The most charming thing about human beings is that they are not static. Hence, the orientation of human societies also keeps changing and apparently governs the other species. India is known for its unity in diversity. This diversity appears as a strength most of the time, and there are historical facets which keep the quest for the diversity alive.
The democratic system came up with the concept separation of powers to manage systems, maximize efficiency and bring stability. But perhaps it was unable to read the future where the delegation of power will not be the underlying principle, and bureaucracy will become so strong that it will start acting more as a facilitator than a caretaker.
Have a look at the three headlines in the following picture published in Indian Express. It depicts the diversity of the Indian system, political, judicial and civil, in such a tremendous manner!
The Political Executives
It may have occurred to you that it is actually a similarity and not diversity. But let me tell you that the difference underlies when you come to know that Vir Savarkar always believed that there should be separate agencies in an undivided India for religious sects. There was an idea of the Indian subcontinent. The idea was also to abolish the caste system and assimilation through competition for excellence. Parties which subscribe to this ideology of Savarkar may easily be called the right-wing parties, and hence, those who are against it, come to be known as left or undecided.
The Indian National Congress never propagated these leaders, but yes, they have tried to celebrate right-wing leaders to revive themselves in Indian politics. The two diverse political rivals in contemporary India are simply said to be in a race of winning more support for nationalism. The DNA of both these rivals say that there has been a common hiccup to accept Pakistan as a separate nation. Someone utters it; someone doesn’t. But their diversity is left behind when the foreign policy, especially related to the neighbors, has been more or less unified.
The Religious Representatives
The history keeps the seeds alive and launches them as trees at an appropriate time. Injustice travels across generations and can’t be suppressed by contemporary actions. This is what is happening right now. There are multiple groups in India which must have done an in-depth study of issues like Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir. And the basic realisation is that “Yes, the Mughal’s have broken down churches and temples.” In India, Christianity is a minority religion and so is Islam and others. But when it comes to temples, there comes an ego clash along.
Despite knowing about the historic domination, neither of the groups were ready to accept reality. It is being acknowledged that it was just an imposition of will on people by the rulers, and the same must not have visualised the underlining capacity of those actions in creating a cultural divide. But thanks to the diversity that a responsible person has advised publicly to correct the historical mistakes, which means, unity of existence is being aspired even when there are big differences.
The Judiciary
The Bombay High Court ordered the establishment of Metro shed in Aarey. Some trees were removed, and we saw social activists, Bollywood actresses and other people coming out. They wanted to save the trees as people did in the Chipko Movement. The Supreme Court stopped the actions taking notice of the PIL. It brought the cooling period. Now, SC has clarified that there is no issue. Here, the unity of the High Court and the Supreme Court is in favour of development.
This diversity of thoughts must be maintained—even when the world is rapidly going online, getting polarised and leaning more towards like-minded groups. But the most important thing amongst all differences is to imitate great leaders such as Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi: single-minded in goals but different approach. Asian countries have a legacy of political dynamism, but we need to understand that systematised posts like political executives and bureaucratic posts are highly regularised, and hence, may appear similar if analysed deeply.