The National Book of
India
John Dayal
There already is a National Book in India. It is the Constitution
which gives it the Rule of Law..
I have read the Bhagwad Gita many times in its English
translation by the philoshper and second
President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and hold it in high regard as I do
the Holy Quran, the Zen Avesta, the Guru Granth Sahib and others, which I have
read in parts over the years, also in their English translations. I wish I could
have read in the wonderful languages they were written it. I studied Hebrew for a couple of years, but that was
not enough to be proficient enough to read the Talmudic texts in the original. Knowing
Urdu is absolutely no help in reading
the Quran in its resonating Arabic.
As a Christian, the Bible is the book of my faith, and
holy for me.
There should be respect given to all books of faith,
and not just in India. But our Constitution is our national book because I
believe that it distils all the good the various books of faith contain in
themselves – the sacredness and dignity of the human person from the womb to
the end, the equality of all people, fundamental freedoms.
I fear that the erosion of our Constitution is taking
place right before our eyes. In the past one month, government ministers and
non-state actors have articulated their vision of an India of the future, and subtle
but perceptible changes have already been brought about towards goal of a mono-cultural
India which remains at odds with its vivid variety. This is a testing of waters
for a more direct assault in the future. It could be a matter of time,
Thank God India is a not a theocracy. Theocracies have a nasty habit of not being
very democratic, and eventually not very nurturing of the common citizen. We
have seen this in our neighbourhood, and in many other parts of the world.
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