awesome. Regards,
Jocelyn Britto Mumbai India On Tue, Apr 10, 2018 at 2:39 AM, Goanet Reader <[email protected]> wrote: > Many social problems exist in India, but, above all, is the > rising communal violence > > Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao > [email protected] > > As I listened to the various speakers [from different faiths > and sections of our society], Mahatma Gandhi's description of > the seven deadly social sins came to my mind. The Father of > the Nation named these as the seven deadly sins: "Wealth > Without Work; Pleasure Without Conscience; Knowledge Without > Character; Commerce Without Morality (or, rather, Business > without Ethics); Science Without Humanity; Religion Without > Sacrifice; and Politics Without Principle." > > I thank the speakers for the passion and love for the > country with which they delivered their speeches. Indeed, > they have highlighted that our beloved country is built on > diversity, tolerance and communal harmony and that the only > way it can continue to exist and progress is not simply by > maintaining these time-tested values, but, in fact, by > proactively fostering and strengthening these attitudes among > the people of India, across the divides of religion, creed, > region or language. > > We must admit that the 'deadly social sins' mentioned by the > great Mahatma are to be found in countries all over the world > and quite pronouncedly in our own, beloved India. > > There are many social problems existing in our > society which stand as stumbling blocks in the way > to development: poverty, unemployment, pollution, > regionalism, illiteracy, criminality, violence > against women, drug trafficking, child marriage, > corruption and various other challenges that are > posing a threat to the nation's development and > unity. But above all these social menaces, the > rising communal violence in India is emerging to be > the most dangerous of all social distrusts. > > Mahatma Gandhi realized the damage which communalism could > cause and attended to the problem with the seriousness it > demanded. He regarded the abolition of communal disharmony > and the ensuing Hindu-Muslim unity as the essential > pre-requisite for the Swaraj. > > Right from his early public life, Gandhi kept alive the idea > of communal unity. He lived in South Africa for twenty years > in the midst of Muslims, who treated him as a member of the > family. Realizing the lack of unity between Hindus and > 'Mussalmans' in South Africa, he said, "I had realized early > enough in South Africa that there was no genuine friendship > between the Hindus and the Mussalmans. I never missed a > single opportunity to remove the obstacles in the way of > unity" (M K Gandhi, An Autobiography or the Story of My > Experiments with Truth, Navajivan Publishing House, > Ahmedabad, 1927, p. 341). > > Our dear Pope Francis has placed culture in a very beautiful > light: "A culture is strengthened by its openness and its > exchange of views with other cultures, as long as it has a > clear and mature awareness of its own principles and values. > I, therefore, encourage professors and students to experience > the University as an environment of true dialogue, which > neither flattens nor intensifies diversity but opens to > a constructive comparison. We are called to understand and > appreciate the values of others, overcoming the temptation of > indifference and fear. Never be afraid of an encounter, of > dialogue, of debate!" (Address of Pope Francis to "Roma Tre" > University, February 17, 2017). > > Down the ages, India has been a rich and beautiful > mosaic, a confluence of many religions, races, > tribes and ethnic communities, having different > cultures, languages, scripts, customs, cuisine and > living styles, with very long ancient historical > traditions. Here Hindus, Muslims, Christians, > Buddhists, Jains, tribals, Jews and men and women > of every religion, language, belief and conviction > have, to a large extent, lived together in > exemplary harmony and tolerance. > > The world looks with awe at India's wonderfully diverse and > plural society. The composite culture of India owes its > existence not to one single community, race, tribe or > religion, but to an intricate collage of varied influences, > resulting in a way of life that has been crafted by an > intermingling of cultures and peoples over the centuries. > > May I use the words of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, who, in > his poetic style, tells us: "The highest education is that > which does not merely give us information but makes our life > in harmony with all existence. Melody and harmony are like > lines and colours in pictures. A simple linear picture may be > completely beautiful; the introduction of colour may make it > vague and insignificant. Yet colour may, by combination with > lines, create great pictures, as long as it does not smother > and destroy their value. Life’s errors cry for the merciful > beauty that can modulate their isolation into a harmony with > the whole ... Life is given to us, we earn it by giving it. > Let the dead have the immortality of fame, but the living the > immortality of love" (Rabindranath Tagore, Mohit Kumar Ray > (2007). "Poems", p.588, Atlantic Publishers & Dist). > > Modern India is truly a wondrous entity. It is a bouquet of > variegated flowers, a mosaic of multiple colours. The idea of > India could be continued because of the conscious acceptance > of pluralism by the leaders of India's freedom movement and > of the post-Independence period. > > In 1947, many had predicted that the immense diversities > would be fatal contradictions; and that, unable to withstand > divisive pressures, the union and the nation would collapse. > But the unprecedented pluralism delicately nurtured and > fostered by the constitutional ethos became the strength of > the body politic and, seven decades later, we are still a > vibrant democracy, the largest in the world, politically > united, geographically integrated and administratively > cohesive. > > Despite occasional hiccups and hurdles of riots and communal > tensions and polarisation, the cross-currents of a genuinely > plural society have powered the creative energy, enterprise > and egalitarianism which have taken Indian society far ahead > of the conditions prevailing here when the British left > India. This diversity has been successfully sustained by > democratic governance, right from the village-level to the > national level and by the values incorporated in the > Constitution of India. > > Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was convinced of the workability of > the Constitution. Speaking after the completion of his work, > the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee told the > Parliament: "I feel that the Constitution is workable; it is > flexible and it is strong enough to hold the country > together, both in peacetime and in wartime. Indeed, if I may > say so, if things go wrong under the new Constitution, the > reason will not be that we had a bad Constitution. What we > will have to say is that Man was vile." > > In recent times, the idea of India, with its > strongest pillars of diversity and pluralism, is > being threatened by several emerging trends: (1) > the emergence of both majoritarian hegemony and the > growth of terror and extremism engendered by the > growth of exclusivist religious fundamentalism, (2) > the climate of fear created by movements deriding > constitutional morality and constitutional ethics > (3) the threat of neo-liberal corporate dominance > with the rise of inequality and poverty, (4) the > threat of discrimination and violence due to > conflicts based on caste, class, gender, religion > and ethnicities, (5) ecological and natural > disasters due to rampant pollution and > over-exploitation of natural resources, and (6) > subtle and open attacks on the already marginalised > tribal and Dalit populations. > > The Catholic Church, along with the Bharatiya Sarva Dharma > Sansad, wishes to bring all men and women of good will > together for collective action to preserve and further social > harmony. We believe that all of us, intellectuals, spiritual > leaders, men and women from all sections of society, can > unleash a positive energy that can lead our country towards > an inclusive integral human development. To achieve this we > need, all of us together, to walk the talk that we are having > today and will be having in the days to come, in order to > promote communal harmony and dialogue, irrespective of > whatever differences in ideology and perspectives we may have. > > I am glad that the meeting in Goa organized by the Catholic > Bishops' Conference of India and the Fr. Agnel Region of the > Pilar Society, along with the Bharatiya Sarva Dharma Sansad, > wishes to address the youth to look forward towards this goal > and to move forward towards a continuous dialogue, promoting > a strong social bonding and harmony among the people of our > Country. > > May God bless us and may God bless India. > > Jai Hind! > -- > The above is an extract from the address of Archbishop Filipe > Neri Ferrao at the public meeting for Collective Action for > Dialogue and Social Harmony, organized by the Catholic > Bishops' Conference of India in collaboration with the Agnel > Region of the Society of Pilar (Ravindra Bhavan, Margão, on > April 5, 2018) >
