Hinduism is claimed to be the oldest religion in the world and India is the home of Hinduism. From the ancient times the Hindu scriptures have been the guiding light for the millions of Indians. In our school days we used to read about Vedas and Puranas, the ancient Hindu texts. The Hindu religion in India is not something adopted by the people but it is their way of life. A Hindu is not by conversion but by birth. It has been demonstrated umpteen times that all institutions in India cannot get rid of the underlying “Hindutva” feeling in spite of the best efforts by some people claiming to be secular in their outlook. Historically India has been a “Hindu” country from the times immemorial. Hinduism is ingrained in the psyche of the majority notwithstanding the modernization of the 21st century.

In fact, Hinduism spread from India to a number of South East Asian countries like Indonesia. Hinduism in India had so strong roots that Buddhism which too was born in India as a religion could not establish itself fully here even though during the time of Ashoka the great it had become the state religion. It rather spread to China and different countries of South Asia. A Hindu renaissance completely overtook Buddhism in India. The intense hatred which the Hindutva Brigade holds against Muslims has a specific background. Islam came to India peacefully at the same time as it spread in the Arabian Peninsula. Islamic preachers came to Kerala from Saudi Arabia and set up the earliest mosque in India. However, North India witnessed the violent forays by Muslim conquerors.

It is a fact of history that the Muslims invaded India umpteen times. A number of these invaders like Mehmud of Ghazni, Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah Abdali, Halagu Khan, and many others ravaged North India savagely. Their homes were destroyed, thousands were massacred, their temples were demolished, and in the long run they came and ruled India for over 800 years. Compared to North, the South India did not suffer the ravages. Moreover, there is an important basic difference in the philosophy of the religion in these two areas. North follows Vedanta while the South is Saivite. During the Muslim rule there were many conversions and India became home to a large Muslim population. The Hindus still considered these converts as relatives of the Muslim invaders.

Then came the partition. Probably the Hindus feel that the invaders instead of leaving and letting them rest in peace have taken half of their country and made it a permanent home through their local converts. They are considered a continued extension of these invaders. One would have thought that the partition would remove the hatred as the two communities had their own countries to live peacefully. However, this did not happen because of a dichotomy. Pakistan became a country of Muslims. As a natural consequence India should have become the country of Hindus. But the Indian political leadership of partition days even after accepting the division of the country on religious grounds continued to call India a secular state.

The RSS followers were not ready to accept partition as they felt that there was no justification to lose a part of their country to the people whom they considered extension of Muslim invaders. Gandhi also did not want partition but he was persuaded by Pandit Nehru. It is alleged that Pandit Nehru did not want to share power with Jinnah for whom Gandhi had a soft corner. Even Jaswant Singh of BJP has absolved Jinnah and holds Pandit Nehru responsible for partition. In any case, the partition could have ushered in peace and allowed the two communities to carry along side by side notwithstanding the massacres and migrations of 1947. The British played the mischief of leaving a religion based perennial sore of Kashmir between the two countries.

They fought three wars over it. In spite of 63 years of living as neighbours they have failed to end the feeling of mistrust between them. Pakistanis fear that India is bent upon disintegrating their country. This had been demonstrated by the creation of Bangladesh by dismembering of Pakistan in which India played a significant role. Indians think that the Pakistanis are trying to bleed them through a thousand cuts for their own safety. A weak country will always try to adopt these types of tactics against a strong antagonist neighbour. In this mutual bickering both the countries are wasting major portion of their precious resources which should have normally been utilized to ameliorate the lot of their people significant number of whom are below poverty line! The only beneficiaries of this conflict are the western countries and Russia selling both the parties all varieties of armaments.

Pakistan is now being judged as a failed state on way to disintegration. The only thing holding them together is the hyped religious basis of its creation. However, even this religious commonality has not been able to overcome the ethnic conflicts between Punjabis, Sindhis, Baluchis, and Pathans. In spite of 63 years stay in Pakistan the migrants from India still call themselves Mohajirs or refugees! They have failed to assimilate in a single social set up. The religion which was supposed to unite the various constituents has been used to rather disintegrate the state. The rulers have tried to moderate the religious extremism and chalk out a modern state but the religious extremists have turned inward. Instead of fighting Jihad against the enemies of the state, they are fighting the state itself. Pakistani rulers claim it to be an Islamic Republic but in reality it is neither truly Islamic nor a republic!

India is in no better position. In spite of claiming to be the largest democratic republic in the world in reality it is a camouflaged “Hindu State”. Again it is the Hindu religion which is the only commonality. Otherwise there is nothing common among its wide variety of the ethnic population from the East to the West and from the North to the South. It is the elite of the Hindu majority community which is holding the state together. In fact, Arundhati Roy calls it, “Upper Caste Hindu Corporate Republic!” It has a Hindu army, a Hindu police, a Hindu intelligence agency, a Hindu bureaucracy, and even a Hindu judiciary. The presence of other communities in the different institutions and organisations is not even miniscule in proportion to their population! Moreover, the personnel manning these organisations and institutions are not able to rise above their Hindu sentiment.

May be if India had remained undivided, the feelings would have been different due to joint living resulting in extensive social interaction? The partition has created such an atmosphere of hate that the representatives of two sides cannot even sit on the same table and talk nicely to each other! It has become a tug of war between “Corporate Brahmins” and “Muslim Feudals”! The poor teeming millions on both sides are just the fodder for their guns! In spite of all the talk of secularism and socialism the thing which ultimately defines India as to what type of state it is in reality is the article 25(2)-B of the constitution. This article empowers the state to throw open religious institutions of a Hindu character. Word Hindu is further elucidated to include Buddhists and Jains also. Why not Muslims, Christians, or even Sikhs?

How were the framers of the constitution certain that the state empowered to throw open Hindu institutions will always be a Hindu State? On all counts India is practically a Hindu State. In spite of all these facts the Indian Government claims India to be a secular state. However, this stand only harms India itself in the long run! On this hypocritical behaviour a friend recently remarked that “Packaging spoilt milk as cheese ultimately harms the seller!”