Source: beta.thehindu.com
CHENNAI, INDIA, September 7, 2009: This long article, excerpted from the valedictory address by Professor K. N. Panikkar at the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Department of Christian Studies, University of Madras, on September 4, discusses the different nature of the public sphere in India as compared with Europe, and the ways in which colonialism and other historical considerations led to this difference. It includes the following paragraph:
A debate has questioned the view (once commonly held) that modernization and secularization are closely linked and that the influence of religion declined in a scientifically enlightened society. But instead, religion has emerged as a powerful influence in the public sphere all over the world, particularly in India. A national survey conducted by the Centre for Developing Societies, New Delhi, testifies to the growing influence of religion in Indian society. Four of every 10 people surveyed said they are “very religious” and five more said they are “religious.” In other words, 90 percent of the respondents claimed to be religious — performing rituals, visiting places of worship and undertaking pilgrimages. And 30 percent of these claimed to have become more religious during the last five years. An increase in the number of religious institutions is another indication of the religion’s growing influence. Far from declining in the face of science and modernity, religiosity in India has increased.