified as a Bhoomi of several native cultures, languages, and varied traditions. However, all these diverse factors are the strings of the core umbrella called Sanathana Dharma.

The undeniable fact is that the invaders and colonizers whoever entered Bharat, each of them tried to thrust their religion on the native Sanathanis through various methods adopted in the course of Religious Conversion. This resulted in Sanathanis getting converted to other religions.

It should be clearly understood that Bharath, the Sanathana Bhoomi is so flexible and adaptable that it accommodates foreign religions brought in by invaders and colonizers who converted the native Sanathanis to their respective religions by various forceful and coerced methods. After independence, in par with the native Sanathanis who have not converted to other religions, the Constitution of Bharat gave equal Rights and Liberty to the Religious Minorities who / whose ancestors were Sanathanis but at some point of time got converted to other religions.

“Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava” is viewed in the manner to mean – ‘To see all faiths equally.’ The quote deals with the equal treatment of all people irrespective of their religion and it is in no description a compromise over the native Sanathana base of Bharat which is also referred to as ‘Hindustan.’

It has been obviously observed over the past few decades that varied attempts are being made to distort the Sanathana base of Bharat like –

1. False narratives about Sanathanam are spread round the globe so as to invite resentment over the Bharathiya Civilization.
2. Hindu Gods and Goddesses are disgraced.
3. Hindu religious practices are ridiculed.
4. Hindu scriptures are given distorted interpretations.
5. Hindu rituals are publicised as uncivilized and superstitious.
6. Hindus are humiliated and degraded.
7. Hindus in mass are made (even today) to abandon Hinduism and convert to other religions, etc.

These fundamentalists in collaboration with external foreign sources trigger the citizens using religion as a tool to –

1. shake the Sanathana roots of Bharat,
2. reduce the count of Hindus,
3. change the demography of Bharat, and
4. thereby remove the Sanathan identity of Bharat,

which are not healthy approaches.

In recent years, it is seen that in the name of Secularism, certain political ideologies and organizations are trying to snatch away this Sanathana identity from the Land of Bharat. If the Sanathana nature of Bharat is lost –

1. It would be a grave injustice to all our ancestors who lost their lives in preserving this Dharma native to Bharat.
2. It would be the end of the Civilization of high values and reputed philosophical dictates of Universal appeal.
3. The native identity of the Sanathanis of Bharat will also be lost.
4. Sanathanam will lose its grounding.
5. The future generations will be deprived off the association and pride of Sanathana Bharat.
6. It would be prejudice upon the Bharat Bhoomi which has been for more than 10,000 years acknowledged for its Vedic culture and all on a sudden robbed off its identity.

If there is attack on the civilizational Vedic identity of Bharat which is associated to Sanathanam, the Nation has every Right to defend itself from forces that use ‘Secularism’ as their tool of attack. ‘Secularism’ should not be allowed to destroy the basic Sanathana structure of Bharat.

Where Law opens doors for Secularism, it is the responsibility of the same Law to preserve the Sanathana identity of Bharat which is native to Bharat, which existed long before the other religions entered, and which is the legacy of the future generations from the ancestors.