Freedom vs. Restraint: When Western and Eastern Religions Collide

THE HINDU
By Arghese K. George, Satish Nandagaonkar, Omar Rashid
Illustration: Deepak Harichandran
INDIA---While in most Western societies, individual rights are absolute and community rights limited or non-existent, in India, the situation is the opposite. While individual rights are not respected, community is valorised and glorified in India. Individual rights still do not command social legitimacy as opposed to the sentiment of “collective hurt.” Experts say there is a clear exploitation of religiosity in projecting “hurt sentiment.” Whose hurt sentiments, the question is. “Individual right is not established while community rights, which are valorised and glorified, are easy to manipulate,” says Subhash Gatade, author. [link]