Omkar Dattatray
India has excelled in different sectors and she is next to none in science and technology and has done marvelous job in infrastructure, space technology and in economics and what not. The voice of India is heard and she is respected in the international field and her say has a great influence in the world affairs. But alas in domestic field she is heading towards chaos and confusion as day in and day out we hear about the communal strife and tension in various parts of the country and this forces us to say that in home turf India is heading nowhere except to chaos and confusion as the communal tensions become more and more the fate accomplice of this nation which is very unfortunate and this should not have happened. The happenings and incidents in various parts of the country point towards the fact that India is moving towards communal strife and confusion as the communal disturbances across the country is a matter of great concern. Though India has done a spectacular development in different walks of life in international arena but in home turf there are tensions of communal disharmony, strife which is a disturbing development and we should strive to uphold secular and plural ethos of the country. But it is a matter of dismay that the country which has embraced secularism as a matter of state policy is these days heading towards exclusivist society and this is against the secular philosophy of India as secularism and pluralism is the lifeline of the country and India should tread the path shown by our forefathers and constitution founders and therefore the country should be ruled purely on the secular pattern as India is a multi -religious, multi-cultural and multi -lingual as well as the multi-dimensional country and we should preserve the secularism, but what is happening in different parts of the country is enough to suggest that the country is deviating from the time tested path of secularism and is moving towards communal disharmony and tension which does not augur well for the country and we should introspect on the deviation of the country from the secular path. While on paper India is a secular republic but in practical field she is moving towards exclusivist ideology and this is very disturbing development and all of us should guard against the tempering with the secular tenets and communal harmony in the country. Instead of concentrating on the mundane issues of bread and butter and the issues like uninterrupted power supply, adequate drinking water, sky-rocketing prices of the essential goods and services and the problem of unemployment in the country the political parties and politicians seem interested in communal disharmony which is very unfortunate and this should not happen in a multi-religious country. Thus instead of exploiting the gullible masses on communal and religious issues, we should guard against the degeneration of the society into communal disharmony and strife which are alien to our age old ethos of tolerance and cultural diversity.
The unity in diversity is the unique characteristic of India and it should be maintained at all costs and in no way there should be any compromise on it. We should not do anything which goes to disturb the unity in diversity doctrine and the plural and secular ethos of the country.
However what is these days happening in different parts of the country is very unfortunate and unbecoming.
The communal clashes are taking place in different parts of the country and the vested political parties take sadistic pleasure in the communal disturbances and clashes without any exception.
The political parties are blaming each other for the communal tension and disturbance and this is really very bad and against the secular tenets of the constitution and the secular ethos of the country.
It is very sad and unfortunate that the country is heading towards chaos as the communal disturbances and clashes are taking place in different parts of the country. It is our bounded duty and moral responsibility that we should do all things to protect the secular and plural fabric of the constitution in letter and spirit so that the secularism will flourish and grow in the country and we should nurture much valued secularism and tolerance which are the foundations of our country and are the lifeline of our nation.
But what is happening in different parts of the country is an open assault on the secularism and pluralism and this is alien to our cultural heritage and the constitution. India is heading towards anarchy as communal disturbances and clashes are taking place in different parts of the country and the political parties are busy in blame game and they do not take tangible steps to rectify the communal confusion and clashes and disturbance in the country and they seem to relish on these sad communal happenings and this is a very serious matter. Before it tarnishes our image in the international arena, we should take sincere and solid steps to correct the communal situation and tension in the country so that we can raise our heads in the world as a responsible secular country. For this we should ponder and make self introspection and allow nothing which tarnishes our image in the comity of the nations.
It is very disturbing and unfortunate that India is heading towards a country where communal clashes and disturbances are taking place under the very nose of the state governments and the political parties are blaming each other for the communal turmoil in the country.
Therefore without wasting time we should focus our attention against the unfortunate communal happenings in the country and strive to put an end to the communal tension and disturbance which is very harmful for our secular and plural country. The anti social and rouge elements of different communities are raising their ugly heads in different parts of the country and are disturbing the communal harmony and mutual brotherhood which goes not only against the constitution but is also against the cultural heritage and ethos of our country.
The rowdy elements of both the Muslin and Hindu community are indulging in pelting stones, arson , rioting, burning the properties and cars and this points towards the worst communal disturbances and is a cause of grave and great concern and we as the responsible citizens should not allow the situation to go beyond control and we should take earnest and sincere steps to control the vulnerable communal situation in the country so that all the communities will live in peace and mutual brotherhood will flourish and grow in the country.
But what is happening in various parts of the country is very shameful as it is the sad commentary on the plural and secular ethos of India and we should hang our heads in shame on the Hindu-Muslim disturbance and communal clashes which are going on different states of the country without any break.
Therefore what is needed is that the political parties and cunning politicians should not politicize the communal disharmony but should sincerely work towards strengthening the plural and secular foundations of the country.
It is a matter of great concern that Hindi-Muslim strife and disturbance are taking place in different states and are polluting peaceful atmosphere of the country and so efforts should be made to instill confidence among the people belonging to various faiths so that all live in peace and tranquility.
For this it is indispensible that the political parties should desist from exploiting the religious sentiments of the people and they should take urgent steps in the direction of building and strengthening the secular fabric of the country which is in danger due to the frequent communal disturbances in different states.
Congress is leveling charges of creating communal tension on the BJP while BJP is hitting back at congress and is holding congress responsible for the communal disharmony in various parts of the country.
The way the communal and religious disturbance is happening in different states of the country, it may ultimately lead to the conditions of civil war which is very dangerous and harmful for the country. The politics on Hanuman Chalisa and loudspeakers is creating unwanted communal tensions in different parts of the country but the responsible citizens should guard against the forces of communal disharmony so that the plural and secular ethos of the land will be preserved.
To conclude it can be said that the country is deviating from its time tested path and is heading towards chaos and confusion and divorcing from the secularism as is evident from the ground realities but constitutionally we are a secular country and the political parties and the people need to nurture secularism for the country’s development and for its image in the international community.
It is very unfortunate that India distancing from Indian-ness and is thus negating the very idea of India by resorting to communal violence and disturbance which is alien to our culture.
May true secularism and pluralism flourish in the country so that all the people belonging to different faiths live in peace like brothers.
This is indispensible for the unity and integrity of the country and let us strive to preserve the secular foundations of the country.
(The author is a columnist and social activist).
