IN(dian) TOLERANCE

 

                                      IN(dian) TOLERANCE
          Many believe and profess that we Indians have a great level of tolerance and they also believe that this tolerance is not restricted by issues/ideas/things, but it is extended to all issues. BUT according to me this belief regarding Indians' tolerance is not true. Most of the people of India are not tolerant or open to many of the ideas/issues. People broadly practice tolerance in public, but when it comes to their private life they suddenly become intolerant. For instance, if you ask anyone his/her views about inter-caste/inter-religion marriage, they will be tolerant, but if you ask whether they truly allow their children to get inter-caste/inter-religion marriage, their tolerance turns into intolerance. This can also be understood by the fact that many parents in present days also brief their children that they should not marry anyone out of their caste. But generally these parents will be tolerant towards range of issues/ideas, in theory but not in practice. Thus the concept of tolerance in Indian society is largely theoritical and it is leastly practised in India.


    Let us look into the tolerance of State(INDIA) towards various issues. Our Constitution declares that the state is neutral to all religions i.e, India is secular. No doubt India is secular by the letter of law. But 'India' by itself is not organic. India as a state is represented by humans(elected members/legislature, bureaucracy/executive, judiciary and citizens). For India to be secular, its people have to be secular. Indian society is not yet fully secular- The periodic communal riots, booking of Jammu & Kashmir students under sedition charges for supporting Pakistan cricket team etc are a few testimonies to the fact that Indian society is not yet fully secular. The Constitution aspires India to be secular(an example/form of tolerance), but the problem is that tolerance is an independant and individual choice and it cannot be forced onto anyone.

      So the change has to take place at the grass-root level(individual level) to make Indian society tolerant towards many issues.

      I hope that the belief that many people have about Indians' tolerance become true and the people of India practice tolerance not only in words but also in action.