The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at the present. Elaborate. (UPSC IAS Mains 2017 General Studies Paper – 1)
Indian social, cultural and physical diversity is unique to itself and is known world-wide. It would be wrong to think that the concept of Love and Tolerance has just emerged in Indian society but is inculcated in society since 1000s of years shaping its culture.
1. Early Indian Society:
- Religions like Buddhism and Jainism originated in India promoting the spirit of non-violence and people with different religious beliefs, cultural and social habits got a chance to settle down peacefully together in India.
- Recorders of history are compelled to look at different religious beliefs separately in their documents but there are also records that such transitions between different parts of society were always fluid. Bhaktism and Sufism are recorded as movements bringing different thoughts but they were sat and discussed together by everyone.
- Even after being a Muslim, emperor Akbar Emperor Akbar took initiatives for Ibadat Khana in Fateh Pur Sikri and Din-i-Illahi.
- During the national movement, Gandhiji tried to tie the knot between Hindu and Muslims by merging Khilafat and Non-cooperation movement.
- The communal violence during partition took many lives but there are stories at individual levels where hindus and muslims have helped each other to safety depicting that love and tolerance is basic to Indian Individuals.
But it is not just the past, the spirit of love and tolerance remains more than relevant in present times as well.
2. Modern Indian Society
- Cultural homogenization: Within the large Indian society, various groups get intermixed without losing their unique characteristics. This diversity is maintained even in the face of globalization because of the tolerance towards different cultures.
- Defeat extremist entities: Any extremist groups like ISIS, Naxals, etc can only infect a small territory or indoctrinate only a few individuals because the society believes that the gains from these would be limited and short-lived. Love and tolerance towards diverse views will give larger gains.
- Reflect rationally and peacefully: It is because of the spirit of love and tolerance that we are able to contain any communal disturbances within a short time frame, despite the rise of fake news and provocative messages over social media.
- India’s global image: India is home to a large number of refugees and its credentials are unblemished when it comes to taking care of people who seek shelter and help. This also exists in our diaspora as they are the first to help Indians abroad and this was recently seen in the Ukraine evacuation.
Barring occasional incidents of violence and hatred, Indian civilization has always celebrated plurality and promoted love & tolerance. This spirit has countered the destructive forces within India and helped Indian society to survive, sustain and flourish. Today, religion has a big role to play in Indian politics and thus religiosity is seen to be side-lined by communal ideas which give greater electoral benefits.
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