UNIFORM CIVIL CODE

What is actually needed to make India a united, peaceful and developed country is national character. basic principle of Hindu ideology is sarva dharma sambhava, that is, all religions are true. One of the fundamental beliefs of Hinduism is unity in diversity. To it, reality has many forms in appearance but the inner essence is one and the same. Hinduism thus believes in seeing oneness in manyness. A civil code, or any code for that matter, has to do with externals and not with inner spirit. It therefore, goes against the Hindu point of view to attempt to enforce a single civil code by eliminating the personal laws of various groups. All the developed countries of the West believe in and follow the principle of a multi-cultural nation. From tiny countries such as Singapore to countries like the United States, all are making progress by adopting this same principle. The Soviet Union is perhaps the only country where attempts were made at the state level to develop a uni-cultural nation. State power was employed to achieve this goal. But far from achieving their goal, the Soviet Union itself disintegrated. The truth is that uniformity in these matters has to do with human history rather than with the law. If through the historical process, a uniform culture comes into existence in a society, a uniform code too will follow. Legislation must follow upon and be in consonance with natural trends. THE ACTUAL NEED: NATIONAL CHARACTER What is actually needed to make India a united, peaceful and developed country is national character. All deficiencies and shortcomings, all corruption in the country, are traceable to one cause—the inability to produce national character among the people. A national approach is just the opposite of a personal approach. In the latter, importance is attached to individual interests rather than national interests. Whenever there is a clash between the two demands, individual interest ought to be subordinated to national interest. If any foreign country wants to buy you, your love for your country should stop you from selling yourself. Even if non-payment of tax is to your individual interest, you ought to pay tax as it is in the larger interest of the nation. Adulterated goods bring you more profit, but you must refrain from adulteration as this will hamper the progress of the country. Despite personal grievances, you should not harm