I was born into a Hindu family and brought up as a liberal human being. For over five decades of my life, there was no conflict between these two identities, Hindu and liberal.
As a child, I remember my father taking us to visit temples, dargahs, and gurdwaras. And in my Jesuit school, I also prayed in a church. So, I grew up with innate respect for all religions.
Of course, being Hindus, we would have havans where the gayatri mantra was recited; on Diwali evenings, we would gather around my mother’s Ram/Sita/Lakshmi idols to perform the family aarti; on weekend mornings, the house would be suffused with Hari Om Sharan’s mellifluous bhajans; as kids, we loved the poori and halwa that was cooked on ashtami; my mother kept a fast through navratras, my father never did, enjoying his evening beverage all through those nine days; I’ve read the Hanuman Chalisa for every day of my life since the 1980s; and every time the family bought a new car, it would be driven to the neighbourhood temple to get a vermilion teeka.
That was my childhood Hinduism – moderately devout and believing, but not rigid or overtly ritualistic or puritanical. For instance, when my parents died, nobody shaved their heads. It wasn’t required (literally, because of my handsome bald pate!).
We’ve never needed to “prove” our Hindu credentials. We always were Hindus, in values and attitudes, who happily celebrated Christmas, instigated Muslim friends to send extra biryani on Bakra Eid, and enjoyed kadha parshad on Gurpurab. We’ve never been conflicted about this harmony between our Hindu upbringing and celebration of all Indian religions.
Not just Hindus, but most of India has always been tolerant, accommodating, assimilative, respectful, and liberal. There have been occasional skirmishes and politically engineered communal riots, but as aberrations.
Our democratic institutions – parliament and legislative assemblies, judiciary, executive organs, law enforcement agencies, and media – have been broadly secular and agnostic to a citizen’s religious affiliation. They’ve been committed to a liberal charter. We’ve been a communally peaceful country where religion has stayed a personal article of faith.
But in the 21st century, something has altered for and among Indians. We are now drowning in a litany of mischievously untruthful and illiberal narratives that are peddled on WhatsApp groups and “godi”, or lapdog, media. Revivalist, fake history is being rewritten into textbooks.
Unfortunately, there are increasing echoes of illiberalism among the Indian American diaspora, which should have been a beacon of liberal thought and conduct.
As beneficiaries of a democratic, multi-cultural society in America, they should be the last cohort to resonate with such prejudice. Instead, they should be the torchbearers of the soul and essence of India.
So now, there’s a pressing need to reassert, revitalise, and amplify the voices of endangered liberalism. This is where and why VIGIL is stepping up to take guard.
VIGIL – Voice of India: Global, Inclusive, Liberal.
It’s a new offering on The Quint, with articles, interviews, podcasts and more — VIGIL will champion these themes of pluralism and inclusivity, creating a forum where liberal views and values are articulated with clarity and conviction.
We invite you to read, listen, engage, share, and join us on this VIGIL.