Mr Qureshi was speaking as a panel member on discussions about the findings of the Pew Research Centre on religion and religiosity in India. Mr Qureshi was contesting the finding of the survey that Indian Hindus and Muslims tended to have friends from their co-religionists rather than across religious identities.

As he remembered, Qureshi said in the big parties he would be holding in his large bunglow on Akbar Road, his official residence, running into some 500 or more guests, his son had once queered him.

He pointed out that in the big gathering there was not one single Muslim invitee. Mr Qureshi explained that he had friends and contacts from a certain group, not according to their religious affinities. He pointed out that everyone would have a similar experience of having friends from a similar class and background.

Pew Research Centre’s findings were categorical about the religious divide in the country, stating that the religious groups tended to keep to themselves rather than mixing up with each other. Pew Research survey findings have ruffled many feathers and at the intellectual level it is excitedly being discussed. Various dimensions of this religiosity narratives are coming out as in a virtual discussion organised by the Centre for Policy Research.

NeelamChandoke, former professor of political science in Delhi University, stated that on the personal level she found existing reality contrary to some of the findings.

Mr Qureshi felt that the findings of the survey were too good to be true. If these were correct, he insisted, why was there so much strife. After all, both the major religious groups, as well as others valued “tolerance” and respect each other’s religious sentiments.

The findings also contradict many of the prevailing and perceived myths. Top myth that Muslims have four wives each with forty children. Mr Qureshi asked for an instance of a single Muslim man having four living wives and forty children. Marrying another woman on the death of a wife or separation is kept apart, the patterns are more or less same.

The survey findings also exposed the story of “Love Jihad” as false. After all, the survey confirmed that inter-religious marriages were rare and that both communities overwhelmingly were opposed to the idea. He was hopeful of better understanding and a more conducive atmosphere.

Professor Chadoke maintained that the dichotomy between the dominant communities was a post-facto political development. She pointed out that it was only when electoral politics creeped in there was this consciousness of religious identities.

Divisions were more class and caste based than on religious identities. Hailing from Punjab, she reiterated the survey sentiment that the partition was bad and there were pockets in Punjab which never had any large flare up of incidents of communal hatred.

She cited the insane of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who was the fountainhead of the Patiala gharana. She cited that Bade Ghulam had gone to Pakistan and there he stuck to his practice of starting his singing session with “Hari Om Tatsat”. However, when in Pakistan they forbade him singing that, he questioned:” what should start with? Zinna, Zinna”.

She said, Bade Ghulam Ali promptly returned to India and resumed his singing.

Satender Kumar, Political Ethnographer, and now living in Australia, urged more nuanced inquiries than the Pew Research survey. Mr Kumar had done work at the ground level on religious practices and differences and similarities between communities.

Kumar believed that with the changes in rural society and transition to various other cavities from pure agricultural practices were bringing in changes in behaviour and beliefs. Religious practices were much more loose in he purely rural agricultural communities. These are getting more stratified.

Referring to tolerance, Kumar suggested a deeper examination of issues like tolerance in what coxed an how far. Generally, as long as the prevailing equilibrium was not disturbed, there would be tolerance. This would be stretched once the equilibrium was disturbed.

If India is going over the top in its religiosity even in the twenty-first century, there are completely divergent trends in the developed countries. In its latest issue, The Economist magazine for example comments on a similar survey in the United States which clearly shows religiosity on the wane.

Asked in a survey about people’s religious allegiance, a large chunk of Americans replied “Nothing in Particular”. They are not Christians, but they are not agnostics or atheists either.

The survey by Gall-up showed that this group, christened now “Nothing in Particulars”, refuse to commit on any allegiance to any of the religious groups. “They are averse to being pinned down”, as The Economist points out.

What is interesting to take particular note is that the Nothing in Particulars are somewhat alienated from society. They are less educated, with only one-fifth being graduates or above, low-earners, having less than $50k annual income and rather middle aged and even women.

Since 2008, their numbers have increased by as much as 60% and it is becoming increasing acceptable to be an American without being born again Christians. Someone has suggested, America is increasingly a pagan nation. (IPA Service)