Outburst against Hindu rituals like 'bhumi puja' is against secularism

Hindus perform a bhumi puja on the occasion of any construction activity to seek forgiveness from the mother earth and nature

Recently, S Senthilkumar, a Member of Parliament from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, lashed out at some Public Works Department officials for inviting a Hindu priest to perform a bhoomi pooja (ground-breaking ceremony) for renovating the Allapuram lake near Pennagaram. He said, "Is there any norms stipulating that a priest should officiate a government event... Tamil Nadu government follows the Dravidian model. Chief Minister MK Stalin's events do not follow any particular religious practice."

MP Senthilkumar told the media, "Why should we follow the practice of just one religion and avoid others ?... I prefer having representatives from all religions, even someone who represent an atheist. If the organiser is not able to invite other representatives, it would be better to invite none."

Senthilkumar's basic argument in this whole episode seems to be that ours is a secular republic. No Hindu rituals should hence be performed at any state function. One finds Senthilkumar's argument to be deeply fallacious from the viewpoint of secularism itself. Secularism, from the viewpoint of our Constitution, means respect for all religions and their rituals. It means no discrimination against any religion or its rituals. Hence Indian secularism does allow state officials to choose a Hindu ritual for a function like the one that is being talked about in the present context.

The contemporary history of India bears out the state in the country does not come in the way of those religious rituals which are innocuous and not detrimental to the larger public interest. In 1968, the then Tamil Nadu chief secretary directed all department heads in the state to remove portraits of gods of all religions from government offices in a phased manner. In 2010, a Bench of the Madras High Court asked the state government to take all steps to ensure that no religious functions are conducted or religious structures built within the precincts of government offices. Such directives have hardly been complied with.

Importantly, Senthilkumar's outburst against the bhumi puja shows he has little understanding of the purpose of this ritualistic invocation. Hinduism stresses the peace and welfare of the entire universe. It cares for all living beings herein. As part of this basic philosophy, Hindus perform a bhumi puja on the occasion of any construction activity. In this worship, they seek forgiveness from the mother earth and nature, for they are aware that any construction activity is sure to lead to the uprooting of many living organisms dwelling in the given land.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

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