One of the things I discovered in writing this book is of that there is a lot of emphasis of Indian secularism. Just as Indian democracy is 'fifty-fifty,' Indian secularism is also 'fifty-fifty' Yet, its success cannot be discounted despite the many communal clashes and riots. It is to the credit of Jawaharlal Nehru and others that they resisted the pressure to make India a Hindu Pakistan.
True, even though our constitution guarantees secularism, the practise of secularism is often flawed. The Hindu-Muslim rights, for instance: the Hindu right wing groups attacks on Muslims and Christians are some of the example of the shortcomings of secularism. Yet, there are millions who still want India to be a secular society, and I believe they are in a majority.
While our record of religious pluralism could be better, our record on linguistic pluralism is remarkable, a qualified success. The fact that I can be Tamil and Indian, somebody else can be Kannadiga and Indian, Bengali and Indian, Gujarati and Indian is totally consistent.
Sri Lanka, a very small country, is mired in an unending civil war because the Sinhala people are fighting for one language for the whole nation; Pakistan was split into two because the west Pakistanis imposed Urdu on the Bengalis in the east. I think America and other countries can also learn from our experience of linguistic pluralism. The Indian one rupee note is a wonderful visual illustration of our pluralism.
Image: Indian folk dancers perform during the Republic Day parade, January 26, 2004. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: India: Rewind 200 years
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