The Culture of Tolerance: A Study of Indian History

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

History is not the story of rulers and their politics alone. It encompasses all occurrences and chain of events, major or minor, in all spheres of life. Of the various elements that constitute, influence and shape history, tolerance is by far the most important. It is the hallmark of civilization, and a bulwark against injustice and belligerence. In the context of human togetherness, the touchstone of right and wrong. and good and evil, is tolerance. Also, it is the most appropriate yardstick of a nation's greatness showing how far it has been successful in overcoming the inherent differences of its members, and how much it has conquered hatred and unpleasantness.

Tolerance assumes special importance in case of India. From time immemorial it has experienced a continual inflow of alien people. Like a magic land it has fired the imagination of all sorts of people: wanderers, settlers. raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. entering into this country and bringing with them new ethnicity, cultures, customs, religions and languages. In the context of the Indian pluralistic society, therefore, we have to examine tolerance as the story of equality in diversity and co-existence of peoples of different ethnic or religious backgrounds.

According to Arnold Toyanbee 'religion is the most important of all human experiences and activities' and 'In most periods of the history of the Indian subcontinent the Indians have felt more concern about religion than about politics and economics. Playing a dominant role in the lives of the Indians, religion assumes a special position in the context of tolerance. This book thus views the history of India mainly from the angels mentioned above.

Syed Osman Sher was born in 1935 in Biharsharif, a city in Bihar State, India. He received Master's degree from Aligarh University, India, in 1955. During the long tenure as a civil servant he also served Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO), as Chief Economic Secretary in Turkey: United Nations, as Consultant at Kenya; Commonwealth, as Trade Policy Adviser in Mozambique; and SAARC as Planning Expert in Maldives. Since 1991, he has settled in Canada, and is now a Canadian citizen.

A large number of his essays on economic and social development issues have been published in journals and newspapers. He has also written a book, The India of Ancient Times, which was published in 1999 by Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi.