Decolonizing Bharat, The Balu Way: An Interpretation of the Works of Prof. Balagangadhara and the Ghent School

Bharat is a civilisational-cultural unity that has stood strong for at least five thousand years. The people of the land defined by its geographical boundaries represent a unified culture transcending many of the divisive narratives breaking India today-Hindus versus non-Hindus, Dravidians versus non-Dravidians, tribals versus non-tribals, upper castes versus lower castes, and so on. The essence of Bharat is Sanatana Dharma, a phenomenon best understood as a conglomerate of many traditions-both Vedic and non-Vedic. Though the foundational basis of Indian culture has been Vedic, the interaction with non-Vedic traditions involved synchrony, syncretism, and even debates, but without physical violence. However, beyond all that, the fundamental characteristic of traditions toward each other has been "indifference to differences." This is the key to understanding the overwhelmingly peaceful nature of multiculturalism in the country, which involves many languages, religions, faiths, and sub-cultures. The current understanding of the world and India only fuels conflict. A deeper comprehension of traditional India could potentially rediscover solutions for the pluralism of the world packing now into increasingly smaller geographical areas.