A Vision of United India

Chapter 9

The Hindu-Muslim problem and its solution

But with the advent and conquest of India by the Muslims, there came a rift both in the religious and social fields and consequently in the political field. We shall not go in detail into this aspect, since it has already been discussed in the first part of the book; but what is of importance and relevance to the present situation is to find out how this rift can be removed and a sound unity established. It has to be clearly understood and stressed that most of the problems of modern India - whether it be the creation of Pakistan and the subsequent tensions in our relationship, the Kashmir problem, the Ayodhya problem, and the communal riots -these are all manifestations of this single problem, the Hindu-Muslim problem. It is this that needs to be tackled. Once this is solved, all the rest will follow.

At the same time, we have to note that even after the rift, there has been a continuous effort to bring the two communities together. The Indian effort at assimilation has continued unabated. Despite the rift created by the irruption of the Mohammedan peoples with their very different religion and social structure, there continued a constant effort at political unification. There was an effort towards a mingling of cultures and their mutual influence on each other; some heroic attempts were even made to discover or create a common religion built out of these two apparently irreconcilable faiths and here too there were mutual influences.

But throughout India's history, political unity was never entirely attained and for this there were several causes — first, vastness of space and insufficiency of communications preventing the drawing close of all these different peoples; second, the method used which was the military domination by one people or one imperial dynasty over the rest of the country which led to a succession of empires, none of them permanent; third, the absence of any will to crush out of existence all these different kingdoms and fuse together these different peoples and force them into a single substance and a single shape and last, in recent times the religious divide between the two communities.

All these problems are now being tackled. Those vast spaces, which kept her people from closeness and a full interplay, have been abolished in their separating effect by the march of Science and the rapid strides in communication. Also, in the 50 years after attaining independence, the idea of a federation has slowly taken shape and the complete machinery for its perfect working has been discovered and is fully at work.

It is true that the ancient diversities of the country carried in them great advantages as well as drawbacks. By these

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differences the country was made the home of many living and pulsating centres of life, art, culture, a richly and brilliantly coloured diversity in unity; all was not drawn up into a few provincial capitals or an imperial metropolis, other towns and regions remaining subordinated and indistinctive or even culturally asleep; the whole nation lived with a full life in its many parts and this increased enormously the creative energy of the whole. There is no possibility any longer that this diversity will endanger or diminish the unity of India. Above all, the spirit of patriotic unity has been too firmly established in the people to be too easily effaced or diminished, and it would be more endangered by refusing to allow the natural play of life of the sub-nations than by satisfying their legitimate aspirations...

India's national life will then be founded on her natural strengths and the principle of unity in diversity which has always been normal to her and its fulfilment the fundamental course of her being and its very nature, the Many in the One, would place her on the sure foundation of her Swabhava and Swadharma.

The Hindu-Muslim problem and its solution

But as already mentioned, the one problem that needs to be resolved is the Hindu-Muslim problem and that needs to be taken up urgently. For this to happen, it must be made absolutely clear that Hindu Muslim unity is not possible unless India-Pakistan relations improve radically. It is to be hoped that the present attempt and thaw in Indo-Pak relations will be carried forward to its logical conclusion. That conclusion will be that the State of Pakistan merges with India and once more becomes an indivisible part of India For the very existence and foundation of Pakistan is that Hindus and Muslims cannot live together. It was on this basis that Pakistan was created. However, the history of the last 50 years has shown how unstable Pakistan is and the simple reason for this is the falsehood of the basic premise on which Pakistan is built. As a matter of fact, there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan and they are living a life of dignity and harmony with the rest of the country. It follows that steps have to be taken to dismantle the state of Pakistan. This does not mean an attack on Islam; rather it will mean finding out a greater harmony between the two religions and as a final step between all religions. This is the first condition to bring about a deeper understanding and harmony between the two communities. But it is evident and must always be kept in mind that all this cannot happen overnight; it needs a long psychological preparation and some practical steps on the external plane. We will have to start by becoming good neighbours and live peacefully. This will ultimately and inevitably lead to the creation of a united

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nation. What then are the steps to be taken towards Pakistan and what should the policy be?

Steps to be taken towards Pakistan

Our policy should base itself on the following planks: As seen in the earlier chapters, the biggest obstacle to unity in the subcontinent is the Pakistan Army and its sister establishments in Pakistan. The first step would be, therefore, to weaken the military. This has to be done by supporting the return of democracy in Pakistan. For in a democracy, the governments are obliged to respond to the basic needs of the people, and that will put pressure on large military budgets. At a later stage, one can even envisage the unification of the two Armies.

Second, constituencies in Pakistan whose livelihood and prosperity depend upon good relations with India should be nurtured. That will mean that we have to develop the growing trade relations between India and Pakistan. In this, India should take the initiative. The example of West Germany is a living testimony of this approach. We should not allow the initiative to rest with Pakistan. A probable step in this direction could be by declaring unilateral freeing of trade.

Third, we should help the secular minded people in Pakistan to come closer to us — through people to people and professional contacts, by throwing open opportunities for education and training, and cultural activities. The disillusionment of the middle class with the failure of Pakistan can play an important role in turning the tide in favour of India.

Fourth, on the political plane we must deepen our relations and understanding with the United States, Russia, China, and other neighbouring countries that see Islamic fundamentalism as a threat to the stability of their societies. Obviously, this is a large agenda and it requires a steady purpose, and time to fructify. But above all, it needs a national consensus covering all parties, with secularism, economic success, and a strong national defence as the underpinnings of our future.

Finally, and most important, we must reinterpret all the religions practised in India - Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and all other religions, which are practised in the country — at a deeper level. The time has come when we have to begin to seriously consider what they all really mean and are in their soul, that is to say, in their very reality and essence. Once that is done, we shall realize that there are no real differences.

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