When Swami Vivekananda decided to participate in the World’s Parliament of Religions neither he nor his followers in Madras, who inspired him, were aware that to appear in the Chicago conclave a formal invitation from the organiser and an introduction from a religious sect or institute was necessary. This is an indication that Hinduism was not an organised religion but a practice by individuals.

Vivekananda once wrote: “Religion is a question of fact, not of talk. We have to analyse our own souls and find what is there. We have to understand it and realize what is understood. That is religion.” Religion is therefore realization, a realization of the inner self. External material substances have no relation to religion. Religion cannot be found in books or in temples, mosques and churches. It resides in our minds. It is a perception. The quest for the unknown, the origins and the future makes man uniquely different from an animal. Man searches for God, prays for His blessings, and desires to get rid of daily distress and misery.

He always wants a sense of pleasure. Religion helps to bring an eternal life to man. On 11 September 1893, Swami Vivekananda’s said at Chicago: “Sectarianism, bigotry and its terrible descendant fanaticism, have possessed long this beautiful earth. It has filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations into despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.” Bigotr y and fanaticism, as described by Swamiji, still remains in a faction of our society. We experienced its presence and its fallout during the last several decades – in 1984, in 1992, in 2002 and also during the last couple of years. There was destruction; there were carnages, violence, hate speeches, assaults on a section of the people.

All these were in the name of religion – the works of organised religion. Swami Vivekananda was critical of organised religion. He wrote: “If you want to be religious, enter not the gate of any organised religion. They do a hundred times more evil than good, because they stop the growth of each one’s individual development. … Religion is only between you and your God, and no third person must come between you.” He said: “If you and I organise, we begin to hate every person. … If loving your own people means hating everybody else, it is the quintessence of selfishness and brutality, and the effect is that it will make you brutes.” A strong force in society believes today that India is the land of Hindus; all the people of India are united by common blood, tied by the bond of a common motherland and common culture.

It propagates Christians and Muslims as being of foreign origin as their Holy Land is outside our country. When a person or a community is torn between these two loyalties – one to his motherland and the other to his Holy Land – their actions become unpredictable. Therefore, they are to be assimilated in to Hindu culture or be treated as ‘infiltrators’. These believers blur the distinction between history and mythology. Often mythology is placed over history. According to them the day when the ‘Horse of Victory’ of Ramachandra returned to Ayodhya unchallenged was the real birthday of the Hindu people. It was stated to be truly our national day knitting Aryans and Anaryans into a nation from ‘Himalayas to the Sea.’

Every Indian must feel that the Ram temple in Ayodhya should be built in its original place. If it comes up there the identity of Hinduism will be established in the world. This is the doctrine that these people thrust upon society. Societal control on individual choices of religion, culture, attire, food habits – whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian – are getting gradually but prominently visible. According to a strong group, Hindutva is the basis of the Indian nation. ‘Ram’ and ‘Gau Mata’ are the basis of Hindu culture. They advise us to eat only vegetarian food. But the fact is that between two-thirds to three-fourths of Indians are said to be non-vegetarian by habit and culture. Not only non-state actors but state actors too are active. Some states have banned cattle slaughter; some have banned eggs in mid-day meals.

It is well known that the British rulers administered the ‘divide and rule’ policy and often promoted clashes between Hindus and Muslims. The monarchs of older days –rajas, maharajas, nawabs and sultans – exploited common people and amassed huge wealth. There was a caste system in society. There was oppression of the high classes on the poor and lower caste people. A heinous system like ‘untouchability’ persisted. In the words of Vivekananda: “That (Mohammedan) Rule was, after all, not all bad; nothing is all bad, and nothing is all good. The Mohammedan conquest of India came as a salvation to the downtrodden, to the poor. That is why one fifth of our people have become Mohammedans. It was not the sword that did all.

It would be mad to think it was all the work of sword and fire.” We have further observed that “Akbar embraced yogic practices, experimented with vegetarianism, and (was) so keen on understanding the power Hindus experienced in worshipping the sun that he memorized its 1,001 Sanskrit names. … Stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics were also illustrated in the royal atelier.” [Ruby Lal: ‘Vagabond Princess’] Diversity is the natural phenomenon observed in Indian society. The ethos of Indian society is to embrace one and all – these ideas are embedded in our blood. Hindu ideals teach toleration and acceptance of all religions as true. So an attack on this belief will be a direct assault on the concept of ‘secularism’ adopted by the people of India.

Diversity of thought, opinions and beliefs are the basic tenets of our nation and civilization. Vivekananda said: “…. Any attempt to bring all humanity to one method of thinking in spiritual things has been a failure and always will be a failure. You cannot make all conform to the same ideas.” It is fortunate and significant that the LOKNITI-CSDS [Centre for the Study of Developing Societies] Prepoll Survey Report 2024 reveals that 79 per cent of Indians believe India belongs to all religions equally and not just to Hindus. Thus there is almost a national consensus and we must not ignore it.

Urban areas (85 per cent) and educated individuals (83 per cent) show strong support to religious pluralism. Only 11 per cent believe that India belongs to Hindus while 10 per cent hold no opinion. India is poised to be a developed nation by 2047. The focussed mind should alleviate lesser issues and focus on the desired growth and its equitable distribution. Religious bigotry and intolerance will damage the social fabric and jeopardise future growth. It is essential to maintain social harmony, peace and freedom of mankind. We may conclude with the words of Vivekananda: “Liberty is the first condition of growth. .. Just as man must have liberty to think and speak, so he must have liberty in food, dress, and marriage, and in every other thing, so long as he does not injure others.”

(The writer, a Cost Accountant, worked with a public sector power utility.)