The Hindu : New Delhi News : Pluralism shaped India's identity: Tharoor

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Sunday, Nov 13, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Pluralism shaped India's identity: Tharoor

Staff Reporter

`The choices we make as Indians will determine the kind of India we get'

NEW DELHI: Describing pluralism as an important factor that has shaped India's identity, United Nations Under Secretary General Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said "the choices we make as Indians will determine the kind of India we get''.

Making the observation while delivering the Golden Jubilee Lecture of St. Stephen's College here on "India from Midnight to the Millennium and Beyond'', the renowned writer-scholar said the singular thing about India was that it could be talked about only in plural.

"There is no one way of doing things. Nothing can be taken for granted here, not even the country's name,'' he said.

Held at the Allnut Lawns of the College, it was a lecture session that offered an optimistic vision for the future combined with a dash of reality check, while keeping the audience soaked in memories of the past.

On an evening that brought new and old Stephanians together for yet another celebration of the tradition and idea that Stephanie has come to be, the prolific writer, not surprisingly, sought to put forward the idea of India and Stephanie as one with a lot in common, including its multicultural identity.

Noting that India stood on the cusp of four important debates at the beginning of the 21st Century including bread vs freedom, centralisation vs federalism, coca colonisation and pluralism vs fundamentalism -- Dr. Tharoor added that the notion of nationalism should be celebrated as the commonality of major differences.

Urging the audience to celebrate the secular, pan-Indian look, well rounded education and eclectic social interest that have been vital ingredients of the Stephanian ethoes, Dr. Tharoor said that to be an Indian is to be part of an illusionary dream.

But then, the Golden Jubilee Lecture was also a time to remember old times. With Dr. Tharoor's speech laced with tid-bits about coffee conversations, crossword sessions and popular stories of his college days, the writer said: "In Stephen's I knew it mattered little where you were from, what language you spoke. We were all minorities at Stephen's. Region and religion did not matter. There were other things like whether you were a top student or good at something else that defined your identity."

Giving a real take on Dr. Tharoor's self-confessed rather optimistic vision of the country's future was Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ocean Development Kapil Sibal who responded to the lecture given by Dr. Tharoor.

Speaking on the challenges that lay before the country, the Minister said the challenges for the future were not so much for secularism and pluralism but those facing the ordinary man confronted with everyday problems.

While insisting he was only speaking in his capacity as an ex-Stephanian and not a Minister, Mr. Sibal also criticised the rise of caste politics and the demand for more reservations in all sectors.

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