Dear Fred & RKN, I'd also like to add in this respect that those within India's border do not coexist peacefully, be it Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs. We have only to see, the eruption of communal violence at the least infraction. Add to this the call for bandhs, strikes, walk-outs in parliament, calls for religion-based reservations, different laws for different religious sections of society (or at least exceptions to the secular law) and you have what to the casual observer seems like mayhem instead of a cohesive democracy.
I fully agree with RKN, that the key to sustainable democracies is education and prosperity. When people are busy paying off their mortgage for their five bedroom houses, they are little concerned about differences in religious ideologies. Economic equality and education bend our way in thinking that the individual is made stronger through the interests of the collective. Elisabeth -------------------------------- --- Radhakrishnan Nair <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > <<Fred Noronha wrote: If Europe, which taught Asia > the ideas of > nationalism, can turn its back on it, why can't we > forget the more > intense forms of 'nationalism' and think of wider > spaces and borders > that benefit all?>> > > Well, Fred, maybe we can attempt it after we've > attained Europe's > educational and economic standards. But such an > experiment in today's > South Asia, where people have to fight for clean > drinking water, is > doomed to be an unmitigated disaster. In the present > scenario, it will > benefit none. > > <<Fred: I don't agree with my colleague RKN's view > that an undivided India > would have been unsustainable. To me, it seems based > on the logic that > Muslims-aren't-people-like-us.>> > > No, that's not what I meant. > > <<Fred: (Who is the "vast sections" of South Asia > whom RKN is talking > about? Don't they exist within the borders of > current-day India?)>> > > Sure they do. As Goanet archives would show, there > are fanatics among > Hindus and Christians too :-) And India is paying > dearly for > harbouring such elements within its borders. > > Education and economic stability are the key, Fred. > Theoretically, > it's all very nice to profess pacifism and stuff but > as long as the > majority remains illiterate and underfed, it's just > impossible to put > our lofty ideals into practice. > > Cheers, > RKN > _______________________________________________ > Goanet mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
