The Ideal of India : Secular Democracy with Development

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Polity. 3. Economy. 4. Society. 5. The nation. 6. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.

"Following Kosambi’s dictum that ‘no materialist can afford to neglect the effect of ideas upon social development’, this book studies the origin and development of certain ideas that have shaped India’s polity, economy and society through the ages. The caste system had initially provided a classic architecture for the formation of a comprehensive society our of a myriad of tribes; the priest played a most valuable unifying role, while the Sudra composed the working class. The system has outlived its original context; but now it is being increasingly nourished for narrow political gains. Its conceptual persistence is explained here with a variation of the Marxian notion of commodity fetishism. The book reveals a remarkable similarity between the patterns of evolution of the two major religions in India and in their core universal messages. The two communities can recover from the so-called Arkoun-Kuran effect through mutual understanding. To meet the Rawlsian condition for social stability in the midst of diversity of religion, philosophy and morality, it suggests a relatively positive content of secularism, for which, it transpires, the Constitution of India does have enabling provisions that all communities would approve.

According to Sankara, human beings secure knowledge from religion as well as from the exercise of reason. Now, it is through production—which is essentially their collective interaction with nature, as Marx points out—that they develop the faculty of reason. Despite differences in religion, all communities can discover a common ground in the realm of reason, and thereby recognise a bond of humanity vis-a-vis nature. Thus full employment imparts a favourable experience for universal realisation of the dignity of human beings, which in turn promotes inter-religion unity. The road to the ideal of India, namely, secular democracy, lies through the attainment of economic growth with full employment." (jacket)