Composite culture was a fact of life well before the advent of Islam in India. In India, religion has never been the only way of forging identities. One would do well to remember the presence of a strong Dravidian substratum in Vedic Sanskrit. Later, a Sanskrit-Prakrit interface can be seen both in literature and inscriptions. Closer to the times when Islam first set foot in India through Arab traders in the early seventh century, there were interactions between Arabic speakers and those of many other Indian dialects, specially in Gujarat and other regions of western India. Almost 100 years before the sack of Somnath by Mahmud Ghazni, Ibn Haukal tells us that Arabic had become a spoken language in Gujarat. Would the cultural nationalists confirm that purifying "Indian" languages by purging "foreign" or non-Sanskritik influences, is not on their agenda?
The presence of a large number of "foreigners" such as the Shakas, Kushanas, and Hunas following the exit of emperor Ashoka in late third century BC was instrumental in creating conditions for integration at various levels. The Kushanas and Shakas adopted names such as Rudrasimha, Vasudeva, etc. and Indian divinities such as Samkarshana-Balarama, Buddha and Shiva in various forms figure on their coins. The entire Brahmanical social order was being reordered to make room for "foreigners". Manu's elaborate schema of varnasamkaras (mixed castes) is a product of those times. Even the so-called "external accoutrements" show considerable eclecticism. Boots, stitched garments such as the long coat (possibly a precursor of the modern dav nationalist' sherwani) and tufted cap - all brought by the so-called mlecchas - make their entry in these centuries. Such was the social reality.
Explanations for integration should not be sought in a simplistic manner by attributing it all to the "catholic" Hindu mind. On the contrary, several historical forces operated ... Larger historical processes of acculturation at different levels - linguistic, social, sustenance mechanisms, etc. spread of agriculture in non-Sanskrit speaking areas (resulted in) adaptive manifestations.
The modern culture nationalists, however ... fine the parameters of only 'Hindu sensibilities' and that too in terms of a hegemonically homogenised pantheon. It is well known how they senselessly demolished not only the Babari Masjid but also abodes of 'small Hindu' deities to create space for the 'big new Rama' at Ayodhya.
Cultural nationalists ... in the last two months, the cultural nationalists have stepped up their unabashed onslaught against Christians in various parts of India under the specious plea of stopping religious conversions by missionaries.
There should be no doubt about what is in store for the proponents of composite culture, for, the contours of the "one people, one nation, one culture" agenda are very clear. It is ironic that cultural nationalists accuse secularists - and perhaps by implication believers in composite culture - of being intolerant of dissent. It is not composite culture but cultural nationalism which poses a danger to India by seeking to constitute (national) identity in terms of religion ... (Source: The Times of India, 26 May, 1998)
