American communalism and Indian secularism - Religion and politics in India and the West

Much of the Indian debate on secularism is built around what seem to be the common sense assumptions about India and the west. But a close look at the impact of protestant Puritanism on the relationship between religion and p olitics irt the US suggests that these assumptions are mistaken. Far from h aving fundamentally different experiences, there are some striking similari ties between India and the US: similarities which draw attention to potenti al long-term dangers for India.