The problem is within the diaspora

The Sinhalese are descendants of the first wave of Indian immigrants led by King Vijaya in the 6th century BC. They had converted to Buddhism in the 3rd century BC. The Tamils are descendants of the second wave of Indian immigrants under various Tamil Kings who invaded Sri Lanka around the 3rd century AD and ruled till the Dutch and Portuguese landed in the 15th century. Thus, the present conflict is really between two groups of Indian diaspora 8212; one Hindu and the other Buddhist.

India itself has had a sad history of the Buddhists persecuting Hindus following Asoka; followed by Hindus persecuting the Buddhists. Thus, it is but natural for a predominantly Hindu India, howsoever secular, to feel sympathetic towards the Tamil Hindus of Indian origin rather than Sinhala Buddhists of Indian origin. This sympathy appears to be shared equally by Indira Gandhi who violated Sri Lankan air space to drop food when they were nearly starving and V.P. Singh who permitted injured LTTE cadres to come to India for treatment. Thus, instead of indulging in mud-slinging, we must realise that most of India, if not all, is pro-Sri Lanka Tamils and that the reason is their Hindu affiliations rather than their Indian origins.

We have a problem at hand and no clue to its solution. Simply stated, problem is as follows: What should be the international policy of a secular Indian towards religious conflicts? quot;Secularquot; here refers to a person who gives no higher status to organised Hindu religion and considers all religions to lead to the same goal. quot;Indianquot; here refers to a belief that the ultimate truth and God is within, and the task is to exhaust and transcend one8217;s inner desires to reach that God. Tagore would call it karma-kshaya. Radhakrishnan would call it self-realisation. For the secular Indian, temples and idols and bhajans are but one method of reaching that inner self at par with the mosques, churches and synagogues.

It is this commitment to the inner self that makes the Indian put in unending hours to the task at hand. To make money becomes at once the spiritual as well as worldly task once the samskara of money-making is recognised. It is this commitment that gives success to the Indians wherever they have landed 8212; Fiji, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda, Guyana and lately the UK. Their success becomes a threat to others, as it has become to the Sinhalese of Sri Lanka. The Indian diaspora becomes somewhat like its Jewish counterpart in this regard.

How does a secular Indian react to the persecution of the Indian diaspora? This is the underlying issue of the Sri Lankan Tamil question. The cornerstones of our policy may be: 1 encourage the diaspora to adopt the language and lifestyles of the host country; and 2 engage other religions in a secular constructive dialogue.

The adoption of local language and lifestyles will take the itch out of the success of the Indian diaspora. Let the Tamil Sri Lankans adopt Sinhala language and dress. Let them be one with the majority culturally. This will prevent their success from becoming an ethnic or language question. Also secular Indians need to engage other religions in a constructive dialogue a la Vivekananda. Realising that the ultimate goal was reaching the God within, and that various religions sought to just that in their own distinct ways, the secular Indians have to bring this unifying factor to the fore.Of he Tamil question, India must 1 encourage Sri Lankan Tamils to integrate into the Sinhala mainstream; and 2 develop a secular Indian foreign policy of fostering a constructive dialogue with other religions of the world.