As a citizen of my country, I also can work towards promoting the ideal of Secularism in the following ways:
(i) Respecting the faith of people following a religion different from mine.
(ii) Not offending the things held sacred by the followers of a certain religion.
(iii) Helping people of a religion different from mine celebrate their festivals by giving them holiday from work/school etc.

The Indian Government works to ensure equal status for all religions and religious freedom for all. To achieve that, it gives financial aid to minority religions for setting up their institutions. The Indian Government also sets-up a mechanism to help the religions undertake pilgrimage, visit religious places etc. This way, different citizens of the country get to follow their different religions freely.

There is one significant way in which Indian Secularism differs from others. Unlike the strict separation between religion and the State in other countries like United State of America in the Indian type of Secularism, the State can intervene in religious affairs.
The Indian Constitution permits the State to intervene in religious matters like the practice of untouchability and inheritance laws to establish the Fundamental Right of equality.

For me, religious freedom means the ability to follow my religion, observe its practices and celebrate its festivals without the fear of any repression or discrimination.
I exercise my religious freedom by worshipping the god of my religion in the way prescribed by my religion and celebrating the festivals of my religion freely.

It is true that the Indian State both keeps away and intervenes in matters of religion.
Instances of the State keeping away from matters of religion are as follows:
(i) The State does not have any religion of its own.
(ii) The State does not officially promote any religion.
(iii) Institutions of the government like offices, schools, police stations etc are not allowed to celebrate any religious festival in their premises.
(iv) The State treats all religions equally; it does not favour or discriminate against any religion.
All this is done by the State to promote Secularism. There are also some instances in which we see the State intervening in matters of religion. This follows:
(i) The State has banned untouchability, a practice of the Hindu community, as it discriminates against one section of the community.
(ii) Some seats have been reserved for the Scheduled Castes (backward section of the Hindu communi to do away with centuries of injustice and pull the out of their backwardness.
(iii) The Indian State also gives support to religious institutions to set-up their own educational institutions, undertake pilgrimages etc.
This also shows that the Indian State, by interferin in religious matters, works to promote Secularism and uphold the ideals of the Constitution as well attempts to set right any wrong done in the name freedom of religion.
However, it is a complex issue and there are complications in interpreting the Constitution and determining when to interfere in religious matters and when to keep away.

We often see that different views are held by members of the same community. Some examples are the Vaishnavite (worshippers of Vishnu) and Shaivite (worshippers of Shiva) sects within the Hindu religion, the Hinayana and Mahayana sects in Buddhist religion, the Shia and Sunni sects of Muslim religion, the Protestant and Catholic sects of Christianity etc. Within Hinduism, there are a number of gods and different people follow different gods. Another instance of diversity within the same religion is that the Dalit community of Hindu religion celebrates and regards Dr BR Ambedkar's birthday and Guru Ravidas Jayanti as religious festivals.

The government will intervene if some religious group says that their religion allows them to practise infanticide. It is a crime to practise infanticide and the government will not allow it even if some religion endorses it. The Constitution provides Right to Freedom in addition to the Right to Freedom of Religion. The infant's right to life will be violated if infanticide is practised. Therefore the government will not allow it.

Following is a list of the different types of religious practices followed in my neighbourhood:
Religious Practice     Religion
(i) Jagran/SatsanglKirtan/Yajna - Hinduism (singing of religious songs, chanting of hymns)
(ii) Ajan/Namaj (call to the faithful for prayers) - Islam
(iii) Holy Mass/Carols (singing - Christian religious songs in honour of Christ)
It does indicate that different religious communities do enjoy the freedom of religious practice.

It is important that government schools do not promote any one religion because:
(i) Government schools are government institutions and a government institution cannot endorse or promote any one religion.
(ii) It would violate the principle of Secularism.

Yes, there can be different views within the same religion. We have ample evidence of that from history. There are different sects within Hinduism with different views like Vaishnavites, Shaivires, Arya Samajists and those believing in Sanatan Dharma. Even today, people within the same religion can have different views and opinions regarding its thoughts, rituals and beliefs. For example, one follower of Hinduism may believe in rituals, sacrifices and fasting while another follower may not. Both are entitled to follow and interpret the religion in their own personal ways.

The nature of Secularism in India is unique in the sense that the State follows the policy of distancing as well as intervention in matters of religion.
(i) Distancing The Indian State distances itself from all religions. It gives equal respect to all religions yet does not officially promote any one particular religion on its own. This is to maintain neutrality.
(ii) Intervention Though the Indian State follows the policy of keeping away from religious matters, it may intervene in exceptional cases. This happens when the State feels that some citizen's/citizens' Fundamental Rights have been violated by religion.

Fora country to function democratically, it is important to separate religion from the State.Because
(i) Almost all countries of the world have more than one religious group and within these, there is at least one religious group in majority. If a majority religious group has access to State power, it could use this power and financial resources to discriminate against other religious groups.
This could result in tyranny of the majority.
Separation of religion from the State will make invalid any such excess.
(ii) It is important to protect the freedom of individuals to embrace or exit from any religion and interpret its thoughts and beliefs differently.