NEW YORK: Pluralism as an inevitable ingredient of democratic societies is the basis of 'Bahudha and the Post 9/11 World', a new book authored by B.P. Singh. Foreworded by the Dalai Lama, Singh's book propounds the concept of Bahudha - a dialogue of harmony and peaceful living.
The Consulate General of India in New York and Oxford University Press hosted a launch and discussion of the book recently, where speakers included Ambassador Philip Talbot, Prof. Ralph Bultjens from New York University, Niko Pfund, Vice President of Oxford University Press, besides the author and Consul General Neelam Deo. In the book, the author underlines the importance of Bahudha as an instrument of public policy for harmony and also discusses the global imperatives of following such an approach.
The answer to terrorism, according to him, lies in respecting human rights and appreciating various cultures and value systems. He highlights the central role of education and religion in the building of a harmonious society and advocates the strengthening of the United Nations to become an effective global conflict-resolution mechanism.
The word Bahudha appears in a Rigvedic hymn where it is used to express manifoldness. Pluralism is the closest equivalent in English. Stating that pluralism is an inevitable ingredient of democratic societies, Singh said multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-lingual societies are necessarily pluralistic. There are boundaries of religion, race, language, etc.
The Bahudha approach does not believe in annexation of boundaries or assimilation of identities. Instead, it propagates dialogue and understanding of other identities, he explained. Further discussing his book, Singh informed the distinguished audience about how he started writing the book after the 9/11 incident which set him thinking on the global challenges facing modern societies. He looked at India's experience in handling the pluralistic challenge and in his book cites examples from the Vedas and Puranas and analyzes policies followed by Ashoka, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Akbar and Mahatma Gandhi.
Ambassador Talbot spoke about the various contemporary issues handled effectively and sensitively by Singh in his book and praised his idea of promoting dialogue and harmony among different people and societies. Prof. Bultjens' talk highlighted Singh's distinguished career as an administrator and his contribution to public life. He also touched upon his own intellectual association with Singh and his new book. The program ended with concluding remarks by Niko Pfund, Vice President of Oxford University Press, publishers of the book.
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