THE NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL

Project

Subject: - Sociology-II

Topic: - Cultural Diversity and it‟s challenges in India

Submitted to: - Submitted by: -

Dr. Bir Pal Singh Tejas Sateesha Hinder

(Assistant Professor in Sociology) (2018BALLB69)

Sanchit Kaushik

(2018BALLB71)

Ashutosh Prasad

(2018BALLB64)

Karan Sharma

(2018BALLB17)

Avanish Deshpande

(2018BALLB55)
 CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE ............................................................................................................................................. 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................................ 4
OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ............................................................................................................. 5
REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................................................................................................... 5
CULTURAL DIVERSITY ........................................................................................................................... 7
An insight .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Advantages of Cultural Diversity ............................................................................................................. 7
Disadvantages of Cultural Diversity ......................................................................................................... 7
MULTICULTURALISM ............................................................................................................................. 8
An Insight ................................................................................................................................................. 8
Support for Multiculturalism .................................................................................................................... 8
Criticisms of Multiculturalism .................................................................................................................. 8
Characteristics of Multiculturalism........................................................................................................... 8
WHY DOES CULTURAL DIVERSITY MATTER? .................................................................................. 9
STATUS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN INDIA.................................................................................. 10
Religion ................................................................................................................................................... 10
Indian Music ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Daily Life ................................................................................................................................................ 11
Literature ................................................................................................................................................. 11
Political Elements of Unity in Diversity ................................................................................................. 12
Linguistic Elements of Unity in Diversity .............................................................................................. 12
Indian Food ............................................................................................................................................. 12
INDIA AND RELIGION RELATED ISSUES .......................................................................................... 13
Rights of Minorities and Unification of the Nation ................................................................................ 14
India and the Civil Society ...................................................................................................................... 16
The Significance of the Right to Information Act, 2005 ........................................................................ 17
COMMUNALISM, SECULARISM AND INDIA..................................................................................... 17
Communalism ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Secularism ............................................................................................................................................... 20
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 22
BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................................... 22
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project Work, titled, “Cultural Diversity and it‟s challenges in India”
has been prepared and submitted by Tejas Sateesha Hinder, Karan Sharma, Ashutosh Prasad,
Sanchit Kaushik and Avanish Deshpande, who are currently pursuing their B.A. L.L.B. (Hons.)
from The National Law Institute University, Bhopal.

It is also to certify that the Project Work is original and has not been submitted in any other
University, or not been published in any other journal.

Date: 30/11/2018.

Signature of the Project Supervisor/Faculty In-Charge :……………………………

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

On completion of this Project it is our present privilege to acknowledge our profound gratitude
and indebtedness towards our teachers for their valuable suggestions and constructive criticism.
Their precious guidance and unrelenting support kept me on the right track throughout the
project.

We gratefully acknowledge my deepest sense of gratitude to: Prof. (Dr.) V.Vijayakumar,

Director, National Law Institute University, Bhopal for providing us with the infrastructure and
the means to make this project

We thank our Sociology teacher, Dr. Bir Pal Singh, who provided me this wonderful opportunity
and guided me throughout the project work.

We are also thankful to the library and computer staffs of the University for helping us find and
select books from the University library.

Finally, we are thankful to our family members and friends for the affection and encouragement
with which doing this project became a pleasure.
 OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT

1. To understand the concept of Cultural Diversity

2. To study the diversity of culture in India
3. To analyze the issues that arise as a result of cultural diversity in India
4. To develop a broader understanding about the notions of Communalism and Secularism
5. To develop a clear idea of the structure of the civil society of India.
6. To study the benefits and challenges posed by cultural diversity in the present and in the
future

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1. Bhikhu Parekh, Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory,

SAGE Publications (2001): - Parekh defends not only cultural, but also doctrinal
diversity and this can occasionally be frustrating for critics who expect a political theory
to provide a straightforward path from first principles to the resolution of hard cases. Yet
Parekh‟s book is not at all eclectic. There is an underlying concern that organizes the text
and gives it a distinctive edge. Most liberal theories see cultural diversity as a fact rather
than a value.
2. Mallory, Bruce L., Ed.; New, Rebecca S., Ed, Diversity & Developmentally
Appropriate Practices: Challenges for Early Childhood Education, Teachers College
Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York (2008): - The current conceptualization of
what is appropriate in early childhood education is overly narrow in its interpretation of
the role of the teacher, and with respect to variations in cultural and developmental
diversity. Based on this observation, this book discusses various issues surrounding
diversity, inclusion, and appropriate early educational practices.
3. Robin J. Ely, David A. Thomas, Cultural Diversity at Work: The Effects of Diversity
Perspectives on Work Group Processes and Outcomes, SAGE Publications, Art.
(2001): - This paper develops theory about the conditions under which cultural diversity
enhances or detracts from work group functioning. From qualitative research in three
culturally diverse organizations, we identified three different perspectives on workforce
diversity: the integration-and-learning perspective, the access-and-legitimacy perspective,
and the discrimination-and-fairness perspective. The perspective on diversity a work
group held influenced how people expressed and managed tensions related to diversity,
whether those who had been traditionally underrepresented in the organization felt
respected and valued by their colleagues, and how people interpreted the meaning of their
racial identity at work. These, in turn, had implications for how well the work group and
its members functioned.
 CULTURAL DIVERSITY

An insight
Cultural diversity at its very basic sense is meant by people coming from different upbringings,
regions, religions, following different norms, having different cultures and living homogenously
in a particular geographical area and coexisting with each other. It can also be said that many
different types of culture coinciding under one big culture. Like in India from North to South and
from East to West there exist people having different cultures which are passed onto them by
their ancestors and with the tradition going on there are also foreign cultures getting mixed with
the traditional cultures creating the MULTICULTURALISM.

Advantages of Cultural Diversity

1. Living in among people coming from different cultures gives the ample opportunity to
understand people who are different from us

2. Connection to community increases as the homogeneity feeling as created in the society

3. Cultural diversity provides incredible insights into you. It helps you understand yourself, your
beliefs, your values, so much better. And it enables you to better make choices about who you
want to be.

4. It helps in creating cultural heritage of the society, people coming from different ethnicities
share their history and norms and contributing for the society.

Disadvantages of Cultural Diversity

1. It creates communal rifts in the society as living harmoniously and homogeneously is not the
situation that always takes place in a society.

2. If one group is more in number or is more powerful, the group might become the dominant
group in the society.

3. Language issues are very much prevalent in the people coming from different backgrounds
and might create a serious issue if they do not speak a common language.

4. There is a feeling of groupism created with different people having different opinions and
norms and coexisting with each other.
 MULTICULTURALISM

An Insight
By the concept of multiculturalism we mean coexisting of different cultures. “CULTURE” here
is referred as language, sex, caste, class etc. It means people while following their own culture
also gets influenced by the external cultures. For example all of the big American food chains
and clothing brands influencing people all over the globe like Mcdonalds and Dominos.

Support for Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is seen by its supporters as a more attractive framework that enables individuals
to really express their identity inside a general public, that is more tolerant and that adjusts better
to social issues. They contend that culture isn't one determinable thing dependent on one race or
religion, but instead the consequence of various elements that change as the world changes.

It also helps in providing a stable platform to the migrants going to developed countries due to
bloodshed or natural calamities in their own countries to settle down as they feel welcomed to a
place which is foreign to them and people belonging there have totally different culture as
compared to them.

Criticisms of Multiculturalism
Commentators of multiculturalism regularly banter whether the multicultural perfect of kindly
coinciding societies that interrelate and impact each other, but then stay particular, is reasonable,
incomprehensible, or even attractive. It is contended that country states, who might already have
been synonymous with a particular social personality of their own, miss out to implemented
multiculturalism and this at last dissolves the host countries' unmistakable culture.

Characteristics of Multiculturalism
1. It is important to realize one's cultural perspective and how it affects others around
you.
2. A multicultural individual tries to create an atmosphere where differences are
understood and respected It is political correctness to the extreme to say that all
cultural differences are respected. In the United States women are treated as equals, so
therefore other countries where that is not so, it would not be unacceptable for
Americans to reject that aspect of another country‟s culture.
 3. It is important to understand your cultural experiences and how it influences you are as
well as the cultural experiences of others and how it has influenced who they are.
4. Different people from different cultures communicate in different ways and
understanding those cultural differences are important in developing good relationships
5. It is also important to understand that culture involves not just race and ethnicity but
also aspects of gender, religion, sexual orientation and other areas of difference.

WHY DOES CULTURAL DIVERSITY MATTER?

Have you ever seen a painting made up of one color or have you ever imagine how this world
would look like if you can see only one color all over wouldn‟t it be strange?

Yes it will be and in the same way we can think of our cultures .If all of us starts following same
culture will it affect us or not. Definitely it will affect us because we will not be able to learn new
things further, we will not be able to examine the new dimensions of a particular thing and
slowly we will become stagnant and will stop progressing, we can understand this with an
example -: In today‟s world malaria affects more than 200 million people per year all over the
world and it has plagued our species for thousands of year. The first widespread treatment of
malaria was quinine. Quinine was developed from the bark of chinchona tree by the indigenous
people of Peru and then British East India Company took quinine and spread it all over the world
which saves thousands of lives but with the passage of time malaria developed resistance
towards quinine and that‟s why today the most effective and increasingly widespread treatment
for malaria is artemisinin. Artemisinin comes from a Chinese herbal medicine, it is saving
thousands of lives now. Imagine where we would be without the indigenous people of Peru or
the Chinese herbalists.

We celebrate 21st May as World Cultural Diversity Day. “Cultural diversity is a driving force of
development, not only with respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more
fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. This is captured in the seven culture
conventions, which provide a solid basis for the promotion of cultural diversity. Cultural
diversity is thus an asset that is indispensable for poverty reduction and the achievement of
sustainable development.” 1

India is a country with a population of more than 120 crores which is almost 1/6th of the world
population, which lives in 29 states, uses more than 100 languages, follows different forms of
religions and lives in different geographical locations. All this makes India a well diverse but a
united state. India is such a country where in every 100 km you can find different types of
changes whether it is food, language or accent, social structure etc. “India is a garden of all kind
of flowers, and they know how to live with each other.” Afroz Taj. Evidently cultural diversity
has been a great beneficial factor to enriching the country both socially and economically.
Cultural Diversity creates uniqueness and enriches a country‟s history and social set up with
creativity in art and architectural aspects arising from such diversity. Despite the diversity in
terms of race, religion, Language, caste and culture India is still a strong nation tied together with
integration and unity in both politico-geographic and cultural backgrounds. Along with diversity
and various such aspects, India is on its way of growth and development and it is worth
mentioning that it has one of the string and stable economies in the world.

STATUS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN INDIA

India is a country of a large population, amidst of the one of most populated country its customs
and traditions gives it a unique cultural heritage. India is the large country with 29 states, each
having its own unique culture. Its cultural uniqueness goes back upto thousand years for ex-
Harrappan civilization. Therefore India's culture is one of the oldest cultures. One of the most
noticeable features of India's culture is its "Unity in diversity". This phrase explains how
India celebrated in welcoming various cultural, social and ethnic element. Another beautiful
aspect of India's culture is that it accommodated various elements of society without losing their
separate identity. Each person in society can practice their customs and traditions in thier own
way. There are various elements which explain the cultural diversity of India are: -

Religion
India has large number of religions including dominant part Hinduism and minority Islam,
Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Bahá'í Faith, etc. The

1
Bhikhu Parekh, Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory, SAGE Publications (2001)
religious assorted variety has been one of the principle disruptive power in the nation prompting
issue of communalism, yet this decent variety has numerous multiple times kept the nation
joined in troublesome occasions. Religious solidarity is especially obvious when a war or a
debacle occurs. On numerous occasions, India has stood joined in emergency, and that is the
thing that religious solidarity in assorted variety of India is.

This separated, we see regular instances of religious concordance, for example, utilization of
Ganapati Pandal as an improvised mosque for Muslims and Hindus taking an interest in Eid
merriments {reference}; Sikhs building mosques for Muslims; Muslims kids robed as Krishna
for Janmasthmi celebrations, etc. There are some religious focuses in the nation {Ajmer Sharif,
Bodhgaya, Golden Temple in Amritsar etc.} which have procured a character that goes past one
religion.

Indian Music
The best case of India's composite culture is our music, especially the Hindustani Classical
Music. It has old causes, yet rise of a profoundly created and improved music of northern India
couldn't have been conceivable without Muslim commitments and its support. Developments of
Khayal from Dhrupad, Tabla from Pakhawaj/Mridangam are a portion of the key precedents.
Indian Veena and Persian Tambura converged to develop as Sitar. Essentially, Ghazals and
Qawwalis have played a binding together factor between the general population of Indian Sub-
mainland.

Daily Life
Every religion has affected other in its traditions, behavior, ceremonies, decorums, dress,
expends, cooking, fairs, celebrations, amusements, sports, etc. For instance, Nisbat, Mehendi,
Haldi, Tel, Mandwa, Jalwa, Barat, Kangan and so forth are the Muslim adjustment of Hindu
functions. Also, when bring down Hindu position individuals changed over to Islam amid
Sultanate and Mughal time, they kept their employment/professional practices appended to the
station, in this manner we have Muslim standings too including Julahas, Ansaris, etc.

Literature
Diverse locales of India added to the advancement of writing and higher figuring out how to the
composite culture of India. For instance, Vedas were produced in North-West {Sapta-Sindhu
region}, Yajurveda and Brahmana in Kuru-Panchal locale; Rajatarangini in Kashmir;
Upanishads in Magadha; Gita Govinda in Bengal, Charyapadas in Odisha, West Bengal and
Assam; Mahakavyas and dramatizations of Kalidasa in Ujjaini; Bhavbhut's works in Vidarbha;
Dasakumarcharita of Dandin in Deccan; Sangam Literature in South, etc. So also, Taxila,
Nalanda, Varanasi, Vallabhi, Vanvasi, Amaravati, Nagarjunkonda, Kanchi, Madurai and
Odantapuri are sparkling instances of seats of highes learning in India.

Political Elements of Unity in Diversity

In spite of the fact that it is trusted that India's congruity as a human advancement was social and
social as opposed to political; yet thought of bringing whole nation under one focal specialist has
been dream of extraordinary lords, sultans, sovereigns and rulers. This thought was tried by
Chandragupta; Asoka; Harsha; Akbar and British rulers. In spite of this, India was never an
efficient political unit. Notwithstanding amid British India, there were 600 royal states which
were inside self-ruling. At that point, our current type of majority rules system and government
draws its reality from various political gatherings, political philosophies, etc.

Linguistic Elements of Unity in Diversity

While three fourth of India speaks Indo-Aryan Languages, Dravidian dialects are talked by one
fourth of Indians. India has 122 noteworthy dialects and 1599 tongues, along these lines making
it a standout amongst the most phonetically various countries around the globe. The dialects have
been a disruptive and additionally glue compel in the nation. English developed as most widely
used language of the nation and fills in as mechanism of correspondence between two
individuals who have distinctive primary language. Thus, Hindi has likewise, all things
considered, served to keep the nation joined together. In spite of significant issues, for example,
request of phonetic states, status of minority, against Hindi developments and so forth have
presented real difficulties to governments every once in a while.

Indian Food
India has assortment sustenance things over its territory. For Ex-Rice, wheat, heartbeats and
flavors are enormously identical to Indians with cooking styles differing on territorial and
religious grounds. Be that as it may, the majority of the Indians are veggie lover. In view of the
locale diverse types of sustenance are accessible in India, for example, North Indian Food, South
Indian Food and so on. North Indian sustenance for the most part incorporates things which are
bread related like Tandoori roti, Nan, Kulcha, and so forth. East Indian Food mostly identifies
with staple nourishment, (for example, rice) and sweet dishes like Roshogollas, Sandesh, Sweet
curd, and so on. South Indian Food for the most part incorporates things which are made of rice
powder like Idli, Sambar vada, Upma, Dosa, and so forth. Bean stew is a basic fixing in most
Indian foods.

INDIA AND RELIGION RELATED ISSUES

Of the one billion individuals in India, 85 percent are Hindus, 10 percent Muslims, and 2.5
percent Christians. The rest have a place with different religious minorities: Sikhs, Jains,
Buddhists, Parsees and different gatherings. In spite of the fact that the decennial registration
orders 85 percent as Hindus, there is no positive meaning of what Hinduism is. Contrarily,
whoever does not have a place with any of alternate religious minorities is taken to be a Hindu.
English talk molded the wording utilized in reference to Hinduism. The British in India started
by asking the Indians: "Our religion is called Christianity, what is yours?" It was then chosen to
call India's religion Hinduism. The British asked, "We have the Bible as our sacred writing, what
is your sacred text?" It was chosen to think about the Vedas, the Upanishads, and so forth as the
sacred texts of Hinduism. Further the British asked, "We have religious heads like the pope and
the clerics, however who are Hinduism's heads?" They announced the Shankaracharyas as their
pontiffs. The West at first endeavored to comprehend the religions in India in its very own terms
and classes.

Be that as it may, in truth numerous religions are assembled together under the title of Hinduism.
As a matter of first importance, there are the religions of autochthonous (indigenous or ancestral)
individuals, and second, there are the religions of Aryan intruders known as Hindus (living on
banks of the Indus River). The last had two principle divisionsShaivism and Vaishnavism. Later
came the challenge religions, Buddhism and Jainism, reprimanding the religion of the Aryan or
Brahminic Hindus. In the medieval period came the Bhakti developments, through which the
lower standings looked for correspondence with the upper position Hindus. At that point came
Sikhism, mixing both Hindu and Muslim religious components. Because of the British frontier
rule, reformist developments like Brahmo, Prarathana and Aryasamaj tried to change Hinduism
from inside. Today Hindu patriots want to order Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism as insider
religions to India and Islam and Christianity as outcast religions, despite the fact that Christianity
has existed in India for 2000 years. The Indian national commonwealth is still during the time
spent making a suitable and fair harmony between local characters and the national personality -
the previous focusing on assorted variety over solidarity, the last solidarity over decent variety.
This is in fact a basic part of that interminable procedure called country building. In any case, it
makes the errand before the Muslims of India rather more troublesome. At present, Muslim
personalities are being constrained from one viewpoint by the votaries of a solid Islam, and on
the other by the defenders of the alleged Indian standard. My confidence in the numerous pasts
of the Muslims and my comprehension of the present political scene recommend that there exists
a third decision: the Muslims of India, in the wake of rising above their shared selectiveness,
ought to rather perceive and fortify their neighborhood and territorial introduction. They ought to
do as such not out of any practicality - however the convenience of keeping away from rough
clash is clearly there - but since that introduction as of now exists in the particularity of their
different pasts, regardless of whether it isn't deliberately perceived and in this manner made
crucial and utilitarian just like the case with their non-Muslim countrymen.

Indian Muslims, or so far as that is concerned all South Asian Muslims, separate themselves
from the Muslims of different countries, say, the Arabs, and one may assume that detaching
those separating highlights would prompt revelation of their Indianness. Yet, South Asian
Muslims likewise separate among themselves, and, as the rise of Bangladesh lets us know, these
distinctions are of a lot more prominent import for the general population required than any
preoccupied Muslim, or even Indian Muslim, personality - especially so when the setting is of
intensity and authority, regardless of whether social, social, or financial. Our acknowledgment of
numerous pasts, we ought to recall, involves not simply a flat, regionally characterized
separation, but rather additionally a vertical separation inside any littler unit.

Rights of Minorities and Unification of the Nation

In Indian patriotism, the overwhelming pattern was set apart by a comprehensive and popularity
based vision. Comprehensive since it perceived decent variety and majority. Vote based on the
grounds that it looked to get rid of segregation and prohibition what's more, deliver a fair and
impartial society. The term 'individuals' has not been found in elite terms, as alluding to an
explicit gathering characterized by religion, ethnicity, race or station. Thoughts of humanism
affected Indian patriots and the terrible parts of selective patriotism were widely remarked upon
by driving figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. To be viable, the thoughts of
comprehensive patriotism must be incorporated with the Constitution.2 For, as of now talked
about, there is an extremely solid propensity for the prevailing gathering to expect that their way
of life or dialect or religion is synonymous with the country state. Nonetheless, for a solid and
equitable country, uncommon protected arrangements are required to guarantee the privileges
everything being equal and those of minority bunches specifically.

A concise discourse on the meaning of minorities will empower us to value the significance of
shielding minority rights for a solid, joined together and law based country. The thought of
minority bunches is generally utilized in human science and is more than an only numerical
qualification – it more often than not includes some feeling of relative disservice. In this way,
favored minorities, for example, to a great degree well off individuals are not typically alluded to
as minorities; in the event that they are, the term is qualified in some way, as in the expression
'favored minority'.3 At the point when minority is utilized without capability, it by and large
infers a moderately little yet in addition burdened gathering.

The sociological feeling of minority additionally suggests that the individuals from the minority
frame a collectivity – that is, they have a solid feeling of gathering solidarity, a sentiment of
fellowship and having a place. This is connected to hindrance in light of the fact that the
experience of being exposed to bias and segregation as a rule increases sentiments of intra-
assemble dependability and interests.

Therefore, bunches that might be minorities in a factual sense, for example, individuals who are
left-given or individuals conceived on 29th February, are not minorities in the sociological sense
since they don't shape a collectivity.

Notwithstanding, it is conceivable to have peculiar occasions where a minority assemble is

burdened in one sense however not in another. Therefore, for instance, religious minorities like
the Parsis or Sikhs might be moderately fortunate monetarily. Be that as it may, they may in any
case be hindered in a social sense as a result of their little numbers with respect to the dominant
part of Hindus. Religious or social minorities require extraordinary insurance due to the statistic
strength of the lion's share. In law based legislative issues, it is constantly conceivable to change

2
Bhikhu Parekh, Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory, SAGE Publications (2001)
3
Ibid
over a numerical larger part into political control through decisions. This implies religious or
social minorities – paying little respect to their monetary or social position – are politically
helpless. They should confront the hazard that the larger part network will catch political power
and utilize the state hardware to smother their religious or social establishments, at last
constraining them to forsake their particular personality.4

India and the Civil Society

The state is in fact an extremely essential establishment with regards to the the cultural diversity
in a country. Despite the fact that it professes to speak to the country, the state can likewise turn
out to be to some degree free of the country and its kin. To the degree that the state structure –
the lawmaking body, administration, legal, military, police and different arms of the state –
progresses toward becoming protected from the general population, it likewise has the capability
of turning tyrant.5 An tyrant state is the inverse of an equitable state. It is a state in which the
general population have no voice and people with great influence are not responsible to anybody.

Tyrant states regularly limit or annul common freedoms like the right to speak freely,
opportunity of the press, opportunity of political movement, ideal to insurance from unfair
utilization of power, ideal to the due procedures of the law, etc. Aside from dictatorship, there is
additionally the likelihood that state organizations end up unfit or reluctant to react to the
requirements of the general population in light of defilement, wastefulness, or absence of assets.
To put it plainly, there are numerous reasons why a state may not be all that it ought to be.

Non-state on-screen characters and organizations end up critical in this specific situation, for
they can keep a watch on the state, dissent against its shameful acts or supplement its endeavors.
Common society is the name given to the wide field which lies past the private space of the
family, however outside the area of both state and market. Common society is the non-state and
non-showcase part of the general population area in which people get together intentionally to
make foundations and associations. It is the circle of dynamic citizenship: here, people take up
social issues, attempt to impact the state or make requests on it, seek after their aggregate
advantages or look for help for an assortment of causes. It comprises of deliberate affiliations,

4
Supra note 2
5
Mallory, Bruce L., Ed.; New, Rebecca S., Ed, Diversity & Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Challenges for
Early Childhood Education, Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York (2008)
associations or establishments framed by gatherings of natives. It incorporates political parties,
media foundations, exchange associations, non-legislative associations (NGOs), religious
associations, and different sorts of aggregate substances.6 The principle criteria for incorporation
in common society are that the association ought not be state-controlled, what's more, it ought
not be a simply business benefit making element. In this manner, Doordarshan isn't a piece of
common society however private TV slots are; a vehicle producing organization isn't a piece of
common society yet the exchange associations to which its specialists have a place are.
Obviously these criteria take into consideration a ton of hazy areas.

The Significance of the Right to Information Act, 2005

The Right to Information Act 2005 (Act No. 22/2005) is a law established by the Parliament of
India giving Indians (with the exception of those in the State ofJammu and Kashmir who have
their very own uncommon law) access to Government documents and records. Under the Act,
any individual may ask for data from an "open expert" (a group of Government or
instrumentality of State) which is relied upon to answer quickly or inside thirty days. The Act
likewise requires each open specialist to modernize their records for wide spread and to
proactively distribute certain classes of data so the natives require least plan of action to ask for
data formally. This law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came into power on 13
October 2005. Data divulgence in India was up to this point confined by the Official Secrets Act
1923 and different other uncommon laws, which the new RTI Act currently abrogates.

COMMUNALISM, SECULARISM AND INDIA

Communalism
The word „communalism‟ literally refers to aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity.
Chauvinism itself is an attitude that sees one‟s own group as the only legitimate or worthy group,
with other groups being seen – by definition – as inferior, illegitimate and opposed. Thus, to
simplify further, communalism is an aggressive political ideology linked to religion.
Communalism is an ideology which states that society is divided into different communities
whose interests differ from, and at times oppose, each other. It can be termed as the antagonism
practiced by the people of one community against the people of another community. It is an
6
Robin J. Ely, David A. Thomas, Cultural Diversity at Work: The Effects of Diversity Perspectives on Work Group
Processes and Outcomes, SAGE Publications, Art. (2001)
ideology of fulfilling socio-eco-political hopes of communities through strategy of interpretation
of religion and tradition in own way to get mass mobilization to hurt other religion

Bipin Chandra described communalism as „an ideology based on the belief that the Indian
society is divided into religious communities whose economic, political, social and cultural
interests diverge and are even hostile to each other because of the religious differences‟ and
further said that „it is a belief system through which society, economy and polity are viewed and
explained, and around which effort is made to organize politics‟.

The roots of communalism are very deep and diversified. They lie in the structure and nature of
Indian society which is multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-casteist and multi-
regional in character. Communal organizations grow with the help of division of a society on
these bases. It is often that the communalism of the community is a reaction of the communalism
of another community

It is to be emphasized that communalism is about politics, not about religion. Although

communalists are intensely involved with religion, there is in fact no necessary relationship
between personal faith and communalism. It is to be noted that the determining role in creating
communalism is not only played by religion but also by non-religious forces. It is a complex,
social phenomena having multiple dimensions. Various factors such as social, political,
economic, cultural and religious factors account for the outset of communalism and communal
violence.

The roots of communalism are very deep and diversified. They lie in the structure and nature of
Indian society which is multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-casteist and multi-
regional in character. India represents diverse religions and multiple cultures. The Hinduism,
Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, etc. have flourished here. These
religions are further divided into various sub-groups on the basis of castes, occupation, leaders,
language, belief etc. Communal organizations grow with the help of division of a society on
these bases. It is often that the communalism of the community is a reaction of the communalism
of another community.

It is widely believed that communalism in India was nurtured and promoted during the colonial
period by the British imperialism as a deliberative plan to bring dissensions in the society and
gain political advantage from it. It helped the colonial administration to 'divide and rule' over
India. The pre-existing differences between religions were used to convey the variations in the
social and cultural aspects and then to promote divisions in politics by treating Indians as nothing
but members of religious communities. This resulted into the establishment of separate
electorates on the basis of religion giving a rise to the communal politics in India. But these
inter-community conflicts were not an invention of the colonials as instances of religious,
cultural, regional or ethnic conflict can be found in almost every phase of our history. Further it
would not be wrong to say that though it was during the colonial period that communalism was
nurtured and promoted, it has been kept alive by the leaders of free India.

Prabha Dixit has described communalism as a political doctrine which makes use of religious
and cultural differences to achieve political ends and this is quite true taking Indian politics into
consideration. The riots which took place after Independence during the separation were one of
the worst instances against humanity the world had ever witnessed but after the separation the
leaders who were in the forefront in support for separation became the leaders of their country.
The governments and political parties of the post-independence period did not exactly take firm
steps to curb communalism but instead communalism got supported directly or indirectly,
consciously or unconsciously through various policies planned to promote equality and
secularism. Communalism in India is an important social issue as it has been a recurrent source
of communal tension and violence irrespective of the ruling political party due to differences in
religion, language, caste, leader, etc. By referring to major instances of communal violence like
riots after independence, the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, the Ayodha riots in 1992, the Godhra riots
in 2002, the recent Koregaon violence in Maharashtra it is important to understand that during
communal riots, people become faceless members of their respective communities. They are
willing to kill, rape, and loot members of other communities in order to redeem their pride, to
protect their community‟s interest. The vengeance for the deaths or dishonor suffered by the
members of their community elsewhere or even in the distant past is one of the most commonly
cited justification. There is no region which has remained completely exempted from communal
violence of one kind or another. Also, one of the main factors which is found common to all the
communal related violence is the influence of some communal leader over a large number of
people which causes mass mobilization. Every religious community has faced this violence in
greater or lesser degree, although the relative impact is far more disastrous for minority
communities.

The main cause of communalism is not the differences in interests of the communities;
Differences between different communities will always exist but it is the fear and prejudice
against each other that causes negative communalism. We should not forget that we also have a
long tradition of religious pluralism, ranging from peaceful co-existence to actual inter-mixing or
syncretism. These insecurities towards each other can be removed with the help of education and
participation in other communities‟ culture. It is necessary to understand that differences among
communities will always exist but for the communities to exist and prosper there is a need for a
harmonious environment where different communities live in co-operation and mutual respect
allowing proper wholesome growth and development of the society.

Secularism
The Constitution of India describes India as following - “India is a socialist, secular, democratic
republic”. In simple terms a secular person or state is one that does not favor any particular
religion over others. But secularism is among the most complex terms in the theories of society
and politics. A secular state as defined scientifically, means a state which recognizes any social
or religious stratification as vehicles for existing political rights. The word 'secular' in dictionary
refers to things which are not religious or spiritual but this meaning of secularism cannot be
applied in India. To explain this Dr. S. Radhakrishnan accorded that Secularism does not mean
irreligion or atheism or even stress on material comforts but instead proclaims that it lays stress
on the universality of spiritual values which may be attained by a variety of ways.

After the Partition of the country, it was necessary for the leaders of independent India to assure
the minority communities, that there would not be any discrimination against them in any way.
Hence, the new Constitution provided that India would remain 'secular' in the Constitution. The
word secular did not occur anywhere in the constitution and it came in the preamble after the
42nd amendment in 1976. However, it was clear through various articles of the Constitution that
India will remain as secular.

In the Indian Constitution, the third part provides for the secular status of the state. Article 14
guarantees equal protection in law to all. Article 15 and 16 prohibits discrimination on religious
grounds and guarantees equal opportunities to all in matter of public employment without any
discrimination. Article 25 and 26 gives freedom of conscience, and practice and propagation of
religion and also gives the freedom to manage religious affairs. Further article 27 to 30 promotes
the establishment of religious educational institution for minorities by giving religious freedom
to every individual. Also, the fourth part of the constitution gives directives to the state
governments to promote and safeguard secularism among the state.

Our constitution adopted a system of political philosophy that rejecting all forms or religious
facts and worship and accepting the view that public education and public policy should be
conducted without the introduction of religious elements. The Supreme Court while explaining
the meaning of secularism said, "There is no mysticism in the secular character of the states.
Secularism is neither anti. God nor pro-God, it treats alike the devout, the antagonistic and the
atheist. It eliminates God from the matters of the state and ensures that no one shall be
discriminated against on the ground of religion". Further in the landmark judgement of S.R.
Bommai Vs. Union of India, the Supreme Court held that 'secularism' is a basic feature of the
constitution and clarified that politics and religion cannot be mixed up. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar,
Chairman of the Drafting Committee speaking on the Hindu Code Bill in 1951 in Parliament
explained the secular concept of democracy as follows- „It (Secular democracy) does not mean
that we shall not take into consideration the religious sentiments of the people. All that a secular
state means that this Parliament shall not be competent to impose any particular religion upon the
rest of the people”.

In a secular state, there is no official or state religion. Such a state is not guided in the
formulation of its policies by the principles of a particular religion or creed, nor does it allow its
authority to be used for the propagation of a particular faith. Secularism states that the state is
neither religious, nor irreligious, nor anti-religious but is wholly detached from religious dogmas
and activities and is, thus, neutral in religious matters. Therefore, it does not patronize any
religion, nor does get patronized by any religion, nor does it discriminate against any. It is only
concerned with the social, economic and political welfare of the people, leaving religious and
spiritual matters in the hands of individuals and private organizations. But it does not mean that
the state discourages morality or spiritual values; it merely stands outside the field of religion.
Harvey Cox explained that secularism does not mean exclusion of religion; on the contrary, it
means breeding of religious peaceful co-existence. India is home to almost every major religion
existing in the world. It is a multi-religious, multi-lingual, multi-cultural society where it is not
possible for it to develop without a philosophy which binds and unites all these communities
together, Secularism helps the state to maintain equal distance with all the religions providing
service not to any particular community but to the whole Indian society. Indira Gandhi correctly
accorded that „Secularism is neither a religion nor indifference to religion but equal respect for
all religions and there is no future for the nation without tolerance and positive respect‟.

CONCLUSION
The conjunction of a wide range of societies with one bigger culture is called cultural diversity.
The presence of social decent variety can likewise be seen inside a solitary society in which
subcultures and countercultures can both exist. Social gatherings, existing in minorities, which
vary somehow or another from the predominant culture, are called subcultures. Instead of this, a
counterculture has standards and qualities and standards, which restrict that of the prevailing
society.

The social legacy of India is characterized by the different conventions and traditions pursued by
her kin. Personality and acknowledgment, in the midst of the immense rising present day
innovation, are brought out by these perspectives. India is a state which is supported with rich
societies, which are unmistakable in dialect, dressing, and a few exercises. Religion has been the
key separating apparatus among the way of life that exist in India. India is home to real religions,
for example, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism and Sikhism. A case of social assorted variety in
India can be that of the North and the South, which have a different social specialty making a
composite blend of the Indian culture.

This social decent variety has numerous focal points, and yet, presents numerous difficulties in
either usage, or presence after execution, and furthermore accompanies numerous drawbacks.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
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