A Reflection on An Anti Secularist Manifesto: 4 Decades Later

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to read Ashish Nandy's paper, An Anti Secularist Manifesto.

Written in the context of India, with special emphasis on the political environment of the country over the years, the work truly is a magnificent insight into what we assume to be a truly secular country, but one which on further inspection reveals a number of degenerative flaws and a rigged system that runs in a vicious cycle.

Having read the paper in the aftermath of the 2019-20 Delhi riots, I chose to interpret it with respect to the present political scenario, and the relevance of the work today, in the 21st century. In that, it's a firm opinion that true secularism cannot be achieved in the India of today- considering how the ruling party's entire campaign and agenda stands on a deeply embedded base of communal disharmony. The people have been led to believe that the