Intuitively, it would seem to be quite a task to "homogenize" Indian society. You guys have, what, dozens of languages and ethnic groups?
I've been wondering about something. Whet does the word "Indian" actually mean? Russian has two words, one of which means "ethnic Russian" and one of which means "resident of Russia" -- Russians, Ossetians, Jews, Chechens, etc. etc. etc. "Indian" doesn't have an ethnic meaning, does it? What is the origin of the word? Does it just mean "somebody born in India"?
--- uvj at vsnl.com wrote:
>
> India's anti-colonial movement was predominantly a
> secular movement. Hindu sectarian currents like
> the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha were on the periphery of
> the anti-colonial
> movement or were even hostile to it. Muslim
> sectarian politics became a mass phenomena primarily
> in 1940s, ie few years before independence. The
> British imperialism played a substantial role in
> building up Muslim sectarian movement which
> ultimately lead to the Partition of British India.
> India remains a secular state though Indian
> secularism faced a serious threat in the 1980-90s
> from Hindu sectarian movements. Since BJP's defeat
> in 2004 elections, BJP is in complete disarray. The
> claim that "Religion has come to be a tool of the
> state which is used to homogenise society" in India
> is a dubious one.
>
> Ulhas
>
>
>
>
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