Amidst the unsettling times of national emergency, precisely, in the year 1976, the then Prime Minister, Smt Indira Gandhi, put into motion the 42nd Amendment of the Indian Constitution, that marked some major changes in the Constitution, including declaring the nation as ‘Secular’.

The term ‘Secularism’ stands for ‘the principle of separation of state from religious institutions.’

Secularism is a word with profound meaning and can be used as how it would fit. The ‘Western secularism’ for example has its roots in the conflict between church and the state leading to a state of law that sits above all religions and cultural differences. Whereas in India, where there exists a multitude of diversities, secularism takes an almost “neutral” stand to ensure fair and equal treatment of its people irrespective of their faith and belief.

To comment on the future of Indian Secularism, we have to go a long way back in time, around 1500, 2000 years. Though not bound by a constitution and its laws, India was still a secular nation allowing its people to live their life believing and following whatever faith they chose. Even the emperors Ashoka and Harshavardhana were believed to have migrated to and patronised religions, different from the ones they were born into, during their lifetime. The historical monuments at the priced Ellora caves are a standing proof of the unity and harmony that existed between different religions of that time. The situation was slightly altered with the establishment of Delhi and Deccan Sultanate, though there were a few Mughal emperors like Akbar who stood for unity and fusion among people irrespective of their faith.

The unscripted Indian secularism faced the biggest challenge, as history talks, in the face of the British Raj. The infamous ‘divide and rule’ policies by the empire targeted the inconsequential amount of discrimination that existed in the society and fed it with hatred and deliberate unjust favouritism which gradually widened the gulf and directed people to narrow down to communities rather than to get together as citizens. The British empire also introduced ‘personal-laws’ for specific communities, like the Shariath Law and interpreted the long-standing Hindu Code of conduct as they pleased to intensify the situation. The seeds of fundamentalism and religious fascism sowed during that time, has sadly never left us and shook the very base on which Indian pluralism and secularism stood.

Torn between partition and independence, our leaders purposefully omitted the term ‘secular’ while writing the Indian Constitution. Though the 42nd Amendment deliberately declared the nation to be ‘Secular’, the underlying principles had already become weak. What existed was, but a fusion of British colonial secularism (which in turn yielded bigotry), and a pluralistic secularism which was what was required by our nation.

But are our foreign invaders alone to be blamed for the state of secularism in our present day? Don't our opportunistic politicians have their share of contribution in maintaining this gap as evergreen vote churning establishments. Don’t the ‘Specify your religion’ column in the school admission forms and other institutions stand as a constant reminder that “we are different”. Don't our deliberate or otherwise arrogant remarks that may hurt the sentiments of fellow communities enact a role in widening the differences.

Our forefathers carefully crafted four major rights regarding religion while including the ‘secular’ clause. These include

-        Right to profess

-        Right to propagate

-        Right to practise

-        Freedom of conscience

When adhered to strictly, these rights can build a nation of harmony and equality in the ideal world.  There may be loopholes or misinterpretations and even dangerous wrongful interpretations of these rights, but it is important to remind ourselves that we are stronger than those devious forces. We are not to abandon those values labelling it as ‘pseudo-socialism’ but rather nurture it and provide it ample space to grow within our hearts. If a disaster like flash floods or hurricanes, or celebrations like a football World Cup organized somewhere in the world where our country is not even represented, can awaken the unity among our diversities, why not we follow the same on an ordinary day.

Now is a good time to ponder over what our father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi said, “I do not expect India of my dreams to develop one religion, i.e., to be wholly Hindu or wholly Christian or wholly Musalman, but I want it to be wholly tolerant, with its religions working side by side with one another.” This spirit should serve as the essence of secularism and we as citizens of India with such an incredible history of tolerance and pluralism should safeguard secularism at any cost. The policies and rights may need revisits and amendments, but why not make a change today itself, working on the manthra “I am an Indian, You are an Indian, We all are Indians”.