Video: The resplendent idea and faltering practice of Indian secularism
A discussion of pain and hope about an idea under attack.
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Arguably the most contested idea in contemporary Indian public life today is secularism. This is the subject of the newest episode discussion series on the state of the republic of Karwan e Mohabbat, called Yeh Daag Daag Ujala.
In this episode, author and peace worker Harsh Mander tries to delve deep into the idea and practice of secularism with two leading voices in India’s intellectual life – feminist activist and writer Syeda Hameed and philosopher Rajeev Bhargava.
What emerges is a discussion of wisdom, care, pain and hope.
The participants note that the idea of Indian secularism is modern but is distinct from various western models. It moves away from the model of secularism developed in the context of a country with a single dominant religion to one relevant to a multi-religious country in which no one religious group has the right to dominate the others.
Rajeev Bhargava speaks of “principled distance” of the state from religion, of “critical respect” of all religions, and of “ethically sensitive” engagement with the religious beliefs and practices of all people.
Syeda Hameed reflects on how the practice of secularism worked on the...
