[Reader-list] The "Sickular" History

Thu Jun 4 16:43:23 IST 2009

Dear Venugopalan

A few comments, a few digressions.

- As things stand, it would be foolish for the 'sickle' to be associated with 'communism' in India, for if the "Left" are 'communists' they have almost totally ignored those who wield the "sickle" in India. In that perhaps is some clue for the stagnation and/or decline of the political presence of the "Left" in India.

- But, you have given an interesting spin on the "SICK" in "sickular" being linked to "SICKle". You have added a dimension to the word though I did not (in my brief research) see that exclusive connection being highlighted.

- My 'falling in love with" the word "sickular" comes from my fascination with roots of words and how words gain currency (and the altering that takes place in their recognised meanings through time). 

- As I said earlier, I do not use the word "sickular" and I stated the reasons why not. But I will not ignore the powerful statement the word "sickular" makes and it's significance in symbolising the attitudinal and (in some ways) ideological divides in India.

- You seemed to have missed out on a reference I gave about the word "sickular" being used by Muslims too.

- I would suggest that attempts be made to understand the reasons why people use the word "sickular" rather than shutting ones eyes with the dismissal that it is "used by people with deeply convoluted, distorted and parochial biases against secularism" 

- The word "pseudo-secular" (I am told by Wikipedia) has first recorded usage by Padre Anthony Elenjimittam in his 1951 book "  Philosophy and Action of the R. S. S. for the Hind Swaraj". It appears that he used it against the Congress.

- There is much to be said in favour of the need for some forms of (limited) employment of "positive discrimination" or "affirmative action" in India. But beyond that, one often sees attitudes of "convoluted secularism"; "hypocritical secularism"; "selective secularism". For those I find the word "pseudo-secular" applies itself aptly

- Dont you think that when BJP professes that it is a "secular" party that it is "pseudo-secularism"?    

The more we put others in compartments in our mind, the more our own mind gets confined to a closed compartment.

Kshmendra 

--- On Thu, 6/4/09, Venugopalan K M <kmvenuannur at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Venugopalan K M <kmvenuannur at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The "Sickular" History
To: "sarai-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2009, 11:41 AM

When used by people with deeply convoluted, distorted and parochial
biases against secularism , the usage sickular is sickening indeed. At
least some seem to have the image of sickle (comprising the
traditional symbol of communism) in their mind while they use
sickularism with extreme derogation. Take for example the
coinage"pseudo secularism", the credit of which goes to the Hidutwa
brigade of the 1990s under the stewardship of LKA.  It is far from
truth to suggest that  they would have appreciated 'real' secularism
in the place of the allegedly 'pseudo' secularism.
You take pseudo secularism to be a point of reference not to ask for
the real one,but just to whip up passions and hate and ultimately to
proceed to your cherished Ramrajya,where the Constitution of India
would be thrown to dust bin by the irate Hindu mobs and Sadhoos and
Shankaracharis would take over as law givers (Manu would be reinstated
as the unchallengeable authority of law)

I have yet to come across a serious usage of the term 'sickular',
notwithstanding my benign curiosity  toward Ksmendra's and Inder
Salim's love for this coinage.
With my deepest regards to Kshmendra and Inder,
Venu.

On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 10:56 PM, Inder Salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Kshmendra
>
> SECULAR has lot to do with profane than with sacred, lucidly.
> So it is not surprising that contemporary dirty politics invents the
> word Sickluar.
>
> in many senses than one WE ALL ARE SICKLUAR PEOPLE , and that is not a
> bad category, given that fact that we can bring about a change in the
> society...... there is a possibility, but  those who think they are
> believers ought to study their practices, and analyze deeply how their
> beliefs are sustained by this Sickluar mass. If not down to earth
> believer, which is so rare, a believer is unwittingly a practising
> Sickular,  So better to be a known as Sickular, consciously....
>
> thanks for kissing the word SICKULAR on the cheek, i too am kissing
> the other side of it.
>
> love
> is
>
> On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 7:04 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> My burst of "love" for the word "slacktivism" that I got introduced to today reminded me about another word which I immediately fell in love with on first seeing it. The word is "sickular".
>>
>> I have personally never used the word "sickular" even though in it resonates and it encompasses my own evaluations of some attitudes one sees in India. I have preffered terms like "convoluted secularism"; "hypocritical secularism"; "selective secularism".
>>
>> "Sickular" is a powerful word but it is too dismissive for my liking for it often brings to a sudden end any reasoned discussion that could explore opposing viewpoints on interpretaions of "secularism".
>>
>> But, "Sickular" is a significant word for it symbolises the attitudinal and to some extent the ideological divides that exist in India.
>>
>> What are the origins of this word "Sickular"? I could not find it in any dictionary, nor was Wikipedia of any help. If someone knows, please let me know.
>>
>> "Sickular" apppears to be an India-coined word.
>>
>> - The earliest usage of the word "sickular" that I could locate  from Web sources is a 2004 comment by "Anonymous" on the site "Snap Judgement"  which has content pre-dominantly in Tamil:
>>
>> "When our so called sickular media were shy on even touching this gory murder, you did a splendid job of bringing out the truth."
>> http://snapjudge.com/2004/11/05/%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%AE/
>>
>>
>> Next after 2004, I could find use of "sickular" only in 2006. The word is seen figuring repeatedly after that in 2008 and 2009.
>>
>>
>> - Jan 2006,  "indusAquarius" comments on the Blog "Shadow Warrior" :
>>
>> "This Mahesh Bhatt is among the bigwigs of the Sickular brigade."
>> http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2006/01/british-mohammedan-preachers-vision.html
>>
>>
>> - Feb 2006, on the same Blog, "daisies" questions "DarkStorm" :
>>
>> "And your daily songs of "sickular" are not sickening for anyone ?"
>> http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2006/02/indians-as-blacks.html
>>
>>
>> - March 2006, on the "OUTLOOKINDIA" site, in a comment, "Ramchi" says:
>>
>> "Only in India where Hindu temples which are under the control of sickular governments charging Hindus for praying their Gods."
>> http://www.outlookindia.com/printdis_v2.asp?refer=64867&childid=64867
>>
>>
>> - March 2006, in the "Wisdom Blog" on the INDIATIMES site, "Ram" comments:
>>
>> "If not, at the first opportunity, fly out of India, leaving the country in the hands of this 'sickular' govt."
>> http://o3.indiatimes.com/wisenation/archive/2006/03/29/574301.aspx
>>
>>
>> - May 2006, on the site "Sepia Mutiny", "Gaurav" questions "Mahajan Skeptic":
>>
>> "In your scheme of thing I guess India was a Ram Rajya (oops, that is communal !), I meant paradise under "sickular" Congress until Devil (BJP) came and serpent (LKA) robbed Indians of innocence."
>> http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:yGIEYP-BFs4J:www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/003334.html+%22sickular%22&cd=90&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ae
>>
>>
>> - May 2006, "Blinded" comments in the "UNITED WE BLOG! FOR A DEMOCRATIC NEPAL" :
>>
>> "I am amazed that still you all are not aware of what is true secularism and what is happening to India due to sickular (secular) ideology!!"
>> http://blog.com.np/united-we-blog/2006/05/18/no-hindu-kingdom-celebrating-secularism-in-nepal/
>>
>>
>> - May 2006, "SPINDIANMEDIA" titles an entry in Blog of same name:
>>
>> "Vir Sanghvi's "sickular" double standards on stark display"
>> http://spindianmedia.blogspot.com/2006/05/vir-sanghvis-sickular-double-standards.html
>>
>>
>> - June 2006, we have "Shmuel Kuper" commenting on what appears to be an Israeli site "CROSS CURRENTS":
>>
>>  "Hopefully, the readers of this forum do not belong to the brainwashed sickular public who do not care to read facts that might confuse their brainwashed mind, and will find interest in facts rather than antisemite propaganda, the “isreali” media so excels in, putting the “Jewish” state as the #1 antisemite state in the Western world."
>> http://www.cross-currents.com/archives/2006/06/28/yisrael-valis-the-court-transcript/
>>
>>
>> - Jan 2007, on the site INDIANMUSLIMS, "Sharique" writes a piece, titling it "The SICKular parties" and writes:
>>
>> "Incidents like these often develop this feeling in me that would India have been in a much better position as a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ ? At least there would have been no hypocrisy on the parts of these sickular political parties"
>> http://indianmuslims.in/the-sickular-parties/
>>
>>
>> Kshmendra
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
>
> http://indersalim.livejournal.com
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