Answer: 

Introduction:

India is a land of tremendous diversity in geography and cultures. The vast diversity in cultures has been a feature of Indian society since time immemorial and this feature has been continuing till present and will continue into the future because of a common thread i.e., the spirit of love and tolerance. Tolerance allows divergent ideas, customs, beliefs, and lifestyles to flourish in society. In the context of Indian society, tolerance is essential for creating a society that is inclusive and respectful of diversity.

Body:

The spirit of love and tolerance has been a key feature of Indian society since ancient times. This can be seen as follows:

• India has always been home to diverse groups: Whether it is the Aryan migration or various later migrations and invasions, India has always been welcoming to the incoming groups and many of these groups settled down permanently on this beautiful land leading to co-existence. This gradually led to a feeling of love and tolerance between the groups.
• Buddhism and Jainism were based on the premise of tolerance and love which was absolutely essential at a time when Vedic traditions were getting too rigid. It promoted the spirit of love and tolerance towards people from diverse backgrounds.
• The efforts of various emperors and kings ranging from Ashoka to Akbar in promoting diverse groups to live in harmony has been instrumental in boosting the confidence among diverse groups to live together in harmony.
• Social reforms: Gandhiji and many other social reformers strived for Hindu-Muslim harmony, fought against social evils such as untouchability, etc and were successful because our society was tolerant.

But it is not just the past, the spirit of love and tolerance remains more than relevant in present times as well. This can be seen as follows:

• Cultural homogenization: Within the large Indian society, various groups get intermixed without losing their unique characteristics. This diversity is maintained even in the face of globalization because of the tolerance towards different cultures.
• Defeat extremist entities: Any extremist groups like ISIS, Naxals, etc can only infect a small territory or indoctrinate only a few individuals because the society believes that the gains from these would be limited and short-lived. Love and tolerance towards diverse views will give larger gains.
• Reflect rationally and peacefully: It is because of the spirit of love and tolerance that we are able to contain any communal disturbances within a short time frame, despite the rise of fake news and provocative messages over social media.
• India’s global image: India is home to a large number of refugees and its credentials are unblemished when it comes to taking care of people who seek shelter and help. This also exists in our diaspora as they are the first to help Indians abroad and this was recently seen in the Ukraine evacuation.

Conclusion:

Barring occasional incidents of violence and hatred, Indian civilization has always celebrated plurality and promoted love & tolerance. This spirit has countered the destructive forces within India and helped Indian society to survive, sustain and flourish. Today, religion has a big role to play in Indian politics and thus religiosity is seen to be side-lined by communal ideas which give greater electoral benefits.

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