What do you mean by secularism in India
Answers
The meaning of the term secular is - “not connected to any religious or spiritual matters.”
If we see this term with respect to the state system then different countries use it differently in their state polity.
Western countries strictly separate religion from the state. That means, the state (government) can not interfere in religious matters and vice-versa. Religion is strictly a private matter and it has no value in public life and politics.
India adopted the idea of secularism from the west. But the idea of secularism in India is different from the west.
India declared itself a secular country. The idea of Indian secularism is to maintain distance from all the religions in the country and to treat all of them equally. But, contrary to the western concept, Indian state can interfere in religious matters in an affirmative way in order to protect the rights of its citizens.
As you know, India has been the centre of religious and spiritual activities. Religion is a fundamental part of the life of Indians. Indian culture is very much interlinked with the religion. Apart from this there are a number of religions in India with different sects within them. With this diversity, Indian society has also seen a lot of orthodox and inhumane rules which promote discrimination within the society and these rules are based on religious beliefs. So, in order to eliminate such discrimination and to protect people’s fundamental rights, Indian government can interfere in religious matters while at the same time it also treat all the religions equally.
The western secularism is a negative concept and Indian secularism is a positive concept.
