Essay On Communalism

Communalism means placing one’s own community and religion above all other interests, sometimes even above the nation. This is a great hindrance to the efficient working of the democracy. India is a land of unity in diversity. India’s rich natural heritage has been praised by scholars and leaders all over the world. It is the culture not of one community but of many. All the communities and people who lived here for thousands of years have contributed to our cultural heritage. India’s art, music, literature and architecture have been enriched by people belonging to different communities. All citizens of India should be aware of the dangers of communalism.

Jawaharlal Nehru had rightly pointed out that the greatest danger for this country is

It served the colonial administration to divide and rule and therefore the prevailing religious differences were first used to project the social and cultural variations and then to promote political division by treating Indians basically not as Indians but as members of religious communities.

British imperialism in India perceived India essentially as two formations one is feudal principalities and religious communities. British administrators exploited the inbuilt divisions and tensions existing between feudal principalities and religious communities. These two categories used mostly for representation at durbars, ceremonies, giving of titles and awards, nominations to local bodies, municipalities, legislatures and in viceroys executive council and the type of politics approved and encouraged by British imperialism was only ‘Communal Parties’. A voter was classified as Hindu or a Muslim and so was a candidate and a representative. It is in historical context that communalism came to acquire the meaning of being opposed to national identity, of being against the secularization process, of being too narrowly and negatively attached to one’s own religious community and that too essentially for political