THE MOTHERLAND AND THE MASSES ... 7

THE MOTHERLAND AND THE MASSES ... 7

The only way ahead for India is a syncretic culture to be arrived at through the arts, literature and music. The hard-line exclusive elements of Islam must be side-lined and the moderate elements emphasised so that its Indian practised version fuses better with Hinduism. The Indian Sufi tradition has had some sects which were almost Vedantic in concept and practice. These must form the fabric of the Islam of India for the morrow so that the country can integrate these two strands of its population and attain solidarity as a nation.

The civilisation of India is the product of all races and religions and, although the scars of Partition are still sore in places and do not heal easily because of political fuelling of communal hatred, yet, we must overcome these obstacles and arrive at union of these two communities if we are ever to stand as a strong nation in the true sense of the term.

Mutual trust can only be if Islam and Christianity are not allowed to pervert Hindus to their fold through conversion, a nefarious practice that must be outlawed in India.

Conversion is essentially a political ploy and has nothing to do with spiritual development. It divides humanity into sects and fragments society, destroys current culture through imposition of alien ones and, in general, through the nefarious design of extending influence, destroys the harmonic fabric of society.

Multiculturalism and secular liberalism notwithstanding, proselytising religions like Islam and Christianity keep working at their mission of global religious domination through conversion. Hence, to pretend that Hindus in independent India will take kindly to these dastardly designs of the organisational affiliates to these religions to destroy Hinduism is puerile.

How then may syncretism be achieved? The only way is by the mending of ways by these two religions with regard to adherents of other faiths. Only then will trust prevail and that will lead to mutual reverence and united endeavour in the different disciplines of life which will build an integrated civilisation. Unto that day we must work, through the manifestation of strength and not weakness that wears the apparel of appeasement and unwarranted compromise of principles with fanatics who will never bend from their dogmatic scriptural stance even if they are outdated and untrue, and through a strong love that embraces human beings of altered understanding of life and its ideals without in any way subscribing to their intolerant ways and means. In short the country needs the manifestation of character in multitudes of men in order to give effect to this future transformation. No wonder Swamiji had said, "Man-making is my mission."

Written by Sugata Bose