- Secularism in India vs. United States
With approximately 15% of the world’s population living in India, the definition of India as a polity might be challenging. India has avoided the tricky part of religious and secularism that has characterized the United States. In the United States, there is a clear demarcation of the state and religion. Contrary to popular opinion, the United States is not a Christian state. However, right wing political activists have always sired the idea of Christian values thus undermining the freedom of religion. The persecution of Muslims after 9/11, the rise of tea party movement wing in the Republican Party and the debate on abortion is some of the attempts to undermine the separation of Church and the state. As a matter of fact in 1996 elections, over 600 million people participated in the general elections which were perceived as free and fair. Similarly, India has organized regular elections ever since 1947 independence when the modern India was shaped after the independence from the Great Britain.
- Diversity and Economic Growth in India
As much as the Indian society is defined by the concept of caste, there is that sense of nationalism which in itself is unique. This sense of nationalism is what drives India forward. One cannot be wrong to argue that the colonial legacies that the British left behind played a very instrumental role in imposing a political identity. The identity of nationalism is definitely stronger than the inner caste divisions. Khilnani makes this point more accurately in page 173, when he writes, “Citizenship was defined by civic and universalist rather than ethnic criteria, which guaranteed a principle of inclusion in India’s democracy.” He further goes ahead to state that democracy was intended to recognize the claims of Indian’s as individuals.” By its simplest interpretation, this statement, perhaps, best explains more accurately the sole role of democracy in India: to bring equality. However, whether this aim was achieved or not is up to one to find out.
- Federalism in India
India qualifies past the common definition of a nation as a group of people with a shared culture, language and one political system into a nation grouped more or less as a function of convenience. Considering the historical background of this country, one cannot fail to argue that the traditional tribes which would have chosen to be their kingdoms or nations so to say, such as Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarat among others decided to come together to form the great Indian nation. This ethnicities practice their own cultures in the more cooperate Indian nation with tension resulting from their relationship. However; India has overcome this obstacle with a number of achievements. Being the world’s biggest democracy, India has the biggest number of people with franchise rights and large number of parties which take part in elections. The idea of India traces the history of the unification of the Indian sub continent by the British, the separation of the Pakistani Muslim, and the struggle to construct a secular nation from the powerful forces of the strongly religious Hindu majority. Khilnani also gives a thumps up for the people of India for their effort to unite the diverse, huge and poor society, and to transform India into a modern state.
- Diversity and Political Maturity in India
In this respect, clearly India does posses one vital and immediately available resource which has imparted to it a distinct identity, and which is a true global analysis of political legitimacy: it is a form of political capital that has been amassed since independence. This is represented by the steady operation of the constitutional democracy, an almost non violent existence of people of different ethnicities, and the ability to move forward even in situations that seem very hopeless. On the contrary, India still has the biggest of all problems; joblessness, poverty, male chauvinism, illiteracy among other problems. India understands that it diversity is its strengths and that make the country survive. India has the dilemma of defining itself as a modern secular state or a state still confined to manipulation by the powerful Hindi majority. Similarly, the country has to answer what it means by equal right of all humanity in regards to its classification of people in castes.
- Why has Indian parliament focused on Cultural Equality instead of Income Inequality
References
Gupta, Dipankar, (2000). India between two worlds, New Delhi: Harper Collins Publishers.
Khilnani, Sunil, (1997) The Idea of India, New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Luce, Edward, (2007 ) In Spite of the Gods, New York: A Division of Random House.
