The Relevance of Religion in a Socialist Economy- India at a Glance

Socialism has been defined as a political and economic structure which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. In Indian context ,after independence ,the the structure of development laid out by Jawaharlal Nehru and his team ,foremost among whom was Statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis , had the structure of  socialist economy with special emphasis on heavy industries and power projects. The whole design was laid down with the planning commission in the helm. Jawaharlal Nehru was thought of as the socialist or left- inclined political persona for his basic political ideology. It was considered that without the supervision of the state, the economy cannot function optimally securing welfare for the masses. This whole arrangement began to change gradually after 1991 Liberalization period. The step by step privatization and opening up of the economy and the relaxation of licenses connected India to the global market but nevertheless too much privatization has always been a bone of contention and has found very few advocates in its favour. If we take history into concern also we would see everywhere education and healthcare development at the grassroots level and formation of efficient human capital  has been achieved  by  government efforts. If India suddenly tries to do it otherwise it will be a boomerang. And if India fails in the newfound effort it will be the first country where economic growth will be observed simultaneously leaving out a large section of the masses . It is quite unlikely because except of capable human resource the economic growth has to be hampered.

Scriptures and the Socialist View:

The Bhagavad Gita has been widely accepted and researched upon as a source of essential philosophy for mankind. Here ,one of paths of liberation is called  ‘Karma Yoga’  doing a job without the thought of results or presenting it to the Lord. Now the inspiration of ‘Karma’ generally lies in religion. Even tribals have their own religion and religious practices.

Swami Vivekananda once said that however astute ‘atheist’ a person may claim himself , if the skin is scratched  the glow of devotion will come out. Swami Vivekananda emphasized on ‘Karma Yoga’ as the foremost effective path for the modern age. 
Some people also call Rabindranath Tagore, another doyen of the same era as Leftist because of his inclination to social equality and egalitarianism in opposition of social hierarchy and social inequality. But the basic inspiration, if any in his writings and art is surely the sense of the divine. It typically involves a concern for those in society who are disadvantaged relative to the privileged, as well as a belief that there are unjustified inequalities that need to be reduced or abolished by advocating social justice.

From a common standpoint doing a job without the thought of the result or benefit is very difficult. Religion is the benchmark of perfection while socialism can said to be the engine of progress .

Oppression in the society comes when the co- habilitation of the two is denied. When the use of rationality and logic is lost in religious discourses this actually happens. In the Hindu thought of ‘Liberation’ the state of freedom is through overlooking the result, focusing on the ‘Karma’ itself. If results are withdrawn from ‘Good Karma’, the effects of Karma must create fair play and wellbeing in the society, that tends from the individual to the collective wellbeing. 
Therefore the idea of socialism is inherent here.

In Quran ,the advent of various Nabis or  Messengers of God clarifies the glory of God. This has happened in different ages and around the Divine Messengers different communities have taken shape. Prophet Hazrat Muhammad spread his message by inviting various chiftains and kings to his religion. In Islam  the concept of ‘Jihad’ is justified  only against an  enemy that makes it impossible to follow the religion or encroaches upon the territory where the religion is practised. ‘Jihad’ has been depicted under many other lights such as ‘Jihad against all evils’ or  ‘Jihad for education’  or ‘Jihad for social justice’  against cruelty. In Islam the driving force is the ‘Cause’.  It is slightly different from that in Gita which advocates Karma for Liberation. In Quran the cause- driven work or activities naturally takes shape in collective action. Therefore within Islam the practice of socialism and equality is a rare gift to mankind.

We have to say that it is the socialist thought that evolves modern societies and wards off  the  ugliness of capitalism. Indian society has been an active proponent of this structure. In it lies the goodness of our past and the emancipation of the future problems.