New India

One of the major problems facing India today is lack of national identity and fellowship. Indians prefer to identify themselves as Muslims, Hindus, Congress, Communists, Brahmins etc. Swami Vivekananda dreamt of a great India with an 'Islamic Body' and a 'Vedantic Mind'. According to me, in addition to body and mind, India needs to have a heart, intellect, a will and spirit. All these constitute a whole person. Islamic body implies prayerfulness, discipline and fellowship, which are three main attributes of this religion of peace. The very word 'Islam' means peace; it also means submission. Hindu Bahai mind implies a mind with a sense of the sacred and with a universal vision. Hinduism has been the most tolerant religion in the world, when St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus Christ reached India in 52 AD. It was a Hindu king who helped him to build the first Church in India. When Malik Ibnudeenar, a close associate of Prophet Mohammed reached Kerala around 650 AD, he was received warmly by the Hindu king of the place. Hinduism had shown such openness and hospitality thousands of years ago and it deserves to be seen as the mother of all religions. It is the most liberal, open and universal religion the world has ever produced. India earned the title 'Mother India' because of this openness. Sikh-Buddhist-Jain heart implies a heart of courage, compassion and non-violence. Sikhs have made great sacrifices for noble causes. A sikh family is proud to have at least one member in the Armed Forces. Parsi intellect implies initiative, enterprise and creativity. It was a few Parsis that put India in the Industrial Map of the world. Jewish will implies will to preserve in spite of adversities. The Jewish are best known for their strict adherence to law. India urgently needs a 'rule of law' and a strong 'will'. Christian spirit is the spirit of forgiveness and self-sacrificing love. India can grow to her wholeness and blossom to her destined greatness only when the people of India, especially religions in India, are able to forgive each other's trespasses of the past and come together in a spirit of reconciliation and mutual respect. Let this be our great vision of a great new India.