Savitri Era as alternative identity and religion

[Building New Solidarities | Economic and Political Weekly Editorials. Vol - XLVII No. 44, November 03, 2012. Public religious festivals are a ready resource for reactionary politics. Can they be secularised?

Perhaps precisely because of this, it is necessary to develop a critique – both intellectual as well as political/practical – of the public religious festival. Some earlier attempts, like those of Tagore in Bengal, Gora in Andhra Pradesh and Periyar in Tamil Nadu, to critique them and move away to other, non-religious public festivities, have been unsuccessful, despite their initial promise…

Is it possible for radical and progressive forces to find forms of public festivities which can rival the public religious festival? Is it possible to build a popular culture which does not rely on religion and communal identities? We will not know the answer till the battle is truly joined.]

[VAAD-PRATIVAAD: SECULARISM IS IMPORTANT TO A MODERN INDIA III  CRI (Round I here and Round II here). FOR THE MOTION: Harsh Gupta

Not a nation where one cannot badmouth the Bhagwad Gita or disparagingly paint Goddess Sita. India does not need a proactive Hindu vanguard in the Abrahamic mould because this will end up making India more divided and Hinduism less universal. Instead we need to take identity completely out of our policies, our schools, our jobs, our tax code, our personal code – and this must include caste identity politics also over time. 2:31 PM]

Fond hopes, but a more doable option is to precipitate an alternative identity and, thereby, a participative religion. Savitri Era is a pioneering effort in this direction. [TNM55]