It is not a small feat that a country as diverse as India is also the largest democracy in the world. The sheer variance in food, culture, religions, ethnicities, traditional attire, languages, and more as one canvases across the country is mind blowing. India is truly a world of its own. Yet the domestic and international events of the last several years present questions on what it even means for India to be a democratic nation. As more countries across the world see people losing faith in government there is a growing sense of underrepresentation and India is no exception. As an Indian who now lives in America as a US citizen, I feel uniquely positioned to contrast the two democracies.
In comparing both countries, the first very clear aspect is that they each espouse freedom of expression and choice of religion and the right to non-violent assembly (protests) as well as constitutional remedies for petitioning the government. However, in both my homelands there has been a rise of religious intolerance. Divide and rule is the oldest trick in the book when it comes to wielding control over a large population. The British did their part in painting the border that currently divides India and Pakistan with blood basically. The horrors of the animosity springing from religious differences continue to ring true into present generations. I myself am a product of displacement from the riots during those years of partition. My parent’s families each had to flee Sindh (in present day Pakistan) as Hindus were asked to leave or face peril. Anti-Pakistan rhetoric, while in some cases is justifiable when looking at terrorist attacks over post-independence years and various wars waged over the disputed land of Kashmir, has not helped shape a secular mindset in today’s India. Moreover, caste systems stemming from Hindu based societal organization from centuries ago also continue to sow seeds of division within the hinterlands of the country. This is also evident in attitudes of city dwellers sometimes.
A nation is only as strong as the level of unity its population espouses. It is my view that India is the only country that can truly be the shining example of unity in diversity to the world. It has always been a cultural melting pot or a mosaic just as the US and Canada claim themselves to be respectively. I pick on religion and caste as a point of difference because that is the leading cause of civil divide, culture wars, and crimes of honor that continue to plague India.
In recent years anti-Muslim sentiments are stoked daily by Hindu nationalists much like alt-right forces in the US are pushing their hateful agenda behind the mask of Christianity. Many Hindu extremists claim that India is a land meant only for Hindus and other derivate religions using vedic texts to back up that claim. These extremists hold that Islam only came into the region with the various dynasties that ruled Delhi Sultanate. Holding such arbitrary starting points in the grand timeline of Indian history is short-sighted. Islam has been part of the historic landscape of India since 1200 BCE. Trying to cut or wash it out of all that comprises India today is a dangerous endeavor. The intertwining of influences from the Mughal area are evident in physical buildings like the world-famous Taj Mahal or even Shahi Paneer as part of the north Indian cuisine. Islam is part of the Indian cultural fabric. Attempts to tear it out will not be conducive to the goal of national unity.
India is a very young country with more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. When it comes to shaping the nation’s sentiments and identity the onus may lie on providing the right messaging to the youth along with supporting them. All our leaders, from the Prime Minister to the state and local officials, need to empower the youth and women with the best possible education programs. At the very least simple messaging around unity and oneness within the minds of the Indian people will go a long way.. India is primed to become a world leader as a nation with a very talented population and high levels of English speakers. Instead of promoting brain drain to western countries there is a need to harness Indian talent locally.
All factors that hinder progress for India stem from corruptive forces and power wielding figures that continue to be influenced by financial interests. This is an aspect that is also blatantly presenting itself in US politics. Self-serving interests that focus on accumulating wealth at the cost of the nation’s long-term progress is a shared problem when comparing India and the US.
The only path forward for India is to take larger steps to protect its vulnerable people. Despite the huge progress India has made across various industries such as film, technology, and cars the country remains mostly an agrarian economy. Protecting farmer’s rights and issues facing their daily livelihood would take stress out of the very strata of society the country depends on to feed its people and help to quell divisions. Religious tolerance needs to begin at home, not just in schools. Empowering women with education and helping families below the poverty line to find ways of sustaining themselves is key to ensure a promising future for India. India’s young girls are still not being treated equally because of societal norms from older paradigms. Women must be given equal opportunities from basic education all the way up to business and political leadership. Pay parity must not be ignored in the process either. The voiceless need more representation and a seat at the table.
The caste system continues to drive inequality, plague job opportunities, and block promotions that employees may deserve. This aspect is so jarring that it even plays out under Indian management in large US tech firms like Apple and Cisco. Just imagine the first wave Indian immigrants in America, who now play as management to software engineers who come from various backgrounds from within India, are discriminating against a select group based on caste. How is this possible in 2022? Especially in a country like America? Old ways of thinking seem to not get uprooted easily even when the person having that mindset may have migrated away from such paradigms. They repeat old cycles in their new lives and in a whole other country. It is shameful and a stain on the otherwise stellar reputation Indian immigrant workers have earned on a global scale.
Attributes like gender, religion, caste, and sexual orientation put a whole swath of folks in the “minority” category. Upholding equal human rights and anti-discriminatory policies in all government and private institutions is not enough by way of law. While some of this work is rightfully coded in legal amendments and bills that have since passed, the need for more cultural change remains. A country is only as strong as its people. A society can only rise as much as the efforts put into uplifting those that are most marginalized. Progress for the least among us is progress for the nation.
When this unison mindset can be promoted by a wise leader a whole nation can be driven to work towards that ideal. One such ideal that India already claims as a feature of its democracy is secularism. It is this aspect upon which India’s future can be predicated. Moreover, if India can show the world what a united nation looks like despite differences, surrounding countries can follow its lead. India comprises 1/5th of the global population. Its influence should not be undercut or underestimated. By 2030, India will surpass China’s total population by 2030. On that basis alone India must take its role seriously not only for the world stage but to set a bright example for its future generations to come.
Courtesy The Sublime India Issue by Vissionaire
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