Essay on Is India really a secular State for Class 10, 12 and Mains Exam

Essay on Is India really a secular State for Class 10, 12, Mains Exam (UPSC, PSC, SSC)

The 42nd Amendment of the Indian Constitution, the preamble to the constitution of India declared India as a secular nation. A secular state means that no one religion will be given for the priority for the country or the people. IIn other words secularism also means “Dharma Nirapekshata”. India is indubitably a secular country as it has succeeded in keeping the people united despite of the diverse linguistic backgrounds, cultures, traditions and practices. Secularism holds the country as a single entity and propagated the idea of ‘Unity in diversity’.Gandhiji said he wants India to be fully tolerant towards all religions and he never wanted any one particular religion to rule India. After 1947, India and Pakistan emerged as two supreme countries, whereby Pakistan chose to remain an Islamic country and India decided to be a secular country.

Philosophy of Indian Secularism:

The term secularism means indifference of the state to religion. It emerged from the Vedic Concept of Dharma Nirapekshata. The notion of secularism was adopted from the western countries where the church remained separate from the state. The philosophy of Indian secularism was referred to ‘Sarva Dharma Sambhava’ which means that the all religions follow different paths to reach the same destination. It implied equal respect for all religions. Gandhiji’s notion of secularism referred to brotherhood among all religious communities, paying respect to one another’s religion. This is also called positive secularism.

Provisions of Indian secularism:

The Indian constitution provides various provisions of secularism for all the citizens of the country. The state does not prefer any particular religion. It provides freedom to people of all religions. The provisions pertaining to secularism are discussed below:

a) Article 14: This provides equality to all before the law of the country.

b) Article 15: This widens the concept of secularisms by protecting all citizens on grounds of religion, sex, race and caste.

c) Article 25: This propagates the notion of ‘freedom of conscience’ that is all citizens have the equal right to practice, freely profess and propagate any religion. By this article, the state can make laws that limits and regulates secular activity related to any religious practice. The Sikh’s faith of carrying the kirpan (knife) shall be considered as the custom of Sikh religion. The article also suggests opening of Hindu religious institutions for all Hindu classes.

d) Article 26: Every religious group has the right to establish religious charities and institutions and manage their own personal affairs pertaining to religion.

e) Article 27: The state shall not force any citizen to pay taxes for the promotion of their individual religion or for the maintenance of their religious foundations.

f) Article 28: It allows the educational institutions governed by religious groups to impart religious education.

g) Article 51A: It asks all the citizens of the country to promote brotherhood, peace and harmony. Furthermore, the citizens are also asked to respect each other’s culture and preserve the rich heritage.

Impacts of secularism:

Secularism in India has both positive and negative aspects. On the one side Indians celebrate festivals together irrespective of religion, caste, creed, sex and race. On the other side, access to many religions results in inter-religious conflicts which breaks the peace and harmony in the society. Campaigns such as ‘love jihad’, ban on closing slaughterhouses, ghar-wapsi (conversion of Muslim to Hindu forcefully), gives rise to conflicts. Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, Anti Sikh riots, Gujarat communal riots, destruction of Babri masjid by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, attack of Christians in Kandhamal are some of the petrifying communal riots in modernIndia.

Conclusion:

To conclude, it can be said that India is truly a secular state. In fact, this notion of secularism has united all the people of India. India, in modern times has emerged stronger despite the fact that its secular qualities have been put to test. The communal riots can never undermine the secular state of India that has been earned over the years. The people of India have to stay united to safeguard the secular values and fight against the communal forces that has a tendency to cripple the concept of ‘Secular India’.

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