The Hindu Business Line : Secularism turns on the IT magnate

We cannot afford to encourage hatred if we want a better future for our children... The majority religion should be like the elder brother, magnanimous to the younger brother... never mind how childish he can get.

NEW DELHI, Aug. 22

IS the technocrat in Mr N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys, giving way to a more reflective personality? An audience listening to Mr Narayana Murthy's impassioned plea for secularism at the First Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture in the Capital was pleasantly surprised to hear the IT tycoon talk on an issue that has been making headlines.

Quizzed on his observations on secularism - a topic decided upon for Mr Narayana Murthy by100-odd employees in his company - the Infosys chief told Business Line: "The sooner such issues are sorted out, the faster we can make progress in this country. Only, issues such as these should be put forth politely." And polite he was, as he implored the gathering comprising dignitaries such as Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Union HRD and Science and Technology Minister, and journalist and MP, Mr Kuldip Nayyar, among others: "... to rise above petty issues like caste and religion" and give up the language of hatred and create instead "a climate of enthusiasm and hope."

The lecture was organised by the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) in memory of its founder-chairman, Darbari Seth, and Mr Narayana Murthy delivered the first lecture.

Elaborating on why he chose to speak on the theme: `In praise of secularism: the musings of a lay person,' Mr Narayana Murthy said that he had sent out e-mails to 100-odd Infosys employees on the selection of topic and secularism had emerged as the talking-point. The average age at Infosys being about 24 years, this response could be indicative of the concerns of the younger generation.

"The right to life, freedom and liberty need to be protected, as long as they don't impinge on another's freedom," he said. "To me, my religion is a totally private affair between my God and myself." He pointed out that, in one way or the other, all people belonged to a minority in this diverse country. "We cannot afford to encourage hatred if we want a better future for our children... The majority religion should be like the elder brother, magnanimous to the younger brother... never mind how childish he can get." On the dangers of taking the communal path to divide people, he said: "A divisive mind is a one-way street with no U-turn."

And the reason for this call - "We are one of the poorest nations in the world, ranked 124 out of 173. About 200 million people do not have access to healthcare and 35 per cent of the population are illiterate. We cannot afford to lose our focus. We need to create an environment of hope and peace and it is the responsibility of all community leaders to become agents of change. Leaders will have to mitigate the effects of caste and religion. This is no time for hatred," he concluded.

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