Secularism: Absolutely Correct!

To all those people who profess that India should have chosen to be a Hindu state at the time of partition, or should declare itself to be one now:

Why? Why not a Sikh state? Quite certainly the sacrifices made by Sikhs in our struggle for independence were not any lesser than anyone else.

And No, Sikhism is NOT a subset of Hinduism. The founding Guru of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was being pulled in one direction by the Hindus, and another by the Muslims. He decided to not align with either side and founded a new path: Sikhism.

Why not a Buddhist state? The principles and spirit of Buddhism are mixed with the culture of this country like milk and water.

I've always said that partition itself was wrong. India has dismissed the theory that Hindus and Muslims cannot live together for 74 years. It will continue to dismiss it for centuries to come.

And as for the first prime minister of unpartitioned India being Hindu or Muslim : Read my post from the top again! What happened to all other religions? What about the atheists?

We should have simply put the names of 4-5 people in our Independence struggle who we believed would lead the country well in a box and pulled out one. That's all. Who cares about the religion of our leaders as long as they lead well?

This whole Hindu-Muslim polarization is absolutely and completely nonsensical! You look at it yourself : there is just no merit to it! Have you never heard of the Divide and Rule policy adopted by the British?

We are absolutely in the right in having retained our multi-religious personality with secular governance. Everyone, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, caste and linguistic background, is a first grade citizen of the country. No one is required to agree or disagree with, or believe or disbelieve in, anything or anyone. There is complete freedom of thought and expression. The only expectation is that everyone abides by the law. No other expectation. Just love each other, love this country, and do your best to contribute in whichever way you can or want to.

I just wish it was an unpartitioned united India that had this personality today!

Just imagine the power we would have been! Just imagine!

(Note: As you reflect on the post above, bear in mind that I have supported the present government every time they acted to cancel minority appeasement freebies (Haj Allowance, PM Iftar Parties, Triple Talaaq, Article 370 - Kashmir lost the moral right to ever demand anything in January 1990). But from 2019 to 2024 their speeches and IT Cell actively spread hatred against ordinary Muslim citizens. Not only can this not be allowed, it is fundamentally nonsensical. To understand this better, I invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Why Push Away Muslims? (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com))