Freedom of thought has long been a cornerstone of Indian civilization, making its people among the luckiest in the world.
Unlike many societies that imposed prevailing orthodoxies, India has embraced independent thinking for tens of thousands of years. The Sanatan civilization thrives on challenging the status quo, welcoming diverse ideas. Even when belief in God was nearly universal, India fostered passionate atheists like those of the Charvaka school, who rejected the idea of God. Remarkably, agnostics and atheists are even included in India's sacred scriptures.
In Western societies and Abrahamic religions, people grappling with gender identity have faced immense trauma, unlike in India, where they’ve been accepted as part of society for thousands of years. While India embraced diversity, history shows stark contrasts elsewhere. Hitler’s delusions of creating a "superior race" led to millions of deaths and the genocide of Jews. The Spanish conquistadors destroyed Mayan cities and knowledge, deeming them works of "heathens." Fundamentalism stifled freedom and progress for centuries, with figures like Giordano Bruno and Galileo persecuted by the Church for their ground-breaking ideas about the cosmos, which challenged orthodoxy.
The only space of freedom left for people living under such repression was to claim to be more pure than their co-religionists, hence sects claiming to be holding the supreme truth emerged. The internecine bloodletting between them has impacted generations of people in Europe and the Middle East. In Christianity Protestants and Catholics have had huge battles over the centuries and in Islam, Shias and Sunnis have similar conflicts.
In majority-Hindu India, freedom of thought allows Christians and Muslims to practice their faiths without persecution. Hinduism, with its acceptance of diverse viewpoints, has avoided sectarian violence, even amid differing beliefs.
The other nihilistic ideology which mercilessly destroyed millions of lives and created a hell on the Earth was Marxist/Leninist Communist ideology. In Russia, Stalin and Lenin killed millions of people who were considered the enemies of the state. In China, Chairman Mao killed 60 million fellow country men and women. Right up until the 1960s Communist ideology was considered as the most revolutionary ideology which would bring equality and end poverty forever. Indeed, in most universities in the UK there were a huge number of lecturers and professors who absolutely believed that Communism and Socialism would be the final solution to create equality in the world. Pitted against them was the Western Capitalist model. For a long time a nuclear war seemed imminent between these two ideologies.
China's Communist regime has stifled over a billion people, restricting their freedom and controlling every aspect of life. While praised for its economic and military power, the cost to its citizens' liberty is immense.
In contrast, India allowed Communist parties to operate democratically. Unlike the McCarthy-era purges in the US, Indian Communists participated in elections and even governed Bengal for decades. However, over time, the people rejected the ideology, realising that while appealing on paper, Communism failed in practice, leaving it a relic of the past.
On my recent visit to India I have observed at first-hand how Indians relish the freedoms they enjoy. This is a country where you will find a crowded street with cars, motorbikes, rikshaws cows and a family of four or five on a scooter all jostling for space. To top it you may even see a Jain religious procession complete with a music band. Amongst all that chaos you may see an individual standing up and going flat on the ground and repeating this at every step. He is slowly making his way towards a Mandir where his favourite deity resides. No one bats an eyelid. He is on his own independent journey. Here is a country in which tens of thousands of naked Sadhus go about in their search of the ultimate truth. Ever since I was young I have seen young boys and girls selling balloons and other toys. The trade continues today. They stand with dignity and without any malice towards the very rich people whose children they hope to sell the toys to. This is a country where a girl walks on a rope to earn a few rupees under the gaze of her father. The building under which she is performing may house corporate bodies with world class technology. India today has women fighter pilots but there also women here who walk with a pot balancing on their heads.
The ancient knowledge of arts and crafts remain very much alive. The art of making beautiful sculpture by artisans have been passed down from generation to generation.
In an increasingly sanitised world the old treasures of knowledge is dying, but not in India. Looking around the world many countries are torn apart by fundamentalist ideologies. The aspirations of people are extinguished.
Indians really are lucky to live in a free, open society which is not engulfed in violence. In the seeming chaos of everyday life there is order. 1.3 billion Indians, a vast nation of around 28 states, numerous languages, cultures, many different ethnic groups, many religions, and conflicting political ideologies -yet in spite of all of that Indians live freely and pursue their goals without fear. There is a maze of layers after layers of Indian society. These layers complement each other. Within its huge diversity is unity. Could it be that Indian's are high achievers because of this freedom of thought?
India is indeed a wonder of the world.
