'Secularism a lost cause, look for less contentious alternatives' (Book Review)

New Delhi, May 17 The foundations of a secular India were laid against the background of mutual suspicions between the Hindu Right and the Muslim leaders in the run-up to Indias Independence, "not exactly propitious circumstances for experimenting with an alien concept that had proved controversial even in the lands of its birth", says a new book on the disruptive issue that urges a new beginning with "less contentious alternatives" that will enable the two communities to live in peace and harmony.

"Looking back, in the light of subsequent events, it is easy to question that decision. To be sure, it was a deliberate choice driven by Jawaharlal Nehru's westernised liberal outlook. There was no attempt to explore an indigenous model: a system that would have recognised the predominantly Hindu nature of Indian society without necessarily declaring India a Hindu state," journalist-author Hasan Suroor writes in "Unmasking Indian Secularism – Why We Need A New Hindu-Muslim Deal"