Dara Shukoh, Abul Kalam Azad and Eclectic Traditions in India

Abstract

In the contemporary world, multiculturalism and secularism are facing a serious threat from resurgent religious fundamentalism. Mughal Prince Dara Shukoh was the symbol of cultural pluralism. However, it is useful to remember that many saints and thinkers in India, before and after this liberal and eclectic prince, made sincere efforts to promote mutual understanding between different communities which in its turn created an environment of mutual appreciation. Meaningful dialogue between different communities is the sine qua non for human progress. The present paper aims at understanding the ideas and works of Dara Shukoh in this broader context. Academics in India are mainly interested in Azad since he became a public figure. But the present paper aims at exploring the period of his blossoming in its proper historical setting. His future ideas and actions could be properly understood through this exercise. We have tried to study Dara and Azad in the light of South Asia’s eclectic traditions.