Recent Origins of Fundamentalism

Volume 15, Number 2 Article by Tapan Raychaudhuri June, 2003

Recent Origins of Fundamentalism :

The problem of communal conflict is increasingly occupying the heart of the political process in India. What our nation-state has tried to achieve represents a unique experiment in the history of the world. We are the largest voluntarily agreed upon multi-ethnic nation-state the world has ever known. Our nation was created on the basis of consent given by the elected representatives of a hundred different ethnic groups. It is a glorious thing _ something to be proud of. And the only possible basis on which such a multi-ethnic state can survive is mutual tolerance.

Unfortunately, tolerance has become a rare commodity in the country. What is happening, postulates Tapan Raychaudhuri, Professor Emeritus, St Anthony's College, Oxford, addressing a group of students at the Centre for Public Policy, IIM Bangalore, is an almost subconscious, subliminal acceptance of a particularly vicious brand of politics. A brand of politics that seeks to instil a sense of vulnerability in the majority community, analogous to the way Jews were treated in Nazi Germany, where an imaginary threat from a minority group became the basis for the formation of an aggressive ideology. Raychaudhuri examines the main lines of argument used by these propagandists, and finds them factually incorrect. The only basis for grievance, he feels, is the existence of separate personal laws for different communities. Harbouring grievances from the past is not a sane basis for continuing hatred. Historical facts have to be seen in context. India has had a strong tradition of humane tolerance for millennia simply because we are a multi-ethnic society. If we alienate substantial sections of the population for the purposes of short-term political gain, our future is very bleak. The progressive Hindu elite must walk hand in hand with the progressive elements among Muslims and, instead of allowing Hinduism to be claimed by goons, try to get support, especially among the young people and the underprivileged, for a belief in our glorious past, which is inclusive. We need to understand that an inclusive and humane identity will ensure us a happy and glorious future in the world community.

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