The End of India - Khushwant Singh

‘I thought the nation was coming to an end’ - When Khushwant Singh witnessed the violence of Partition nearly seventy years ago, he believed that he had seen the worst that India could do to herself. But after the carnage in Gujarat in 2002, he had reason to feel that the worst, perhaps, was still to come.

Analysing the communal violence in Gujarat in 2002, the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, the burning of Graham Staines and his children, the targeted killings by terrorists in Punjab and Kashmir, Khushwant Singh forces us to confront the absolute corruption of religion that has made us among the most brutal people on earth. He also points out that fundamentalism has less to do with religion than with politics. And communal politics, he reminds us, is only the most visible of the demons we have nurtured and let loose upon ourselves.

A brave and passionate book, The End of India is a wake-up call for every citizen concerned about his or her own future, if not the nation’s.

Dedicated 'To all those who love India'; the book 'The End of India' is by Khuswant Singh, one of India's well known writer, columnist and MP, who was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1974 but returned in 1984 in protest against the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar; had to face the wrath of partition, during Independence, believed that Indian democracy was fragile, and unless it struck strong secular roots, it would crumble and fall. The rise of religous fundamentalists, is a big threat to the country, and he liked the word 'fundoos' coined by Githa Hariharan.

In five parts, Khushwant Singh gives a brief introduction, put's forth the case of Gujarat - book was written around that time, put's forth his views on The Sangh and It's demons, writes about Communalism - An old problem, and finally ask Is there a solution?

After the 1970 riots in Bhiwandi and Jalgaon, Maharashtra government under S.B. Chavan accepted Judge Madon's damning report with all its recommendations. Modi's government after Gujarat riot, dismissed the report of National Human Rights Commission as incorrect and biased; which many even from centre supported and it was a propaganda by the 'pseudoseularists'. After the attack on the train at Godhra, far from putting the perpetrators down with an iron hand, the government colluded with the mischief-makers imbued by the spirit of badla, armed mobs were out taking revenge. Not only did the police remain inert, when the army arrived on the scene, it was not deployed. Flag marches don't frighten evil-doers, but orders to shoot at site do, which was done late. As he predicted now the Gujarat experiment is being repeated all over India.

If fundamentalists have any religion at all, it is hate. Abuse and lies come more easily to them than reason and logic. Their private armies are designed to implement political agendas through force and to be used in communal riots. They take up the jobs of courts and police.

The feeling that Hindus had been deprived of their legacy and humilated by foreigners had deep roots. It was during British rule that Hindu nationalism took birth in Renaissance Bengal in 1886. The most powerful movement to begin with was the Arya Samaj under the leadership of Swami Dayanand Saraswati (1854-1883) and some of his followers were Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In due course of time, Hindu militant organizations took birth, most important of this being RSSS founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar from Nagpur in 1925. He was succeeded by M.S. Golwalkar followed by Balasaheb Deoras. By 1990 RSS had over one million members. L.K. Advani became the chief apologist for Indian fascism in politics here, sharing ideology from Guru Golwalkar, who had in 1939 tract 'We, or our Nation hood defined', seemed to suggest that he shared Hitler's ideas about racial purity and approved of his methods. We talk about Taliban using religion to stifle the social and cultural lives of the people of Afghanistan. The same thing has been happening in our very homeland as well.

Nehru was of the opinion that the leaders of secular state had no business to involve himself in religious matters. Unfortunately the leaders who came after Nehru were not as upright and staunchly secular.

The truth is that wherever people of different races, religions, languages and cultures have co-existed, instead of bhai-bhaism there is tension, and if land, property or business is involved, tension often explodes into violence. It is wrong and counter-productive to prentend this communalism is something that some 'One' has invented. The Sangh's genius was in creating a monster out of existing prejudices, after congress under Indira Gandhi, played its own dirty role. Over 3,000 men, women and Children were slained one long orgy of killing at Nellie in Assam in 1983. 1984 was the worst year for the Sikhs since they lost their kingdom 133 years ago over 5,000 men and women were martyred in Punjab and 3,000 in Delhi. BJP with brazenness is dangerous as it uses democracy to camouflage its fascist agenda. Every religious or ethnic group in India can and has been invited to kill and plunder and has blood on hand.

We are condemned to repeat history. Most of us have double standards of judgement: We are unable to see the shortcomings of our own religions but more than eager to see the fatuous in other people's faith. The Ram-Rahim approach is just a smoke screen. Once we have seen the villain in ourselves, we will have taken the first step towards securing our future.

A small Book(let) of 163 pages, was curious to read, since Saurav Gangulis Instagram post went viral, on 19th December 2019; and once got the book delivered, could not keep it down, until it was read page to page becoming 12th of 2020. What she had quoted was from page 72 "Every fascist regime needs communities and groups it can demonize in order to thrive. It starts, with one group or two. But it never end there. A movement built on hate can only sustain itself by continually creating fear and strife. Those of us today who feel secure because we are not Muslims or Christians are living in a fool's paradise. The Sangh is already targeting Leftist historians and 'Westernized' youth. Tomorrow it will turn its hate on women who wear skirts, people who eat meat, drink liquor, watch foreign films, don't go on annual pilgrimages to temples, use toothpaste instead of danth manjan, prefer allopathic doctors to vaids, kiss or share hands in greeting instead of shouting 'Jai Shri Ram....' No one is safe. We must realize this if we hope to keep India alive." We can see each of these words comming alive today after 17 years. ..

A factor that adds to the problem is the rapidly increasing number of the educated unemployed. The scenario is grim and getting grimmer day by day. What can be done about it?

1) Learn to live with it, we cannot wish communalism away. They have always been and will be there. Avoid tendency to build community-based housing societies, schools and clubs.
2) Official media should not be used to propagate religion.
3) When we are face to face with communal passion, the most important preventive and punitive method to be adopted is to use our intelligence. Foresee events.
4) We must restructure our police force with minority communities being over represented. It is police officers duty to know that the tension is building up, and actions need to be taken to defuse it.
5)Provisions should be made for summary trials on the spot where the incidents have taken place, and the magistrate should be empowered to impose collective fines on the area and to order public flogging of the people responsible.
6) We should unequivocally embrace the idea of secularism as defined in our constitution.

The Lakshman Rekha between politics and religion no longer exist. Religion has invaded politics and swamped it. Secularism has two meaning -
1) The western concept which makes a clear distinction between functions of the state which included politics and function of religion which are confined to places of worship, private or public. This is the concept that Nehru accepted, preached and practised.
2) Equal respect for all religion, propagated and observed by men like Bapu and Maulana Azad.

Leave the soul of the nation to constitution and the law. People in politics or holding elected public offices must not publicly engage themselves in religious rituals.


Bernard Shaw once wrote that every intelligent man makes his own religion though there are a hundred version of it. India needs a new religion. Five topics which are commonly regarded as the pillars of all religions are:
1) Belief in God
2) Reverence for avatars, prophets, messiahs and gurus who founded different religions
3) Place and use of religious scriptures
4) Sanctity accorded to places for pilgrimage and worship
4) The use of prayer and religious ritual.

With this he coined a motto for modern India: 'Work is worship, but worship is not work'

Ahimsa Paramo Dharma - Non Violence is the supreme religion.
He sums up his faith in time-worn cliches: Good life is the only religion. Ingersoll put it in more felicitous language: 'Happiness is the only good; the place to be happy is here; the time to be happy is now; the way to be happy is to help others'.

'The art of being kind is all that the sad world needs.'