How the Indian concept of secularism is different from the western model of secularism ? Discuss.

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Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Western secularism rests on a strict wall of separation that keeps religion private, while Indian secularism follows principled distance, equal respect for all faiths and state-led reform. India protects group rights under Articles 29-30 and reformed faith through Article 17 and temple entry under Article 25(2)(b).

**Introduction**

The West built secularism on Jefferson's "wall of separation" between church and state; India grounds it in Gandhi's sarva dharma sambhava, equal respect for all faiths, within a plural culture.

**Where the Two Models Diverge**

SKETCH: comparison | Western vs Indian Secularism
a: Western model
b: Indian model
- Strict separation :: Principled distance
- Religion private :: Religion in public
- Individual rights :: Individual and group rights
- No state reform :: State-led reform
- Church-state conflict :: Plural coexistence

1. **Separation versus distance**: France's 2004 ban on conspicuous religious symbols in public schools keeps faith out of state spaces, while India aids minority institutions under Article 30(2).
2. **Public expression**: Article 25 protects professing, practising and propagating religion, and the state marks festivals of every faith as holidays.
3. **Group rights**: India protects communities through Articles 29 and 30 and separate personal laws, not only individual believers.
4. **State-led reform**: Article 17 abolished untouchability and Article 25(2)(b) opened Hindu temples to all castes.

**Why India Chose Its Own Path**

1. **Historical roots**: Western secularism grew out of church-crown conflict; India's grew from coexistence, from Ashoka's Edict XII to Akbar's Sulh-i-kul.
2. **Contextual secularism**: Rajeev Bhargava's "principled distance" lets the state engage with or keep away from religion as equality requires.
3. **Strains**: The 1986 Act reversing Shah Bano fed the charge of selective intervention, and the Uniform Civil Code debate under Article 44 continues.
4. **Western variety**: The West is not uniform either: Britain keeps an established Church of England, while the United States tolerates public religiosity.

**Conclusion**

Both models seek freedom of conscience, but India's suits a plural, religious society, and S.R. Bommai (1994) made secularism a basic feature. Equal respect with principled distance offers the world a template for coexistence.

How the Indian concept of secularism is different from the western model of secularism ? Discuss.

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