The idea of Indian

Context: A Hindu-Hindi definition threatens to override a superordinate civic identity underlined by Constitution.

Analysing  “Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation”, a report published by the Pew Research Center:

• Paradox of Indian identity: Despite the centrality of religion and caste in India’s social and political life, there is a larger “superordinate” civic identity that exists.
  • While most Indians prefer to live in neighbourhoods of their caste or religion; prefers endogamy, a high proportion of Indians (82-88%) also say that being “truly Indian” means respecting all religions.
  • The starting point of the Indian paradox is the high incidence of bonding as opposed to bridging — bonding within one’s religious and caste communities, not bridging across such boundaries.
• Muslims with syncretised features: India’s Muslims are closer to Indian Hindus than to Pakistani or Bangladeshi Muslims.
  • India’s Muslims subscribe to the idea of karma, as much as the Hindus do; every fourth Muslim believes in reincarnation, in the purificatory power of the Ganga, in the multiple manifestations of God; and every fifth Muslim celebrates Diwali.
• Unstructured hyphenated identities: Indians want to be both Hindus and Indians, Muslims and Indians, Christians and Indians, and so on.
  • To put the matter comparatively, India is not like France, which allows no hyphens. Indians are closer to the American concept of national identity.
  • France is the ultimate melting pot, not the US, which is a political melting pot, but a cultural salad bowl. 
  • The latter concept allows hyphens to exist. Americans are Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Latino Americans, Jewish Americans, Asian Americas.
  • However, India’s hyphenation is not yet structured beyond the possibility of rupture. As many as 65% of Hindus believe that to be a true Indian, you have to be a Hindu.
  • The Constitution is completely against the doctrine that only Hindus are true Indians.

Way Forward: If regional pushback (from South Indian) expands its geographical ambit, the Hindi-Hindu-India politics will be weakened, and the superordinate identity will become stronger. If the current regime manages to reverse the pushback, India will be headed towards a breakdown of its superordinate civic identity.