Rediscovering Fraternity: The Forgotten Value

A few days ago I was struck by a news item that the Supreme Court had dismissed a PIL which sought the renaming of hundreds of place names, because they celebrate ‘barbaric foreign invaders’ and the setting up of a Renaming Commission of India. While dismissing the petition the judges noted that ‘a country cannot remain a prisoner of the past’ and emphasised that the ‘the golden principle of fraternity, again enshrined in Preamble, is of greatest importance.’ I was surprised to read that the principle of fraternity was invoked by the courts. I had been discussing the idea with some associates just two days before that and we felt that fraternity remained limited to a being a ‘good’ principle because no other article of the Constitution or any other law backed it up. It was not justiciable.

On doing a casual internet search I learnt that the Supreme Court had asserted that fraternity is a guiding principle for us as a country and without fraternity different communities could not live together in harmony, in October last year. Within a month retired Supreme Court judge Rohinton Fali Nariman, while delivering the 13^th Tarkunde Memorial Lecture highlighted that ‘fraternity’ was the only constitutional method to assure dignity of every citizen and needed to be given some ‘teeth. Clearly, many judges were finding ways of making fraternity more justiciable considering current social realities.

Exploring Fraternity in Everyday Life - Over the last two decades, I have been working with many associates to understand and address male violence against women and ways to reduce gender discrimination. Several of them have been concerned that despite the many positive changes in gender relations and in the status of women, relationships between communities appeared to be deteriorating. Men had become more concerned about their daughter’s well-being but were now wary of their neigbhours from a different religion or caste. Religious and caste-based groups were becoming more insular. Some were reluctant to drink tea in a teashop run by a person from a different religion. A Muslim colleague who lived in an urban high rise had reported that he found it difficult renting an apartment in a city. In some cities apartment complexes were reluctant to rent out flats to non-vegetarians. ‘Fake news’ was spreading because there was lack of familiarity about ‘others’, and it was easier to believe things about ‘them’. It is easy for prejudice to take root and once it did, then people became willing participants in magnifying these.  

Our discussions had started on how to promote equality and we had in our own way stumbled upon the conclusion that the main hurdle nowadays seemed to be increasing distance between communities or the lack of fraternity.

Many of them had in their own ways started exploring everyday syncretism around them. There were many spaces where people from different communities came together. There were shrines, celebrations, and many forms of economic interdependence. Earlier during their childhood, they recalled joint Holi and Eid celebrations. In some places there were tombs with small shrines called ‘takiyas’ where people from all communities came and fed the pigeons as an offering or prayer.  In others there was a tradition of poetry festivals where both Hindi poetry and Urdu shayari would be recited by both Hindu and Muslim poets. During the Covid lockdown, they recollected, that in several places local village temples and dargahs had organised joint kitchens to serve food and water for the returning migrants on their long walk back home. Clearly the syncretic traditions of our country were still alive, even though they were being forgotten or under threat in many places. In many places the younger generation had fewer experiences of such practices and were more vulnerable to myths and misconceptions that were flying across the social media.

A particularly fascinating story was that of ‘Ghazi Miyan ka barat’, or the marriage party of Ghazi Miyan in Eastern UP. Ghazi Miyan was a quasi-historical figure. He was supposed to be a Muslim king who ruled in the region that is Bahraich District in UP today. But he is also a much-revered character of myths. He is revered by both Hindus and Muslims from the lower castes, and the ‘barat’, is a month long marriage procession. The myth is that Ghazi Miyan was supposed to be married to a Zohra Bibi, but due to unforeseen events, it could not take place. In memory of that unfulfilled marriage people start processions from different parts of the state in the height of summer and congregate at his dargah (shrine) in Bahraich. As the procession passes through different towns and villages people join in. There is much singing and dancing as happens in marriage processions even today. Over centuries this warrior king has been seen as a benefactor by both communities, but now a new story that he was a tyrant is being promoted.

It was also discussed how the daily interactions between communities that took place in rural India was reducing over time. People across communities exchanged seeds, but now seeds were bought from the markets. Different professions or trades were practiced by people of particular communities, and clients and customers didn’t care. This was also changing. While caste was a vertical hierarchy, people practicing different religions were often in a horizontal arrangement in rural India. I had noted during my stay in Goa this winter, that a significant number of tradespersons and shopkeepers in villages and cities, were Muslim. Many shops in Margao were being run by Muslim women, completely breaking my own misconception about Muslim women. In another interesting surprise I have overheard snippets of Bengali conversation between fisherfolk untangling fish from the nets on the beach, Bengali radio programmes from kitchens of the beach shacks and the carpenter who came to fix the kitchen rack in our house turned out to be a Bengali from Nadia district. I had thought that people in Goa were Konkani and either Christians or Hindus, but clearly, Goa was much more diverse than I had imagined.

Building an Approach to Promote Fraternity –Our work has primarily been among underprivileged rural communities with an emphasis on women and girls. It is aimed at developing a sense self-confidence of being equal citizens and then approach public systems for various benefits and services that are due to them. Several associates run non-governmental organisations which facilitate access to different government schemes. Some also provide livelihood, health or educational services. The logic of this work was that in an increasingly prosperous country, differential access to essential services and opportunities should be reduced.  

They have now realised that it is difficult to promote fraternity through the empowerment approach in which the focus is on the ‘self’ and ‘benefit’. For fraternity the emphasis has to be on empathy and connectedness and building a community with ‘others’.

They have started exploring ways of bringing communities together. This year they had organised joint iftar parties during Ramzan. Joint Holi milans are planned. In one place a contributory party was organised in a temple courtyard where all communities of the village attended. The contributions were so generous that two sacksful of grain were donated to the temple. Excursions by community groups to dargahs and melas which are visited by all communities have also started. They have also started exploring the possibility of organising kavi sammelans and musharias drawing from past practices.

One important dimension that we touched upon in our discussions was that of ‘practical benefits’. The work we do is primarily among the poor and underprivileged and they need many services, benefits and opportunities. NGOs are expected to work strictly within this domain. Is it possible to improve material condition of people’s lives as well as the relationships between them at the same time? Can fraternity become a pathway to material equality?

We had faced similar questions in our work with men. We had started with a domestic violence a problem that women faced on a daily basis. The law that we have now was still some way in the future. Some of us felt that ‘we’ as men needed ‘show’ that we take sides with women. Our group MASVAW (Men’s Action for Stopping Violence Against Women) was formed in 2002. Over the years we learnt that it was possible for men to come together against violence and gender discrimination. Women and families gained in many ways. Men also counted many gains. They cherished improved relationships with their spouse, children, sisters and even among male friends. But the question now is whether such a logic linking material and emotional benefits with improved relationships, which are first experienced within the safe and socially endorsed family space, work for ‘fraternity’?

Each of us need to act - At a personal level I believe that fraternity can build that glue. But then fraternity is not only for the poor. The poor, in this case of social fragmentation and polarisation, are following a lead that comes from elsewhere. The loss of fraternity is happening everyday all around us, and probably most of us are complicit, many times through our own silences.

Recently I came across the Harvard Study of Adult Development that was started in 1938 with a cohort of 724 men. They were teenagers at that time, a third were from the university itself and the rest from the poorest communities of Boston. Some grew up to be factory workers and bricklayers, others bankers and doctors and one even become POTUS. The main lesson from this study was that close relationships and social connectedness were the key to a happy and healthy life. The question is whether something that applies to the US would apply to rural India. There are other studies, in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Peru which show that for even for the poor happiness and emotional wellbeing are related to social relations. These findings agree with our own experiences about men’s gains from improved relationships. I feel that fraternity, which in simple words is close relationships and social connectedness, offers a distinct possibility in for all of us in India today.

The real challenge for many of us is to move beyond the pursuit of personal and social goals through wealth, material acquisitions or economic productivity and seeking technical innovations to do more of the same. It must also be clarified that fraternity here, does not mean relationship between men only or that new ‘bro code’ that is so popular.

My Associates at a Dargah

My planned withdrawal from active professional life coincided with the pandemic, and now I am in touch with far more friends than professional associates. But all the personal social media groups I am part of seem to avoid and airbrush diversity. The WhatsApp groups that I am part promote sexism and gender stereotypes as well as casteist, racist, xenophobic and communal views. Many groups do not include any Dalits, and even if they do they rarely speak up. Some groups included a few Muslims, but some of them dropped out, others stay mute. Progressive views are often pilloried as being ‘woke’. Those who are disturbed by such discussion keep quiet because the noisier ones are often the aggressive.

But does the Whatsapp need to be the end of our social universe? Can’t we move beyond the world of likes and selfies and endless forwards; out of the cocoon of our comfort zones, and participate in more diverse social environments which nurture a sense of community? I am sure we will all be surprised in pleasant ways and make new connections and friends.

In the corporate world, I am informed that ‘Diversity Equity Inclusion’ is becoming a popular practice. I have seem some serials which have started gently ridiculing the practice. In India it is often confused with POSH trainings (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) training or there is a fear of quotas for the undeserving underprivileged. I am convinced that DEI can be recrafted to make it a meaningful appreciation of diversity. It can start by building respectful and friendly relationship between colleagues. It may end up also improving productivity and reducing workplace tensions and conflict. I remember a short animated video on everyday sexism in the corporate world that can be used to begin a new discussion in offices.

One of the things that I learnt through discussions with my colleagues was that there are many ways of starting a non-confrontational engagement. It is perhaps the only way to build friendships, solidarity and fraternity. My associates have started exploring ways of doing so among the poor and I am sure you and I can do the same in our worlds.