Constructing a Secular Identity
Freedom and Fraternity in Post-Partition National Discourse
back to religion or borders or proposal
ACM India Studies 2005
Acknowledgements
I could not have attempted this project without the overwhelming compliance of so many people I have met in these five months. As my guide Dr. Shrikant Paranjape allowed me to wander around different topics and engaged in conversations to help me come to this paper. He not only welcomed me in his office for conversations and resources to direct me along the path, but also introduced me to people all over his life to talk about their perceptions of secularism in India.
Dr. Phiroz Poonawallah, Dr. Sahasrabudde and Brigadier Pitre all provided me with their irreplaceable insights into India as it has formed after Independence. They all shared with me stories from the barracks during the first wars with Pakistan and Partition migration violence that I could not have gotten from reading books alone. More than anything, I appreciate their perspectives on Indian national identity- politics, education, and society- in this independent and modern era.
I choose not to name the students with which I have spoken to maintain anonymity. Our discussions of Hindu-Muslim tensions, problems in State education, and Secularism in modernizing India could spark controversy among students, or hurt their appearance to teachers. I want to thank all of those who have contributed to this project by talking so openly with me. Despite their hectic school schedules, around 15 students have met with me upon my request to discuss my project, and a handful accepted me into their lives that helped me find a 'real' experience to base my ideas in this paper. Thank-you for giving this paper a dimension in reality.
Introduction
The Times of India 's daily layout exemplifies India's erratic commitment to secularism. Communal politics litter the news pages with reasons to doubt Jawaharlal Nehru's vision of a single Indian nation embracing 'unity in diversity'. In the news stories, religious communalism is a problematic reality that reveals a constant rift between Hindu and Muslim political communities. Yet everyday the bottom of the editorial page a 'Sacred Space' lists quotes from each of India's multiple religion's sacred texts each pertaining to a single topic chosen for that day.
Within India's idea of secularism the nation prides itself on its rich religious history. Partition reminded political leaders that India's religious communities must feel freedom to express their religious identities or they would not feel committed to their Indian identity. Indians and foreigners often interpret India as a spiritual oasis central to any experience in the land, however that spirituality generally is restricted to Hinduism. Hinduism's interconnectivity with Indian culture poses a challenge in drawing borders around religion that only pertains to Hindus. Does Hindu culture threaten secularism in its prevalence in national rhetoric or is it an example of secular integration of all of India's religions?
India's Independence movement and eventual Partition of Pakistan reveal Indians' perceptions and expectations of Secularism. The freedom movement revolved around modern post-Enlightenment philosophies ensuring freedom and equality for all. In an effort to make the country free and equal political leaders questioned the use of religious activities that take away people's rights and prevent modernization.
Theoretically the Secular state ensures freedom to and from religious expression. Secularism manifests itself in India as freedom for all Indians to express their religious identities as long as it does not contend with building national brotherhood. It is constructed to guarantee unity in India's diversity. Indian secularism has a goal of projecting a feeling of unity on its members in a modern context.