Author Warring, in her book, titled, "Opa war kein Nazi," i.e. 'Grandpa was not a Nazi,' a scientific research study, places on record the guilt feelings of the present young Germans about the past Nazism. This survey showed that 3 out of 5 young Germans felt guilty about Nazism that was silently initiated, forcefully implemented and willfully spread by Adolf Hitler. Author Warring narrates that Hitler, as a young ambitious man, was obsessed with a strong notion of "Racial Purity" and the Germanic Race (Aryan), which, being a 'Master, Superior and Pure Race, should take over and rule the entire world and others as inferior. So, he chose a career in politics and went on to become the Chancellor of Germany.

As soon as he came into power with his Nazi party, i.e. the German Workers' Party, he held the party's first public meeting in which, Adolf Hitler brought out a "25 Point Program" that outlined the party's political agenda. The agenda was racism, racial purity, non-membership for the inferior races, and finally, eradicating them. To achieve this agenda/ideology, Hitler started controlling and using the public and other institutions, viz. radio, movies, judiciary, print media, scientists, schools (introduced the principles of racial science in classrooms) and many other cruel methods, such as extermination camps, killing sites, concentration camps. From 1933, German physicians were allowed to alienate victims and perform forced sterilisations. In this way, the monoculture/ideology of superior racial purity came into existence.

As time went by, this forcefully implemented mono-cultural racial identity/ideology was gradually understood as the deadliest cancer against humanity by not only the German people, but also the entire world. As a result, Nazism had a natural death after the fall of Hitler's era. Though the reign of Nazist ideology of Hitler came to an end in Germany, yet the wound that was caused by this mono-cultural, exclusive, divisive and destructive ideology is still fresh in the minds of the present Germans, who feel guilty of this past mono-cultural cruelty.
A glance at the past history of our own country, which is a cradle of a number of religions in the world, makes us realise the great heritage of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," i.e. the world is one family, and "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", i.e. "Truth, Divinity, and Beauty." The concepts of secularism, justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity can be traced back to 270 BC, when Ashoka the Great, through his "Dhamma" policy, promoted respect for all religions and discouraged religious conflict, aiming for peaceful coexistence, and embraced and propagated Buddhism. The Gupta Empire, which spanned from 320 CE to 550 CE, often referred to as the "Golden Age of India," was predominantly Hindu, yet was also recognised for its policy of religious tolerance.

In the late 16th and early 17th century, Akbar the Great, known for his policy of religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue established the Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) in Fatehpur Sikri, allowing religious leaders and scholars from Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism to gather, discuss and debate religious and philosophical issues. I quote his letter written in 1582 to King Philip II of Spain: "As most men are fettered by bonds of tradition, and by imitating ways followed by their fathers… everyone continues, without investigating their arguments and reasons, to follow the religion in which he was born and educated, thus excluding himself from the possibility of ascertaining the truth, which is the noblest aim of the human intellect. Therefore, we associate at convenient seasons with learned men of all religions, thus deriving profit from their exquisite discourses and exalted."

Though the Gandhian principle of ahimsa/non-violence was propagated, India still has a large number of communal clashes. During the pre-independence period, in August 1893, Mumbai experienced a major communal riot in which hundreds of people were killed and almost 800 people injured. The independent India witnessed its worst communal riots in 1948, soon after the partition, and the Jabalpur Riots in 1961. Gradually, this scene has been occurring at varying degrees, with the ulterior motive of transforming the multicultural, inclusive society into a monolithic, exclusive one.

The assassinations of some political leaders and social reformers, who lived and upheld secular life and values, have always been prompted, plotted and executed by certain religious, political and mono-cultural fascist ideology. We know that such leaders have met their deaths not naturally due to old age, sickness or accidents, but have been assassinated for their total commitment to a secular, inclusive, democratic and multicultural society. The recent trend of voices echoing the removal of secularism from the Constitution, using the religious and communal card, is a clear sign of the biggest threat to our secular, democratic, multicultural republic that is yet to come.

The first Prime Minister of our country, Jawaharlal Nehru, said, "When fascism comes to India, it will come in the form of communalism." Fascism is an attack on secularism, federalism and democracy. In other words, it is a systematic attack on fundamental rights, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and property. We have been seeing this selective target in varying degrees in different parts of our country from time to time. India has militant fascism, cultural fascism, religious fascism and political fascism, which are either state or centrally sponsored. To be precise, caste, faith, and racial discrimination are the real signposts of the attacks on our multicultural secularism. The worst part of the rise of fascist forces/monoculture is the attack on religious minority groups, suppression of the dissenters and opponents in political parties through ED, CBI, CID, NIA, erasing secularism, no to religious tolerance, complete control over all government institutions, electoral system, media, judiciary, legislative, educational fields, etc.,

Despite these challenging forces, we can still dream of and achieve an inclusive, secular, progressive, and peaceful nation if we adhere to the teachings and follow the path laid out by these charismatic visionaries. Swami Vivekananda said, "Assimilate the spirit of others and yet preserve his/her individuality." Sardar Vallabhai Patel, known as the champion of national unity, spoke at the Reception Committee of the 36th Session of the Indian National Congress at Ahmedabad on December 28, 1921, "We have tried to overcome our weaknesses honestly and in a definite manner. The proof, if any proof is needed, is Hindu-Muslim unity… Similarly, we have established cordial relations with Parsis, Christians and other citizens of the country." Further, he said, "by common endeavour we can raise the country to a new greatness, while a lack of unity will expose us to fresh calamities."

Atal Bihari Vajpayee said, "Democracy and individual liberty provide the conditions in which knowledge progresses, science discovers, innovation occurs, enterprise thrives, and ultimately people advance together." Shaheed Bhagat Singh said, "I am a man and all that affects mankind concerns me, and the sanctity of law can be maintained only so long as it is the expression of the will of the people."

Therefore, before it becomes too late to apologise to our next generations and to the world, as it has happened in the past, it is appropriate to assimilate the spirit of others and yet preserve individuality. We must achieve collective success through democracy and individual liberty. Most importantly, we must follow the golden rule of Universal Truths found in all major religious texts. "This is the sum of duty, do naught unto others what would not have them do unto you," says the Mahabharata. "As thou deemest thyself, so deem others. Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone," says Sikhism. "No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself," says the Islamic Sunnah. "What you wish upon others, you wish upon yourself," says Buddhism. "Do to others as you would have them do to you," says Christianity.

The strength of India is in her democracy; the unity of India is in her diversity; the heritage of India is in her hospitality, the breath of India is in her principle of Ahimsa/non-violence, and the soul of India is in her secularism.' Hence, let us keep the light of hope burning, for we can rise and advance together.