This book aims to uphold the secular tradition of Gandhian and Nehruvian legacy. This succeeds in countering the mistaken view prevalent in some sections of the political elite, intelligentsia and middle-class in the county that Nehruvian secularism is anti-religious or irreligious and hence alien to the cultural ethos of our country. This also exposes the philosophical barrenness and intellectual bankruptcy in the concept of Hindutva and shows how secularism is rooted in the dharma tradition of the land as exemplified by the Ashoka’s Dharma-chakra adorning the centre of Indian National Flag.

An attempt has been made to present the concept of secularism in the proper perspective in terms of the time-honoured Dharma tradition of our land and clear the misconceptions and distorted views. In the process, this reaffirms the firm philosophical foundation and intellectual moorings of the concept that is the guiding – spirit of the Nation.