By S Paul
It is time that legislation and constitutional changes are brought about to inculcate among people. Secularism is an ideology that practices social and political governance sans religion. It should not come in the way of nationalism. Presently, different religions in Bharat are being permitted to follow specific social edicts given by their clergy, bypassing the common national laws. It is definitely not a practice that promotes a feeling of national homogeneity. On the contrary it becomes an Achilles heel for our nation that can be exploited by vested interests within and outside Bharat. Our history of slavery to alien cultures is replete with such exploitations. Our nation, a God’s gift to our race, is supreme and above our humanly discovered and formulated religious practices. Especially such religious practices that are not based on our cultural traditions but are imitations of faith conceived in another part of the world. Such adopted religions must find ways to integrate with our racial–cultural-traditional and national practices to be acceptable as ‘Indian’.
We in Bharat have been living under great social stress caused by playing generous hosts to all kinds of immigrants and converts to outside faiths. Consequently, our social fabric has become so fragile that we indulge in divisive practices as a routine. Even our Judiciary finds itself at a great disadvantage while dispensing justice when dealing with such disorders in our society.
Only a section of our national system that is into politicking, finds it a potent instrument to foist themselves into power time and again. This weakness, coupled with our own derailed social tradition of casteism, is a huge hindrance to our nationalism.
Therefore, it has become imperative that no religious edict, as issued or dictated by the head of that religion or clergy placed in Bharat or outside should be permitted to get precedence over our common national social laws governing our etiquette, responsibilities and conduct. The same law should also govern the tribal or regional traditions, if any, that interferes with these national laws. Such legislations ought to dictate our families’ obligation towards society by restricting its size, providing compulsory education to our children, equality of gender in the matter of social privileges, right to affordable health services and access to employment based on aptitude and merit and not reservations.
I would also like to hazard another suggestion that everyone in this nation be called and known even in their records by their first name and may be a second name but never by their sir name that tends to indicate one’s caste. I wish and pray that our political leadership give up completely this evil instrument of caste divide used by them blatantly to fight elections. This would contribute greatly towards the nationalised homogeneity that is needed to make and keep this nation strong and immortal.
The UCC may address a few of these requirements. It should either be modified to cover more such aspects as described above or new legally imposed ways conceived and legislated. Will the present set of our leadership, enthused by nationalism and backed by ‘Sadachar’ and discipline, be able to introduce these revolutionary changes?
