Do you remember the last time checking on a box under the category 'religion' while filling up some form and wondering that this is something you don't even get to choose in the first place? You are born with whatever religion your parents and grandparents are born with. While India is a religiously diverse nation, you can either be a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian or Buddhist or even "Others" if you don't identify with any one of the above. Religious beliefs have been one of the most criticised topics in India. But there surely are some people in our country who do not like to be identified with any religion. They don't want to be called a Hindu or a Muslim and we get it, India is a democratic country, you can be anything as long as it is not hurting others. But do we have enough options or rather, platforms to not identify with one of the religion? Well, a college from West Bengal has actually taken an initiative in this case. Kolkata’s Bethune College has introduced "Humanity" as an option under their "Religion" section in their college admission forms. The online application form available on the college website has a category called ‘Humanity’ alongside Hindu, Islam, Christian, Jainism, Buddhism, etc. World Religion Day 2019 Greetings: Twitterati Celebrates Humanity With Warm Messages, Wishes & Harmony Images.

Take a look at this screengrab shared on Facebook by a user who goes by the name Shamik Bag that he shared with the caption: "The new admission form of Bethune College in Kolkata includes 'Humanity' as a religion option for students to choose from. We still have so much to be proud of, and someday, there might not be a column on religion at all."

The little act of progressiveness is making the country proud of Bethune College! People are hailing the decision-makers for the step they have taken. "We have realised that some students are reluctant to mentioning their religion in the admission form. We appreciate their views as we feel that ‘Humanity’ is the true religion of mankind. So we have deliberately kept this category in the religion section. It was a unanimous decision on the part of our admission committee," said Mamata Ray, Principal of Bethune College to Scroll.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 31, 2019 03:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).