The Idea of a Secular India

The term ‘secular’ was added in the 42nd Amendment in the year 1976. Secularism in the Preamble of the Constitution of India is described as all the religions i.e. Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Islam Christianity, Buddhism, etc. are all equal in this state. India is not a state with only one religion. A person is said to be secular when his thinking is rational and based on science. Secularism simply means that the separation of state from religion i.e. a secular state should not be based only on one religion.

Secularism in India

In India, the term ‘secularism’ was introduced in the year 1976 of the 42nd Amendment of the constitution. Secularism means separating government from religion which simply means that the government of India should not follow or favor any particular religion rather every religion should be favored equally. For a country like India secularism is extremely important as it has more than 5 religions as a safeguard. There are some basic rights provided by the preamble of the Indian Constitution based on secularism in India, these are – Right to profess, Freedom of conscience, and the Right to practice. If these rights are hampered by someone, it will be granted as a criminal offense and the person can be punished by the law. But the government of India provides reservations for the religious minorities to make them feel that they are not discriminated against. Here a question arises about whether India is a truly secular country or not? The answer is absolutely yes, India is a secular country. But provides reservations to the religious minorities, and here the conflict arises. It is important to take care of religious minorities because it is generally seen that the majority tries to suppress the minorities. So, the government must stay neutral and to some extent help minorities so that they do not feel discriminated against. Sometimes it is seen that some political parties head towards some particular religion. This is very shameful for a secular country like India. Secularism in India is important not only to provide peace and harmony within the country but also to provide a better and safer society for all. So, it can be said that secularism in India is perfectly performed and the Indian government tries to keep religion separate from government.

Challenges faced by secularism in India during post Independence

India consists of various cultures i.e. India is a culturally heterogeneous country. The separation or enmity between Muslims and Hindus was created by the British, they used the policy of divide and rule. Making this situation normal and abolishing riots among Hindus and Muslims was the main challenge faced by secularism in India during post-independence. Sometimes the political party leans toward a particular religion, they want to earn a vote from that community which is shameful and against the law because the government that will be formed by the majority should be neutral and not based on a particular religion, then only the nation will be called as a secular nation; sometimes it is seen that a party is based on a particular caste, this is as shameful as a party leaning towards religion. The heading of a political party toward a particular religion and a particular caste is another challenge for India to keep its secular identity.

Importance of secularism in India

These are the reasons why secularism is important in India –

• As people in India are of different religions, secularism is highly important here to maintain peace and harmony
• To maintain the power of the majority in India, secularism safeguards democracy for all citizens
• Secularism provides equal fundamental rights to every citizen of India without discriminating based on religion
• Secularism explains that every region should be respected equally and no people should be harmed based on religion
• Secularism is also important to take fair decisions by the country’s head in a democratic country so that any religion is not hurt by the act or decision

Conclusion

In a democracy, secularism is the main pillar that maintains the country’s democratic values. Secularism in a country like India is very important because India consists of several religions. To keep peace within the country and develop society, secularism plays a vital role. During post-independence several challenges were faced by India to maintain a secular country, even still the challenges persist or a new one is formed or may form.