The basic tenet of 'being humane and being civilized' says - what is wrong will always be wrong - and can never be justified.
And like every other 'basic tenet' of humanity - such norms - a must for the humankind universally - must be followed in letter and spirit.
That is the 'ideal' situation.
And is a rarity in the prevailing political circumstances - not just in India - but in many countries across the world.
A direct corollary of that is the ongoing or the 'raging' political debate over 'tolerance and intolerance' in India.
Yes, we need to react on incidents of 'intolerance' if we are proud of our shared culture over the years. India is probably the only country in the world where major populations of two major religions live in relative harmony.
Yes, in harmony - because we have no other word to explain that - given the fact the country has stood together even after 68 years of independence - and is a robustly functional democracy - with a transparent electoral process.
Yes, there have been religious riots and other incidents of communal strife - but if we have stood together, as a coherent unit, even after that - it directly conveys where the priorities of the ordinary folks of these religions lie (or people of every religion in India).
And that squarely puts the political class and the opinion leaders in the dock - if there have been incidents that go against this spirit - like this atmosphere of intolerance and the debate over issues like beef politics and religious polarization.
We have lived in communal harmony for so long, for centuries - that - it is impossible to think India as a standalone nation for Hindus. Generations in India have experienced it and have assimilated it. India is of every Indian - India is for every Indian - irrespective of his or her religious affiliations.
That is the basic idea of India.
And every Indian must react to preserve this pillar on which the nations stands and grows. It is a social must. And we need to work to see until it becomes the cornerstone of our political prerogatives as well.
And like every other 'basic tenet' of humanity - such norms - a must for the humankind universally - must be followed in letter and spirit.
That is the 'ideal' situation.
And is a rarity in the prevailing political circumstances - not just in India - but in many countries across the world.
A direct corollary of that is the ongoing or the 'raging' political debate over 'tolerance and intolerance' in India.
Yes, we need to react on incidents of 'intolerance' if we are proud of our shared culture over the years. India is probably the only country in the world where major populations of two major religions live in relative harmony.
Yes, in harmony - because we have no other word to explain that - given the fact the country has stood together even after 68 years of independence - and is a robustly functional democracy - with a transparent electoral process.
Yes, there have been religious riots and other incidents of communal strife - but if we have stood together, as a coherent unit, even after that - it directly conveys where the priorities of the ordinary folks of these religions lie (or people of every religion in India).
And that squarely puts the political class and the opinion leaders in the dock - if there have been incidents that go against this spirit - like this atmosphere of intolerance and the debate over issues like beef politics and religious polarization.
We have lived in communal harmony for so long, for centuries - that - it is impossible to think India as a standalone nation for Hindus. Generations in India have experienced it and have assimilated it. India is of every Indian - India is for every Indian - irrespective of his or her religious affiliations.
That is the basic idea of India.
And every Indian must react to preserve this pillar on which the nations stands and grows. It is a social must. And we need to work to see until it becomes the cornerstone of our political prerogatives as well.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
