Manohar Secular Values for Secular India

This new edition of Secular Values for Secular India plunges straight into the crises which Indian secularism faces today, crises brought about by communal fanaticisms, caste rivalries, the revival of sati and other obscurantist practices. The author contends that at the theoretical level a prime cause of this situation is the theory that secularism means equidistance of the state from all religions. He holds that equidistance is a slogan which is incapable of precise definition and is useless as a guide for the solution of practical problems which arise from time to time. The deeper concern of this work is to articulate the system of humanistic values implied in the Indian Constitution. In this process the author makes a comparative study of four religious value systems in order to bring out in concrete terms the values which can be accepted and those which must be rejected in a secular society. These religions are Vedantic Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism. Christianity is not considered per se but comes in at several points. While freedom of religion is subject to fundamental rights in the Constitution, religious pressure groups have been using the theory that Indian secularism is not against religion to secure privileges for themselves. The author attempts to limit the area within which freedom of conscience can operate which he designates the area of individual autonomy. Apart from faith it includes the quest for knowledge, artistic creativity and important moral issues such as euthanasia. Outside this lies the area of the secular, of shared values to which all Indians must subscribe if they are to live together as a community.