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We ‘the secular’ people of HINDUSTAN

Ramanujam Vedhanarayanan
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We ‘the secular’ people of HINDUSTAN

Introduction:

The constitution of India cannot be more apparent in its words when it enumerates that the State must not identify itself with any religion. This raises several questions in our minds.

1) Can a state and the rulers of the government be distinguished by any set of rules?

2) If Hindustan and Pakistan were divided based on religion, How did Pakistan emerge as an Islamic nation whereas Hindustan turned out to be a secular nation?

3) What is the true meaning of secularism? Is it a brotherhood between citizens or a political tool to consolidate power?

Let us try to find out the answers to all these questions by analysing unadulterated history, our constitution, and the rulings of the Honourable Supreme Court in various cases.

What is to be secular?

The State being secular is the characteristic feature of the State to not adapt to one particular region. This is crucial for good governance as it would create chaos if the state starts to abide by the rules of a religion rather than the constitution. This drives us to our first question. If the Prime Minister or the President on behalf of the State abides by certain rituals of any particular religion, can that be accepted as secularism? We can have two different perspectives on this.

The Liberals may argue that the Heads of the State being the representatives of people with different beliefs in this nation must not define themselves with a certain religion. The Right Wing may argue that the heads of this nation can adopt any ritual based on any religion as it is their right to follow any religion and if that ritual makes them feel good about their work, then there is no problem in having any ritual on behalf of the State. So, which school is morally right? This cannot be legally questioned as this is a legal puzzle that will certainly open up many debating floors.

A moral conclusive argument can be put forward to address this trivia with the help of some basic legal knowledge. The fundamental rights enshrined in our constitution are vested upon all our citizens irrespective of their religion.  Article 25 of our constitution guarantees every citizen the right to profess, practice, and propagate any religion of his/her choice.

When we read this article, it does not exclude the heads of the State or prohibit the heads of the State in exercising their vested rights. The heads of the State are also the citizens of this nation and can freely practice their religion. This takes us to a more complicated question, can the money of the taxpayers be used by the State for any such rituals?

The answer to this question is given under Article 27 of our constitution which prohibits the use of tax payer’s money for the propagation of a certain religion and in a Secularist’s point of view, this worry itself must not come into the minds of people as that is what secularism is all about. To understand this further and deeper, we need to understand secularism from a historical point of view.

Historically secular:

To understand secularism, we need to travel back in time to when new religions were introduced to the Indic civilisation. When Buddhism was spreading all across the nation due to the works of emperor Ashoka, secularism was first defined. Ashoka mandated that no one should honour their religion and condemn another religion without valid grounds.

This established both freedom of speech and expression as well as secularism. The rock edicts of Ashoka and many inscriptions from the Ajanta and Ellora caves[i] show that the people of different religions were living in brotherhood in this nation.

After this period, the Islamic invasion proved to be a changing point in our secular history. The invasions of Ghazni and Ghori were barbaric. Non-Islamic religious structures were destroyed and the whole nation was looted. Several people were forcefully converted to Islam and many others who refused were tortured and killed[ii].

When the Slave dynasty came to power (Establishment of Delhi Sultanate), non-muslims were called Kafirs and Dhimis, and high taxes were imposed on them. The most famous among them is the Jizya tax on Hindus which economically forced many Hindu families to convert to Islam. It was the Sharia law that was imposed all over the territory during this regime and it continued during the times of the Mughals. Akbarnama calls the so-called ‘most secular’ king Akbar the killer of Kafirs.

It goes on to say that Akbar earned the title ‘ghazi‘ which means the killer of non-believers. If we think that this secularism is brutal, Akbarnama further says that Akbar constructed a tower made of skulls of slain Hindus aka infidels[iii]. Several Indic kings in their territory upheld secularism and the most notable King on that list is Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj who even had Islamic commanders and soldiers in his army to fight the Mughals.

This secularism travelled down the Maratha reign for several generations. Several Muslim warriors fought alongside the Marathas’ army led by Sada Shiv Rao Bao Peshwa against the Afghan forces led by Abdali in the third battle of Panipat[iv].

The nation was considered more important than religion for years by all these great warriors and secularism continued to breathe for a short period until the rise of the British empire which gave a whole new twist to the history of the secularism of Bharath.

Skull tower built by Akbar as portrayed in Akbarnama

The entry of the British into India brought Western secularism along with it and this gave the Indic form of secularism a whole new amendment. To understand western secularism, we need to understand how medieval European countries functioned. The interference of the church, especially the church of Rome in matters of the State was a big hindrance to the functioning of the government.

France made it clear through the law of 1905 (separation des eglises et de i etat) that the functions of the state were separated from that of the church. British in 1534, during the reign of Henry VII, terminated their official relationship with the catholic church. This form of western secularism entered India along with the laws of the British. Equity became a myth and equality became the backbone of secularism.

Secularism and constitution:

Secularism was an integral part of the constitution even though it was not explicitly mentioned during the time of its framing as held by the Honourable Supreme court on several occasions.  The constitutional assembly debates prove this point as Dr.Ambedkar clearly stated during the session that there was no need for the word secularism in the preamble as the entire constitution was drafted with secularistic principles[v].

In the case of S.R.Bommayi Vs. The Union of India, the Honourable Supreme Court held that the word secularism is a part of the basic structure of the constitution (which implies that it cannot be amended through any form of legislation)[vi]. In the case of Bal Patil Vs. Union of India, the apex court ruled that the state has no religion more than that the state has to treat all religions alike and with equal respect[vii].

Political secularism:

The political secularism running in the country is a blend of liberalism along with the principles of western culturalism. Secularism is all about brotherhood and not appeasement. A secular country needs to provide the people belonging to minority communities equal opportunities as the people belonging to the majoritarian communities. The government must promote the equity principle rather than the equality principle. This brings us back to our third question. To find out the answer to this question, we must look into our contemporary social issues. The answer to this question will completely be relative as it brings up the debates of various ideological schools into several circles of issues.

Equality Vs. Equity

The political system running in our country is inclined to religion in one or the other way. Several religious heads in their places of worship speak politics to gather votes for a candidate of their preference. They even derogate the beliefs of other religions to convert people and ascend to power through the votes of their victims. This very act may spoil the secularism of the nation as their malafide intention is to give the state a certain religion and thus breaking the backbone of secularism.

Some political leaders may even favour such people by showcasing them as one among them to consolidate political power. They participate in this mischief by derogating other religions on public platforms. This can be very easily done as the votes of minorities can be grouped by the heads of the religion in the name of religion and the votes of the majority community can be dealt with easily through the process of ‘divide and rule policy’.

Through this, they fulfil their political ambitions by breaking the very backbone of our constitution which is secularism itself.

Western Secularism Vs. Indian Secularism:

Considering the Indian Socio-political atmosphere with a western secularist perspective will only lead us to a downgraded society. It is like calling Arsene Wenger to be the owner of Arsenal FC as they both have ‘Arsene’ in their names. The history of the western countries is far more different than the history of Bharath. The cultural background of India does not have any equivalent counterpart. When this is the case, how can we imply a western culturalistic idea of secularism and incorporate it into our own? This becomes a misfit. Article 6 of the constitution of the United States of America makes the nation a constitutionally secular country but there has been no non-Christian president to date in the country[viii].

The secularism model that countries like France and England follow is originally to abolish the interference of the church in matters of administration. In India, the case is different. India has been targeted and looted by several invaders in the name of religion and politics. Incorporating western secularistic ideas into our nation will only lead to more chaos and appeasement politics. The 42nd amendment of our constitution adds the word secular to an already Indianly secular constitution and interpreting the word secular based on the such amendment cannot do justice to the word secular.

The constitutional validity of the amendment itself is in question as the words ‘socialist‘ and ‘secular‘ have been added to the preamble of our constitution during the time of national emergency without the consent of the parliament by disregarding all the due processes in place[ix]. In simple words, western secularism is a method of functioning the government to avoid the interference of the church in matters of administration.

India was already a ‘secular’ nation. She did not need any western invader to teach her brotherhood. She is the epitome of moral values. Western secularism overthrew the already secular model of India which created more diversions in the actual road of the meaning of secularism.

Conclusion:

Indian secularism is all about the brotherhood and unity among all the citizens of India irrespective of their religion, caste, birthplace, etc., A free India must be a place where brotherhood is maintained between all the citizens and where one religion does not try to put down another religion in the name of religion. No factor is bigger than the motherland as it is only the nation that was, which is, and which will remain forever. Jai Hind!

  • Ramanujam Vedhanarayanan,
    Law Student,
    SASTRA University.

[i] See https://www.gujarattourism.com/saurashtra/junagadh/ashok-edicts.html

[ii] See https://organiser.org/2021/05/21/24101/bharat/invasions-plunders-loot-and-cultural-disintegration-the-chronology-of-islams-800-year-old-rule-over-india/

[iii] See https://aryasamajkerala.org.in/akbar-makes-a-tower-of-slain-hindu-heads/

[iv] See https://indianhistorycollective.com/shivaji-hindutva-icon-or-secular-nationalist-religioninindia-shivajimaharaj-hindustan-aurangzebandshivaji-marathaempire-jaziyatax-aurangzeb/

[v] See https://indianexpress.com/article/research/anant-kumar-hegde-secularism-constitution-india-bjp-jawaharlal-nehru-indira-gandhi-5001085/

[vi] See 1994 SCC (3) 1

[vii] See https://main.sci.gov.in/jonew/judis/27098.pdf

[viii] See https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/20/biden-only-second-catholic-president-but-nearly-all-have-been-christians-2/ft_21-01-20_faithpresidents/

[ix] See https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/indian-constitution-preamble-socialist-secular-8129656/

Standing during the national anthem when no one is watching is nationalism

Nilanjan Basu
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Standing during the national anthem when no one is watching is nationalism

Let’s be clear there is no physical reality that is called a ‘Nation’, nationalistic swashbuckling might be visceral but it is in part exercising an imagination. So, the imminent question that follows is what is a Nation then, well there is no nation to point at. We can point at the Sanchi Stupa and the Taj Mahal and proclaim what they are but can we point at the paddy field and call that it India? Well, paddy fields are fairly common in a dozen of countries, it can be Laos, Vietnam, and another couple of dozen countries.

Nation, the very idea of nation is an imagination, a shared imagination of what we live and die for. No matter how many ideas, laws, and constitutions you synthesize this very crux of the matter is that a nation is an imagined reality that will never change. If tomorrow by any magic 8 billion or so people vanish all nations will cease to exist, but the Ashokan pillar as well as the Paddy field will still exist. Here lies a wee problem, an imagination by definition is unbound and is susceptible to change with time.

The nation that built the Pyramids both in Egypt and Mexico ceased to exist long ago. Their gods, language, traditions, customs almost all anthropogenic elements are not practiced by the current-day population residing in those geographical locations. One can argue that their ancestors built those and although the political, religious, and cultural entities ceased to exist they are still the same nation with a little bit of ancient reminiscent still prevailing in their societies.

Well, all our ancestors originated from Africa, so are we an African nation now and the Egyptian national emblem is the Eagle of Saladin, signifying Arab nationalism not the eye of Horus from ancient Egypt. A real problem it seems how they will celebrate if they win the FIFA World Cup, as Arabs or as Africans. Luckily for us Indians if we the cup we shall celebrate as Indians only. It seems odd and counterintuitive but the same geographical area can give rise to many different nations over a span of a few millennia, this is particularly visible if have a glance over the North or South American nations. Almost all the elements of the pre-Columbian nation are absent in the present-day Americas.

The point is that you are what you practice, not what your ancestors did a few thousand or a few million years ago Modern-day Iran, Iraq or Syria is diametrically opposite to the nation that the Sumerians, Akkadians and, Babylonians lived and died for.

We are really lucky India is saved in this context, the culture, philosophy, and most traditions are still living as they lived a few thousand years ago. Nevertheless, in the first place if the idea of nation is so lucid then how anyone a child, adult, middle-aged or octogenarian shall practice nationalism?

What is a nation?

Popular culture depicts some professions are full of nationalism to the brim, like the armed forces. It is true servicemen live and die for the flag. Then what about the illiterate janitor or the sweeper, some of them may not know the national anthem or the philosophy for the adoption of the Indian flag. I bet some privileged and so-called educated Indians are too ignorant about the philosophy part. So how this janitor who doesn’t have any influence over the discourse of the culture, language, politics, or economy and can’t write his name will practice nationalism?

Will he ever have the courage and confidence to call himself or herself a patriot? Off course he can, it is cynical to assume that only and only sacrifice alone is the benchmark for nationalism. What is a nation? Whatever we practice is a nation. The food we eat, how we eat, how we talk, what language we use, what gods we pray to, the traditions, the attire we use, what philosophy we uphold, everything anthropogenic constitutes a nation. It is safe to assume that a Nation lives if and only if the adherents and the practitioners of its ideas, values, customs, religion, and traditions still believe and practice all these elements.

The city of Rome and Athens is still alive and kicking today, but nobody pray to Jupiter, and Athenea, the nation that prayed to those gods are extinct. We Indians should be proud of ourselves that we kept our gods, customs, and traditions alive millennia after millennia, invasion after invasion. To define a nation a temporal threshold is important, the time from which the journey of a civilization commenced. The current-day Indian civilizational philosophy can be said at least 5000 years old, which commenced with the birth of the Indus Valley civilization. Since then, a continuous and similar anthropogenic activity has existed on Indian soil.

The Pashupati Seal discovered at an archaeological site in Mohenjo-Daro is dated 2350-2000 BCE, and the analysis of the seal’s iconography is widely associated with lord Shiva. People who think the Indian nation was born on 15th August 1947 are ignorant as an iron nail plain and simple. In every aspect and perspective of the definition of a nation current day India is an ancient nation.

Practicing nationalism

An Indian living in Uganda can be a true Indian nationalist whereas some left-liberals living in Howrah can just be pleasure seeking selfish and self-centered being, who has no respect for Indian culture let alone proudly practicing it. Most of these liberals at the slightest chance will renounce their Indian passports for more comfort and pleasure. It is the core values, respect for the customs and traditions, and proud practicing that make us a nationalist.

Speaking the mother tongue be it Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, or Urdu, eating with hands, wearing Indian attire, and so on. Mere reading the newspaper can be a small but sincere gesture of nationalism. As the urge to be informed about the people and the nation and having a conscious interest in their well being is what nationalism is. Practicing every anthropogenic element that the indopsphere offers are true nationalism.

Practicing the idea is the first step, you will only defend what you practice and what you believe in. This exactly happens with the Bangladeshi liberation war. The proud Bengalis of now Bangladesh had a very sensitive pride affixed to the Bengali language and when the Pakistanis tried to eliminate the influence of the Bengali language by employing a systematic subversion of the language the populace reacted vociferously. This created the seed for the liberation war.

Had there been no practice and no pride embroiled in the Bengali language there wouldn’t have been a Bangladesh. Selflessly practicing with pride, the idea of a nation that constitutes the nation is what makes anyone a nationalist.  Standing during the national anthem when no one is watching is nationalism. Mocking it while smoking is utter disrespect and a display of pathetic ignorance about the nation. But it shall be idiocy to blame these girls, it is the diminishing but still prevalent Nehruvian-Marxist paradigm of self-loathing and disrespect about the elements of Indopsphere that gave birth to such actions     

An illiterate janitor, a soldier, a doctor, or a teacher can be equally a nationalist. One may not sacrifice, and may not contribute to the economy but one can still be a true nationalist. It is the selfless respect towards the core values and the unapologetic gesture to defend those values when the occasion arises it what nationalism is. Visiting the Cellular Jail and paying homage to this national pilgrimage site is nationalism.

At this point, the reader might think all these are just verbosity and rhetoric, but we should keep in mind that the very idea of a nation and nationalism is just a shared imagination that can only be practiced by means of a collection of all these small gestures and acts. A wee act like Celebrating any good news with sweets is upholding a little bit of Indianness and a bit of nationalism. All these small steps culminate in the shared idea of Nation and Nationalism.

The pride and confidence among the current generation to practice Indianness and Indian culture will make the bedrock of the New India. Whoever be it a Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, or Christian proudly practicing the cultural elements of Indopsphere is a proud Indian and a nationalist. Many Indians think that Indian Muslims are some sort of a different race, they are not, they are Indians and from one perspective they are ‘Hindus” who just seem to follow a different way to reach God. Allah is related to the Aramaic word Elah which means ‘The God’. Be a proud Indian and be unapologetic while practicing it.

Dr. Nilanjan Basu.

Teaching in universities- Local language use

G Indira
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Recently, the University Grants Commission (U.G.C) chief, requested the universities to allow students to write their examinations in the local language, even if, the course is offered in English medium. According to him, once the teaching, learning and assessment are done in local languages, students engagement will gradually increase, leading to an increase in the success rate. The BJP-Govt. at the Centre is keen on promoting all Indian languages. “Promotion and regular use of Indian languages in education is a crucial area of focus”, in the new National Education Policy (NEP 2020). It emphasizes the importance of teaching and instruction in the mother tongue and local languages.

All universities in India get two-types of students. One, from local/regional medium-educated i.e., students mostly of mother-tongue-medium – two, from the private English-medium schools. Switching over to English-medium of teaching-learning and writing examinations, is a pretty tough process, for those, that come from the local-mediums. There will be communication gap, if they do not understand the academic jargon in English, in the university teaching. University Professors never come down to the local-language-use in their classes.

It appears, to teach fully in English, is something prestigious. By encouraging local-language in the class, the U.G.C., has raised the curtain for the Bilingual-education-system in the Universities. In fact, bilingual-education is normal in any non-English-speaking country. In India, English is second language to students, as first language being their mother-tongue. The UNESCO defines the second language, ‘as a language acquired by a person in addition to his mother tongue.’

From the beginning, in India, primary education has been encouraged in the student’s mother-tongue/local language, higher education in science, technology and commerce etc., has been in English and it still is.  As a result, there is a strict no…no to local language use. Students were left to struggle hard in learning English and to understand and answer in English. However, some students, educated in local medium, that reached university level, were unable to cope up. They cannot understand or express in the examination paper, with as much ease as, the other English-medium ones could do. For the benefit of all (English-medium students are also from local languages), the U.G.C has liberalized the policy of teaching-learning into local language.

There are many who say, because of English language, our software engineers are getting recognition and our service-sector is at its peak. Though true, knowledge is the primary thing that needs to be told in an understandable language. For a long time, universities are the only places, where education is imparted in the international language, English. Now, English is available everywhere — online and offline — in this internet-social-media-age. English, is getting more importance than its due all over India. Hence, there is a need for promotion of Indian languages, that are depleting and becoming small compared to the big-huge-giant, English.

Moreover, English language is difficult for all Indian students to acquire. The language is too complicated for them to express themselves. Mr. Guru Charan Das, the author and public intellectual, in his column (http://gurcharandas.blogspot.com/2004/10/english-teacher.html): ‘The English Teacher’ 2004 writes, “An attractive lady from Shanghai showed up in Delhi last week in a Chinese delegation and told us proudly about her government’s mission to teach English to every Chinese by 2008… Although, I didn’t think learning English would be so easy, I couldn’t help but admire the ambition.”

So, there are inherent challenges in learning English by the Indian students. So, let us mix a bit of local language too, to make them understand the concepts of science and technology. Nobody says, bye…bye to English, English is needed, however, let us welcome our own local languages too, in the university campuses. It is the timely step taken by the BJP-led-NDA Govt. at the Centre to protect the depleting local languages.

Socialism & secularism: The Indian style

Dr Jadabeswar Bhattacharjee
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Socialism & secularism: The Indian style

[Note: The terms Socialism and Communism as well as Socialist and Communist are used interchangeably in the article for the purpose of easy understanding.]

In the Preamble of the Constitution of India which came into force on 26 January 1950, the country was described as Sovereign, Democratic, Republic. But, after its 42nd amendment in 1976, India was declared as a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic country. In the 42nd amendment, two new terms Socialist and Secular were added in the Preamble of the Constitution by the Indira Gandhi government under the Internal Emergency situation.

India is Sovereign, as the country has its independent authority and power. Socialism in the Indian Constitution relates to awarding social justice and development to all sections of Indians, with special reference to socio-economically weaker sections. India does not have any state religion and it treats followers of all religions equally; hence it is Secular. The presence of Parliament consisting of democratically elected public-representatives makes India Democratic. The rule of the country by its Public headed by an elected President makes India a Republic.

India is not a Socialist country in classical terms. In Socialism all the resources, assets, incomes, labours and liabilities of the people are owned by the State, which is not the case in India. However, Socialism in any form, denies the religious importance and identity of its people. Thus, Socialist India’s Secularism is superfluous and unnecessary.

Under its Secularism, India has made special provisions, concessions and positive discriminations in favour of Muslims being minority. The Indian Constitution does not define minorities; however, it recognizes linguistic and religious minorities. There is also no cut-off proportion of population or geographical basis (country, state, district and taluk) to become a minority group. Till 2014, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Jain communities of India have been included among minorities.

In other words, the Indian Constitution practically recognizes only the religious minority groups. Among the total of all these six minority groups, Muslims constitute 74 percent in strength. If India were a Hindu country, the concept and practice of protection and promotion of minority Muslims would have been morally valid, and legally tenable. But minority is the antithesis of Secularism and India has failed miserably by accepting the both in its Constitution.

Ideologically, Socialism believes in Democratic Centralism within the ruling Communist Party alone. It does not allow any other political party to exist. Democratic Centralism is a form of political system in which decisions about the country/people are reached periodically by voting processes binding upon all members of the party. Here the Party is above the people.

Communism/Socialism does not believe in Parliament and general election as done under Indian democracy. Interestingly, Communist Party of India (CPI) has been participating in democratic elections since 1952. Subsequently, other Communist and Socialist parties of India also entered into electoral politics of democratic India.

While Socialism emphasizes on the responsibilities of the people, Democracy emphasizes on the rights of the people. This contradictory positioning of responsibilities and rights of the people has made Communism/Socialism in India opportunistic at the best and weird at the worst. Barring a few small armed struggles here and there India, unlike Russia and China, never had any country-wide Armed Communist Revolution having a hundred years old Communist Party.

Communism/Socialism does not believe in individual aspiration and progress. It treats humans like a bunch of machines. Global failure of Socialism is mainly ingrained in its such limitations. During the last three decades, economic liberalization has developed a middle-class population in India which is as big as about 30 percent. This middle-class population works as a buffer between the rich and the poor (proletariat) and shuts the door of any future Armed Communist Revolution in India. Communism/Socialism has reached a sterile future in India.

The term Secularism classically means the separation of Religion from the state (country). It affirms that Religion is the personal matter of the citizens and the state functioning is independent of any type of religious connection, influence or hue. But in India, Secularism is conceived as giving equal treatment by the state to followers of all religions of the country.

Such an idea of Secularism backfired badly in the country when it was found that Muslim minority community vote en masse for one or other particular political parties as a leverage to extract additional religious advantages from central and state governments. Congress and most of the regional political parties fell prey to that trap of Muslim community and started pampering them for Secular Vote-Bank Politics.

India has been under the pressure of Socialist ideology of USSR after its independence. The Nehruvian era accepted Socialism as romantic and academic feather in the crown of its state functioning. Nehruvian Socialism established the notorious Licence-Permit Raj in India which was carried forward by successive governments up to 1990.

Indira Gandhi, to establish her political stability and to neutralize political opponents, took Socialism as a populist framework through Bank Nationalization (1969), abolition of Privy Purse (1971) and Garibi Hatao slogan (1971). When independent Bangladesh, in its Constitution of 1972, specifically used the word Secularism in its text, Indira Gandhi government of India was put under self-conceived moral pressure.

Indian Constitution of 1950 guaranteed equal rights and privileges to all its citizens irrespective of caste, creed and religion. But it did not mention the word Secularism then. To find an escape route from her political opponents and to attract people towards her, Indira Gandhi incorporated the words Socialist and Secular in the Preamble of Indian Constitution in 1976 through 42nd amendment. Ironically, Muslim-majority Bangladesh accepted Islam as state religion in 1988 and Socialist USSR collapsed in 1991. India was left like a stupid person swimming in the stagnant pool of failed Socialism and fraudulent Secularism.

Ramzan fast: A Christian influence on Islam

Dr Jadabeswar Bhattacharjee
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Ramzan fast: A Christian influence on Islam

One of the greatest assumptions about Islamic history is that the Five Pillars of Islam were already set and in place at the time of the Prophet’s death in 632 CE. These pillars include Shahada, Namaz, Ramzan fast, Zakat and Hajj. As per the Standard Islamic Narrative (SIN), the second Caliph Umar introduced Hjra era and its calendar in 639 CE which happened seven years after the death of the prophet.

Before 639 CE, Muslims followed pre-Islamic year having 12 lunar months prevalent then. After introduction of Islamic calendar, it was observed that the first day of Hjra era fell on 19 April 622 CE of the Julian calendar. The first month in Islamic calendar was renamed Muharram and ninth month was renamed Ramzan.

The month of Ramzan has special importance among Muslims as the first verse of the Quran was believed to have been revealed to Muhammad in this month. Muslims fast during Ramzan as a way to commemorate the revelation of the Quran. As per SIN, the first verse was revealed to Muhammad during 610 CE in the mountain cave at Hira in Mecca. It is not known how in 639 CE second Caliph Umar could calculate that the first revelation came on the first day of the month of Ramzan of his new Islamic Hjra calendar?

As per pre-Islamic calendar, the name of the ninth month of the year was Natiq. Introduction of Islamic calendar and giving of new names to 12 Islamic lunar months replaced the pre-Islamic names. So, the month of Natiq corresponded to Ramzan. With this background information, it was impossible that Muslims before 639 CE observed monthlong dawn-to-dusk fast in Ramzan, when that month was not in existence. Quranic reference to Ramzan fasting cannot be taken seriously as we don’t have any manuscript of seventh century Quran talking of Ramzan fast.

It was another matter of imagination how in the hot and arid desert of Arabia, Muslims could observe total fasting (not consuming any food or liquid of any kind including saliva) for about 12 hours each day for a whole month? This type of fasting was possible when Muslims settled in areas of cooler climate outside the Arabian desert. By all accounts, Ramzan fasting is a later addition to Islam.

Influence of older religion on newer ones and intermixing of rituals and practices of nearby religions were commonplace all along. Christian Lord’s Day on Sunday, Jewish Sabbath on Saturday and Islamic Jummah on Friday are most important days of the week of respective religions.

For Jewish people, Barechu serves as a call to prayer. In the case of Christians, the Church bell rings as a call to prayer and in the case of Islam, Azan is given from the mosque as a call to prayer. These similarities are not accidental. It is widely accepted that the Quran has heavily taken materials mainly from Jewish scriptures and some from Christian scriptures. Besides Sabian faith, Zoroastrianism and even Buddhism also left their imprints on Islam.

Fasting has been a part of all religions/faiths since time immemorial. Three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have practice of fasting of different kinds for the followers. Judaism has two major fasts from Sunset of the previous day to Sunset of next day.

The four other minor fasts in Judaism are from Sunrise to Sunset of the same day only. These fasts are not continuous and spread over the year. In Christianity, five seasons are there in a year and collective fasting is done in certain seasons. The longest duration of Christian daily dawn-to-dusk fast, called Lent, is for 40 days prior to Easter. The fasting is done from Monday to Saturday with exclusion of Sunday. This makes a total period of 48 days.

The fast for 25 hours on the Jewish Day of Atonement (falling in the month of September or October) is observed in Israel when everything comes to a halt in the country. In other parts of the world, Jewish fasting is not visible because of their very small number of populations in the world. Christian fasts are also not obligatory today and not seen in a major way world over.

However, Islamic month long obligatory fast from dawn-to-dusk every day, during the month of Ramzan, is felt and seen world over because of the 1.8 billion of Muslim population in the world who get engaged in different religious activities individually and collectively during the month. Moreover, the breaking of the daily fast after Sunset, called Iftari, is a community celebration that spills over to the food stalls in the alleys and streets outside their houses.

Before the next day’s fast starts in Ramzan, Muslims take a major pre-dawn meal called Sehri. Though barred to eat and drink during the dawn-to-dusk fast, lavish Iftari and Sehri are consumed by the middle-class and well-to-do Muslims. This sometimes causes wastage of food. The high demand for food items during Ramzan causes price rise also of those items in the developing countries in particular. Though the rich and middle-class Muslims donate food to poor Muslims during Ramzan, over-eating by them becomes very common.

Change of food habit, eating and sleeping time and dislocation of daily routine continuously for a month lead to different health consequences. In some Islamic countries, ‘Religious Policing’ is done by the government to ensure that fasting is done by all.

At the end of the month-long fast in Ramzan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr for three days after the sighting of the new moon. They wear new clothes on the morning of Eid. Special Namza of Eid is offered at community level in Masjids and Eidgahs. After that Muslims hug each other in the bond of brotherhood. Gifts are given to friends and relatives and lavish foods are served. Wealthy Muslims donate food and new clothes to poor Muslims as their religious obligation.

Ramzan fast is a part of Islamic belief system which, in all probability, had the Christian influence in its origin from Lent of Syrian Christian community. ‘Belief’ is the conviction that a certain thing is true or false, irrespective of its intrinsic truth or falsity.

So, it is better not to attach any divine halo and historicity around Ramzan fast. As can be seen, all the five pillars of Islam are meant to bind the Muslim community together. Practice of Ramzan fast infuses religious pride and solidarity among all Muslims. It has a wider socio-political implication than any divine achievement for the Muslims around the world.

Pakistan: The state in a state of peril

Rajat Upadhyay
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Pakistan: The state in a state of peril

Pakistan’s never-ending crush on democracy may come to an end anytime soon. With former Pakistani premier Imran Khan fighting to stay out of jail every day over petty cases, the federal government fighting with the judiciary to postpone the elections in state assemblies, the military fighting with the Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan, and current Pakistani premier Shahbaz Sharif’s ongoing tussle with the IMF and allies to get some dollars to keep their rusted economy moving, Pakistan and democracy are surely not enjoying a honeymoon night right now.

One may think that a state like Pakistan is used to handling such a crisis, but this time the crisis is even deeper, and there is no one around to bail out Pakistan because it’s not just the economy that is failing but also the institutions.

The economy of Pakistan is not merely in a crisis; it is in shambles. Weekly inflation has skyrocketed to a staggering 47.23%, while basic necessities such as flour, tomatoes, LPG, and petrol are both scarce and prohibitively expensive. The number of Pakistanis living below the poverty line is expected to reach 18 million – a figure that exceeds the entire population of 117 countries in the world.

To add to the country’s woes, the IMF has withheld funds, with the Pakistani Prime Minister accusing them of continually changing their demands. In the face of these challenges, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the people of Pakistan to survive in what was once called Jinnah’s dream state.

The political parties, like in any other country, are accusing each other of the current state of affairs. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has warned that if political leaders do not sit for a dialogue and find a way forward, the stage is perfectly set for a possible military takeover.

A military takeover and martial law are the last things that political parties may desire at this moment. It would cast them out of the center stage of Pakistani politics and instill a general who would be non-accountable, possess absolute power, and would be a nightmare for democracy in India’s western neighbor.

The judiciary, for instance, has been accused of siding with the opposition party, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The recently leaked audio recordings between the wife of PTI’s top lawyer and the mother-in-law of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial, have only added more strength to the rumors. The government on the other hand has been trying to bring in an ordinance to subvert the Supreme Court by restricting the CJP from taking suo moto cognizance of any matter.

The Army in Pakistan is no longer shielded from criticism, and even the general public has begun questioning the actions of the military leadership in Rawalpindi. This is a significant shift, as the Pakistani army has traditionally not been held accountable to anyone. The political party of former premier Nawaz Sharif, PML-N, accused the then Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa of bias and of illegally removing Sharif from power in 2016.

When the PTI party was in power, they attempted to defend the army, but after Imran Khan was voted out as Prime Minister, he accused General Bajwa of collaborating with the Americans and contributing to his government’s downfall. In summary, all Pakistani political parties tend to make accusations against the army, but as soon as they come into power, they start wagging their tails around their military masters at the GHQ in Rawalpindi.

Though the survival of Pakistan for 70-odd years in itself is a big feat for a country being run by the elites for the elites, but the recent public-led campaigns against the army, the government, and the political parties have left Pakistan standing on a point of no return. The only way forward is strong and big constitutional reforms. It would be worth watching if the current Pakistani government would bring in the necessary changes or would continue subverting the nation, something they have been doing for too long now.

Religion missing from public welfare?

lalitkesharwani
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Religion missing from public welfare?

Public welfare in today’s parlance for the government is specifically an economic subject though recognizing the social development.

There are things beyond materialistic pleasures and religion becomes the institution to fulfill those needs hence religion must not be ignored in the name of secularism if government really intends to provide public welfare.

By ignoring religion and the outcome it intends to provide, public welfare remains incomplete in the hands of the government leading to more chaos in the particular subject.

As the Government makes infrastructure for the development of the economy, it should work in the religious sector as well but not just with an intent of monitory benefit but with an aim of spiritual welfare.

India that is Bharat, being home of the Sanatan Dharma, it holds the opportunity and potential for the world in the subject of spiritual welfare because of it’s feature of Respect for other ideologies.

State must have a religion if it really intends to provide public welfare as the public welfare lies not in just Materialistic things but also in Spiritual goals. Subjects/things concerning public at large must be regulated and controlled by the domain experts with an aim of Public Welfare.

Hence, India being the home of the Sanatan Dharma/ Hinduism and the government being the caretaker of this home must ensure the protection and promotion of Sanatan dharma for the sake of public welfare and prevent the invasion of other ideologies that threatens the ‘mutual respect value system’.

Rahul Gandhi defamation row: Is the ‘Modi’ government becoming autocratic?

shikharmittal
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Rahul Gandhi defamation row: Is the ‘Modi’ government becoming autocratic?

Recently the whole Rahul Gandhi defamation row has led many political pundits to question the motives of the current government. Some have even gone to the extent of saying that the hon’ble Prime Minister is afraid of Mr. Gandhi’s continuous questioning on Adani or whatnot and that the government has become a tad bit fascist. In answering these questions let us first analyse the situation of Mr. Gandhi. 

On 23rd March the judicial court of Surat sentenced Rahul Gandhi to jail for a period of 2 years which also led to his disqualification from the parliament for 8 years on the premise of a complaint filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi in 2019 when Rahul Gandhi made derogatory remarks on the surname Modi

At a rally in Kolar, Karnataka in 2019 , Rahul Gandhi said, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… how come they all have Modi as common surname? How come all these thieves have Modi as the common surname? “

Now this statement has been altered by many channels to show that he is targeting all the Modis but it is all the thieves he is targeting. Whatever might be the technicality but such a statement is not appreciable coming from a politician with high stature belonging to a party with a grand historical legacy. 

However this is not the only defamation case of which Rahul Gandhi has been accused of. In 2014 he was summoned by Bhiwandi court, Maharashtra on the premise of complaint filed by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh member Rajesh Kunte Mishra where Rahul Gandhi during a rally for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls said, “This is their style, Gandhi ji was killed by them; persons from the RSS shot Gandhi ji, and today their people talk of him.” The complaint was registered under sections 499 & 500 of the IPC . It was scheduled for hearing on 1st April which has been further adjourned till 15th April.

Now there are two factors to this situation. First, that Mr. Gandhi unknowingly and continuously does such publicity stunts by giving non acceptable statements. Second, it is the tendency of the leading party that is BJP to kick down their opposition in every situation. It is quite easily visible that the scenario is an amalgamation of both the factors as the former member of Parliament has been getting himself into trouble with such statements and we can also see that most of those cases are filed by MLA’s or contemporaries of BJP.

What is also perplexing is the time at which the judgement came and the severeness of punishment allotted to Mr. Gandhi. Maximum punishment for a first time offender remains confusing for many people , judges and political experts. Also, the decision comes at a time when many states are having elections this year and central elections are scheduled to take place next year with Rahul Gandhi consolidating his position due to his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and Adani Hindenburg crisis.

The judgement which sidelined the leader of the major opposition party might be too convenient for the ones who are benefitting from it, but still does it signal that the government is becoming fascist. The National Crime Record Bureau revealed a rapid increase in the sedition cases since BJP came to power in 2014 . The reports have highlighted how the government had been using sedition charges as a device for tackling protest and unfavourable conditions of public criticism.

The reports also show that there had been a 28% increase annually in sedition cases. Aclassic example of this is the Disha Ravi Toolkit Case where a 22 year old girl gained attention when she provided the farmers protesting with a toolkit for procedures during protest relating to Greta Thunberg (an international activist) and was charged with sedition.

However last year on 11th May the sedition law was told to be kept in abeyance where centre and state were directed not to register any fresh FIR invoking the offence until a re-examination by an appropriate government body which is a positive step and rules out the element of fascism, but it is time to put this colonial law I to dustbin which takes away the core essence of democracy.

The Rahul Gandhi case has proved that the contemporary politics is not moving in the direction in which our nationalist leaders envisaged where the opposition is not able to present any challenge to the leading party and due to this leading party is unable to see their faults and is more focused on maintaining their power rather than welfare of the people which is a major problem for the polity of the country

Surprising? Record defence exports from India

Nilesh M Shukla
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Surprising? Record defence exports from India

The financial Year 2022-23, witnessed India crossing a key new milestone. Exports worth USD 1.94 Billion (INR 15,918 Crore) of the Defence Equipment and ammunition was the highest ever. This placed India, now in the league of serious manufacturer and supplier nations. However, it should not surprise anyone. 

India has been an exporter of weapons and defence materials from ancient times. Wootz* swords used by Eurpeans and “Damascus” swords used by Arabs in ancient times were manufactured from Indian steel. Europeans derived the name “Wootz” steel from its Indian names “Urukku” steel or “Uchch” Steel.

It is generally not well known, even among Indians, that India was one of the largest suppliers of munitions during the 1st and 2nd World Wars. India had 18 huge ordnance factories, all manned almost entirely by Indian manpower. These plants produced explosives of various different kinds, meant for handguns, machine guns, mortars, cannons, aircrafts, etc. 

That apart, hundred different things needed by the armies, shoes, sacks, uniforms, tents, etc were too produced in many factories of India. It might be surprising for many that besides the seas around Europe, the German ‘U Boats’ patrolled the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal to locate and hunt down British cargo ships leaving India with the lethal cargo.

Don’t we know Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose travelled from Europe to Singapore aboard a German submarine? My own Aunt, who lived in East Africa, had to travel aboard a British cargo ship, even sleeping on the boxes of explosives, for want of space, from Mumbai to Mombasa during that period. She had narrated to us her ordeal and the chaotic situation on the ship when a couple of times they sounded an alarm at an approaching danger. 

Currently India has fortified the ordnance production and have increased the number of factories from 18 in 1947 to 41 in 2023.

Apart from the defence equipment, India contributed the largest number of soldiers to the British armies in the world wars. It was unfortunate that until Indian PM Narendra Modi made it a point to visit cemeteries and memorials to the fallen Indian soldiers in France, UK, Germany and Israel that India woke up to these historical facts that Indians had contributed big time in European wars and had laid down their lives. Presence of a large number of Indian soldiers in the British army was either purposely hidden or otherwise from history books.

However, thanks to the British PM, Rishi Sunak, the world recently awoke to this fact when he blocked sale of a painting depicting Indian soldiers in the British army. The sale was blocked to prevent the painting from being lost to some foreign collections. This painting would now remain in Britain and would thus remain in the British Consciousness, helping remind Britain and the world that indeed Indians played a part in winning the war for the Allied armies.

Number of Indian Soldiers sent from India in the 1st World War1.1 MillionNumber of Indian Soldiers  died fighting in the 1st World War74,000
Number of Indian Soldiers sent from India in the 2nd World War2.5 MillionNumber of Indian Soldiers died fighting in the 2nd World War87,000
Total number of Indian Soldiers sent from India in both Wars.3.6 MillionTotal Number of Indian Soldiers died fighting during both the World Wars161,000

Apart from the two world wars, Indians soldiers were sent to many other countries to assist in the wars by the British colonial masters and then after the freedom from them, by the Gov of the independent India to the UN’s peacekeeping missions across the world.

India has recently supplied its Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers, Anti-Tank Missiles, Brahmos missiles, Swathi Radars, Naval Vessels, etc defence materials to about 25 friendly countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. Many orders are in pipeline for supply in coming years. This apart, India is a valued training partner, skilling and training army officers of various countries at their military academies. 
Gov has restructured the ordnance production by forming 7 PSU units (Public Sector Undertaking) and absorbed those 41 ordnance factories rationally into them. Besides Gov run PSUs many large industrial firms have already entered into Defence production. Indian Gov has projected an export target of USD 5 Billion by 2025 and surely, India seems to be on the correct trajectory.
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*It is known that Indians processed Iron Ore using furnaces and coal even before 5th Century BCE. They produced high grade “Uchch” or “Wootz” steel by a refining process. Southern Indian smelters were well known for this craft. For the process of refining, the smelters melted steel in a furnace and at appropriate timing added a certain type of plant in appropriate quantity. This plant had additives presumably nickel, silicon, sulphur, carbon etc necessary for converting iron into a high grade steel material. This type of smelting, refining and manufacturing weapons was practised in India till as late as late 17/18th century. However with the advent of the colonial British regime, the steel industry met the same fate as the Indian fine silk and the fine mulmul (muslin) cotton industry.

An appeal to progressive Muslims of India

amitavabiswas
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An appeal to progressive Muslims of India

Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters of India,

In the interest of our country and its future, I have decided to write this letter to address you on the changing social atmosphere in India. There is lot happening in India and abroad which seeks to destroy our country, our culture and our heritage and which seeks to create divisions in our society and derail the prosperity and success of our country. I wish to make a few points here to make you understand why you should ignore this noise and continue to be our partners in success of ourselves and our country.

A) Hindus are not enemies of Indian Muslims: Notwithstanding what a few selfish and corrupt people would have you believe, you must understand that Hindu community is not enemy of Muslims of India. It is ingrained in our nature to wish well to everyone, every living being. Hindu community of India is not here to loot, plunder and destroy you and your future. We want Muslim community in India to become successful, prosperous and responsible citizens of India and uphold India’s values for posterity.

B) Learn how much love, success and fame India has given to Muslim community

There are many Muslims in India who have made India proud, and many more continue to do so. These individuals have become an integral part of our country and its character through their talent and service to our nation.

APJ Abdul Kalam: our former President and a prominent scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam became the President of Indian in the year 2002 and has played a critical role in the missile development for the Indian military. He also spearheaded the Indian civilian space program. His contributions to the country have been incredible, and we will always remember with great joy and pleasure.

Zakir Hussain: Ustad Zakir Hussain is one of the finest Tabla players in India. His talent has no bounds, and he is famous not just in India but around the world. He has many several awards ranging from the Grammy Awards, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri to Kalidas Samman, and much more.

AR Rehman : AR Rehman is an internationally recognized musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. His talent has no bounds. He has enchanted people with his popular songs like Vande Mataram, Jai Ho, Chaiyan Chaiyan, and much more. He has received several national awards and is truly a gem for our country.

Shahrukh Khan: The heartthrob of India, Shahrukh Khan, is not just known in India but is very famous internationally for his romantic and cheesy movies and has made India proud

Abul Kalam Azad: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad played a massive role in helping India to get independence. His intellect and knowledge in those years made him famous around the world.

Mohammed Rafi: Mohammed Rafi is one of the greatest playback singers that Bollywood has ever had. His melodies are such that he can cheer you up anytime and anywhere.

Javed Akhtar: Javed Akhtar has mesmerized people with his words in Urdu and has been awarded Padmabhushan, Indira Gandhi Award, and Avadh Ratan for being a great contributor to Indian cinema and culture.

Azim Premji: The founder of Wipro, Azim Premji, is recognized for contributing immensely to the software industry. He is an icon and inspires many with his wisdom and knowledge. He has been awarded the Faraday Medal, Padma Bhushan, CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Outstanding Award, and much more.

C) Understand the Historical Context of Islam:

Although I do not claim to be a religious scholar or an expert in Islam, here is what is my assessment . We have to understand that there are two facets of Islam

and we must distinguish and not the conflate the two to get a better perspective of our current social context.

a) Islam the faith: This is core of Islamic Ideology of belief in one universal God i.e Allah and recognizing the supremacy of Allah in our lives

b) Islam the empire: This is how Islam should be practiced as part of Islamic society and how your society has to be constituted – your laws, your justice system etc.

Islam as part of its evolution through history encountered clashes of civilization with non-Islamic communities and as a means of self-defense and self-survival indoctrinated facets such as JIHAD and treating non-Islamic community as their enemy. But we need to understand that such facets are of the past and of an era that is long gone.

We are now in the era of Internet where the entire world is like one global village. If you continue to hold on to the past and continue to indoctrinate yourself that non-Islamic community is your enemy you will do disservice not only to yourself but to Allah and hinder your progress towards what we want of you i.e., become successful, prosperous and responsible citizens of India.

D) Understand the enemy within Islam:

It is very important for Indian Muslims to understand how few unscrupulous and corrupt people have given Islam a bad name by misinterpreting Islam for their selfish, corrupt and hegemonic agenda. Knowing that their agenda will only become successful if they do it in the name of Allah they have indulged in criminality, corruption and plain savagery throughout history.

You must seek to separate yourself from such actions and know that this is not Islam but “hijack of Islam”. I would definitely like to propose that you should try to reform your Islamic faith through your Ulemas so that such misinterpretation and hijack of Islam does not occur.

E) Understand the expectations of the Hindu community:

It is very important for Indian Muslims to understand the expectations of the Hindu community. Notwithstanding the communal tensions in country- Hindu community wishes you well and wish to live with you in peace but you must understand that for Hindu community- our Allah is our country, our motherland and our Gods.

We expect you through your actions to ensure that our country and its people and our cultural heritage are not put in harm’s way or denigrated. This should be the bare minimum you should resolve for us to live in peace and harmony.

Thank you for your time and effort to give me an audience and I hope I have been able to give a correct perspective and guide to you to take better decisions for yourself and your community and make your lives in India – successful, prosperous and harmonious.

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