Continuous fight needed to preserve idea of India, says Parakala Prabhakar

Economist Parakala Prabhakar has said that only a continuous fight, vigil, effort, and striving will make India a secular, modern, tolerant, democratic, plural country with a scientific outlook.

He was here on June 16 (Sunday) to open a cultural meet organised ahead of the State conference of the Kerala NGO Union, a pro-Left organisation of government employees.

Mr. Prabhakar pointed out that there had always been two clashing ideas of India. One of them argued that the country belonged only to Hindus. All others such as Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs should accept the supremacy of Hindus and citizenship would be based on religion.

“The other idea said India equally belongs to everybody who lives here. There is no one particular owner. The ownership doesn’t come on the basis of religion. It is decided on the basis of citizenship, irrespective of religion, region, language, caste, traditions, or what you do or believe,” he said.

He pointed out that the country’s Constitution makers had not succumbed to the pressures of communal or religious passions and obscurantism exerted by the first idea mentioned earlier. “When they could take a stand like that, it is our duty to preserve the spirit of the inclusive Constitution they created and say this country belongs to everybody. That is the future of India,” he said.

Mr. Prabhakar said that the future of the country should not date back 5,000 years ago. “We are not here to worship the past. We are here to go forward into the future, into a tolerant, democratic, secular, scientific, modern India. That is the way forward,” he added.

Mr. Prabhakar said that a big army had been working for communal values. “Where is such an army for secular values? If you don’t have an army, you can’t defend secular values. Don’t think one election, winning or losing can decide everything. It is a continuous fight,” he added.

It was followed by a seminar on the media in which R. Rajagopal, Editor at Large, The Telegraph, and K.K. Shahina, senior editor, Outlook magazine, spoke. Sessions on gender politics, cinema, and Kerala development, too were held.