Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism is the
political and
cultural expression, political theories of
Indian nationalism distinctive to
Hindu society in
India, asserting that being
Hindu as not merely a religious identity, but a national identity. Critics of Hindu nationalism allege that Hindu nationalism is opposed to
Indian nationalism, that it is a form of
communalism and is against
minorities.
[ ] Although the concept of "Hindu Rashtra" (Hindu nation) has been used in slogans and pamphlets of the
Sangh Parivar, it has not been clearly and unambiguously defined in any of their literature.
This article endeavors to explore the roots of religious nationalism in the
history of India and
Hinduism, the political and cultural expression of nationalism of the mainstream Hindu population, as well the contemporary revival of
Hinduism. It must be noted that in
Indian English, there is no difference between
patriotism and
nationalism, and both the words are used interchangeably; the word
nationalism does not have a negative connotation in India, as it does in
Europe and
North America. It is associated with
Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders of the
Indian freedom struggle.
[ ]The concept of providing a nationalist twist to
Hinduism was first taken up by
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (popularly known as Veer Savarkar). In his book
Hindutva he defines a
Hindu as He thus defined Hindutva ("Hindu-ness") or Hindu nationalism as different from the Hindu religion in that it defines a Hindu nation, rather than a religion. The "Hindu nation" is conceived as including Indians belonging to semi-Hindu religions like
Sikhism and
Buddhism (whose sacred sites associated with the founders lie in
India), but whether Indian Muslims and Christians also are included, is a point of debate within the Hindu nationalists. For Savarkar at least, they cannot be Hindus as long as the origins and sacred sites of their religions lie in
West Asia.
[ ]Hindutva
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a
Marathi freedom fighter and one of the earliest Hindu nationalists, wrote the treatise on
Hindutva, defining it literally as
Hindu-ness. The treatise identified India as a
Hindu Rashtra, or
Hindu nation in terms of culture and heritage. It asserted that all of its people had in history adhered to Hindu religious values, and thus should be identified as
Hindus not only for religious affialiation but also for nationality. Although the RSS was founded before the conception of Hindutva, it drew closer to Savarkar's ideas in the 1950s and 1960s.
What was perceived as deeply offensive propaganda of
Christian missionaries, a Westernization of many educated Hindus, forcible conversion to
Islam and
Christianity and rising resentment against the practices of
untouchability by orthodox Hindus gave rise to the reform and revival of
Hinduism by leaders like
Dayananda Saraswati and
Swami Vivekananda.
The
Arya Samaj was founded by Swami
Dayananda Saraswati in the middle of the 19th century to revive Hindu
society, which was entrenched deeply in the social schasms of
untouchability,
suttee, as well as
poverty,
xenophobia and
illiteracy. The Samaj prescribed a
return to the Vedas, to the basic tenets of Hindu religion with a
monotheistic pursuit of One God, instead of minor deities.
Swami Vivekananda is praised by many Hindu nationalists as having defined the Hindu religion as the greatest glory of Indian civilization. Vivekananda hailed India's wealth in religion and philosophy. The
Ramakrishna Mission he founded has grown into one of India's most important charities and community organizations.
Sri Aurobindo was a nationalist who was one of the first to embrace the idea of complete political independence for India, before giving up the struggle to adopt a life devoted to religion and such purposes.
Swami Shraddhananda was another prominent individual who sought Hindu revival by converting
Muslims in the
Shuddhi movement; he was later shot by a Muslim fanatic.
Both Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo are credited with having found the basis for a vision of freedom and glory for India in the spiritual richness and heritage of Hinduism. However, the universal and religious Hindu ideals of these individuals contrast heavily with the generally nationalist viewpoint of Hindu Nationalists.
 |
Mohandas Gandhi inculcated Hindu religious values into the freedom struggle, which struck a chord with millions of common Indians, who were mostly Hindu. |
In the
Indian Independence Movement, the
Indian National Congress was recognized by the vast majority of the people of India as their representative against the
British Raj. And most Hindus, being the vast majority of Indian peoples, drove the movement, especially owing to the existence of the
Muslim League from 1907 as a specifically Muslim party.
Hindus wanted a free and united nation to result from the end of the war, with Indian heritage and consciousness liberated from foreign cultural and political intrusions. But owing to the separatist politics of the Muslim League, a different expression arose in the era that was specifically Hindu. Hindus desired freedom not only from European colonialism, but to avoid a return to over one thousand years of Muslim rule in India. Many millions of Hindus harbored negative emotions as many great Hindu temples, monuments and communities had been savaged by pogroms conducted by Muslim rulers like
Nadir Shah,
Muhammad Ghori,
Mahmud of Ghazni and
Aurangzeb. This freedom would not be achieved if Muslims were accorded special treatment, as they demanded.
National leaders like
Bal Gangadhar Tilak and
Mahatma Gandhi instilled
Hindu values, history, heritage and culture into
Indian nationalism and politics during the
Indian Independence Movement. Tilak and Gandhi connected with millions of ordinary Indians due to their espousal of Indian cultural values and traditions. Tilak is credited with having founded the
Ganesh Chaturthi festival of immersing Lord
Ganesha's statue. The festival allowed millions of Hindus to congregate and celebrate their religion and culture. Gandhi transformed the
Indian National Congress from an
elitist organization of
liberal, educated Indians to an organization committed to the service of the Indian masses, and empowered by the membership and participation of over 10 million ordinary Indians. His adoption of
ahimsa, emphasis of Indian languages, Indian clothing and lifestyle, and Hindu religious values before Western influences and
English struck a strong chord with India's masses, who were mainly Hindu.
Hindu sentiments firmly rejected Muslim political demands for separate electorates and reservations. They rejected the notion that Muslims deserved a large role in national life despite their numerical minority owing to their rich history in India, anticipating that such an expanded role would come at the expense of the natural Hindu majority.
Such sentiments led to the Congress rejection of the League's offer of coalitions in 1937: the League is said to have asked for its recognition by the Congress as the representative of Muslims. Congress rejected this idea due to its strict and natural adherence to secularism, and also to reject League demands for inflated representations in provinces it had won few seats in.
Though normally remembered simply as leaders of the freedom struggle,
Lala Lajpat Rai,
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,
Purushottam Das Tandon,
Srinivasa Iyengar,
Sarojini Naidu and other Congress-men were amongst the first to express Hindu nationalistic sentiments and ideas. However with
Jawaharlal Nehru taking over the reins of the
Indian National Congress, a policy of
Socialist Secularism has been followed by the party, much to the chagrin of the Hindu nationalists.
The ambigious meaning of the slogan
Hindu Rāshtra (literally, "Hindu nation"), often mentioned in texts on the
BJP has been summed up by
Lal Krishna Advani as follows. He starts by correctly pointing out that }} The BJP has never used the term
Hindu Rāshtra.
[ ] In contrast with the BJP, the RSS openly espouses the concept of
Hindu Rāshtra, but RSS statements about this central concept are not much more forthright than Advani's. Rather than coming out with a blueprint of what new benefits a Hindu state will bring, Hindu nationalists instead assure the world that minorities will be protected and it will function as a modern democratic state.
[ ]In this interpretation, a Hindu is connoted beyond just as an adherent of Hinduism. Some proponents have argued that even Muslim and Christian Indians are Hindus, as their ancestors were Hindu, and despite their religion, their culture and heritage is the same as that of India's natural Hindu majority. Many Hindu nationalists also prescribe to a vision of
Akhand Bharat (
United India), wherein the
partition of India is reversed to found a nation based on what they consider as India's natural territorial extent in terms of the bonds of history, culture, economy and people.
Advocates of Hindu Rashtra contend that Hinduism's strong legacy of tolerance for diverse philosophies and reform movements, and the root idea of universal human brotherhood is the reason for the country's vibrant fabric of diversity, and thus every person, community and institution is perenially Hindu. In that sense, it is contended that the term
Hindu in this case is a
synechdoche for all indegenous Indian religions and philosophies. In that vein, some advocates of the "Hindu Rashtra" prefer to think of the concept as inclusive of religions that evolved in India (such as
Sikhism,
Buddhism and
Jainism), and thus are believed to be compatible with Indian social ethos.
The adherents of the Hindu Rashtra philosophy claim that the English term
nation is only a crude translation of the Sanskrit term
rāshtra. Their term
rashtra does not mean a European-type nation with one ethnicity, one common history, one language and one religion.
Early concept
The ideology of Hindu Rashtra is based upon beliefs about the origins of human civilization, religion and culture in India. It was conceived way back in the early 20th century, that the vast majority of the population of the country is Hindu, an identity merging diverse religious communities and cultures including
Sikhs,
Jains and
Buddhists, as well as the more distinguished
Muslim and
Christian communities. It was argued that since the word "Hindu" literally is derived from the word "Sindhu," (the
Indus river), it applies to any inhabitant of the land of and beyond the river Indus, i.e. India.
The proponents of Hindu Rashtra argued that
Hinduism is the ancient system of religious philosophy and social traditions developed in Bharat by a combination of many philosophies. It has been continually added to by migrant races, and has spawned famous reform movements like
Jainism,
Buddhism and
Sikhism, all of whom were classified as separate religions only with the advent of the British census system and the colonial policy of "
divide and rule."
The
Sangh Parivar ("family of associations") is a collection of public, religious and political organizations that are Hindu nationalist in character and purpose, and often exponents of Hindutva and other forms of Hindu expression. It is today the largest organized foundation of Hindu nationalist expression and activity in India. The Sangh Parivar consists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and other organisations.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded in
Nagpur,
Maharashtra in 1925 by
K.B. Hedgewar, a physician who felt that Hindu social unity was a deeply important foundation for a free India. The RSS stayed out of the freedom struggle as such, but promoted a brotherhood amongst its membership, working to erase caste distinctions, and for the upliftment of backward Hindu communities. To this day, the RSS claims to stand for the
Hindu nation in terms of culture and social heritage, which it believes Muslims and Christians are naturally a part of, despite their religion, as their ancestors were Hindus and their basic culture and lifestyle is Hindu.
During the 1947 riots and population exchange the RSS organized relief camps for Sikhs and Hindus coming to India from
Pakistan. The RSS under its second leader
Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar developed a reputation as a socio-cultural organization whose selfless volunteers were always at the forefront of several patriotic endeavors in India.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad
The RSS also sponsored the creation of independent organizations to open different avenues in forwarding its main mission. The
Vishwa Hindu Parishad was organized in 1967 by Hindu religious leaders and RSS members to focus exclusively on reviving the Hindu religion, religious tradition and expanding community unity. The VHP has adopted the
Ram Janmabhoomi issue as its own, while preaching against religious conversions and advocating a ban on cow slaughter. The
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is one of India's major student organizations, while some labor and farmer unions have also been formed.
Bharatiya Janata Party
The
Bharatiya Janata Party and its predecessor the
Bharatiya Jana Sangh are considered by observers and critics as the political wing of the RSS. Founded by
Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1951, the Jana Singh transformed into the BJP in 1980, and
Atal Bihari Vajpayee and
Lal Krishna Advani, both proteges of Mookerjee have led to become one of the largest political parties in India.
International presence
The RSS and associated Hindu nationalist bodies founded the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh'' in the 1980s, to foster a sense of common heritage and community discipline amongst expatriate Hindus living in
North America and
Western Europe. The
Vishwa Hindu Parishad also maintains major branch organizations in the
United States,
Canada, the
Caribbean,
United Kingdom,
the Netherlands and
France.
The activities of these bodies are largely de-politicized, and mainly work to bring Hindu communities together by sponsoring temple programs,
pujas and festivals, and conducting camp programs for young Hindus to learn religious literature, Indian languages and history, to cultivate a sense of identity.
Violence in Hindu nationalism arose in the 1940s, when Muslim separatism was increasing in popularity. Vinayak Savarkar publicly endorsed the
Two - Nation theory of
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of
Pakistan, but opposed any partition of Indian Territory to create a Muslim nation. Savarkar stated that if Muslims wanted a separate country from Hindus, there existed many in the
Middle East.
Most Hindu nationalists did not praise Hitler, (
Sri Aurobindo was an outspoken enemy of Hitler in India; Savarkar had endorsed Indians fighting for the British in
World War II), extremism and
anti-Muslim feelings were on the rise, as is evidenced by
Syama Prasad Mookerjee, a prominent Bengali politician leaving the Hindu Mahasabha in 1948 over its political extremism and involvement in the murder of
Mahatma Gandhi.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar however never endorsed racist or racialist ideas, and was known to work against
untouchability and the
caste system. Savarkar was accused by many as having endorsed violent retaliation against Muslims at the time of partition. But no proof of their accusations has been found.
Partition riots
The
Partition of India outraged many Hindu nationalists, especially as millions of Hindus and Sikhs were forced to leave their homes in
West Pakistan and
East Pakistan, and hundreds of thousands of Hindus and Sikhs were killed during the process of migration and on the streets of cities by murderous mobs. The lack of aid and protection from the
Government of Pakistan created an atmosphere of insecurity for non-Muslims in Pakistan.
Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
V.D. Savarkar and members of the
Hindu Mahasabha were extremely critical of Gandhi's leadership. They accused him of appeasing the Muslims to preserve a unity that did not exist in their opinion (Savarkar endorsed the
Two-nation theory). Hindu extremists also blamed Gandhi for conceding
Pakistan to the
Muslim League via appeasement. And they were further inflamed when Gandhi conducted a fast-unto-death to bring communal harmony across India, and for the Indian government to give Rs. 55 crores which were due to the Pakistan government, but were being held back due to the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.
After the assassination of
Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India's freedom movement plunged the Sangh Parivar into infamy, as the RSS was seen as responsible for organizing his murder. Along with the conspirators and his assassin,
Nathuram Godse,
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was also arrested. The Court acquitted Savarkar on lack of evidence, and the RSS was found be to completely unlinked with the conspirators.
However, many writers and intellectuals alleged that Godse was Savarkar's protege, and accuse Savarkar to have masterminded Gandhi's killing. The
Hindu Mahasabha, of which Savarkar had been president and Godse a member, lost membership and became infamous. The effects of public outrage would hurt the growth and sustenance of the Sangh and political Hindu nationalism for many decades.
Recent episodes of violence
On
December 6,
1992, a large procession of
VHP activists destroyed the
Babri Mosque in
Ayodhya. Communal riots following the demolition killed over 10,000 people across India, in the worst episode of violence since 1947. The
RSS and
VHP were banned and several
BJP leaders arrested. The
RSS was found un-involved, and while the ban on the VHP was lifted, an investigation is on-going.
In February
2002, a train compartment carrying VHP activists was burned in
Godhra,
Gujarat, killing 59 people. While the blame is pinned on a Muslim mob at the railway station, the VHP and the
BJP are blamed by many for organizing retaliatory attacks on Muslim civilians across the state of Gujarat. The BJP Chief Minister
Narendra Modi is blamed by many for preventing the police from stopping the violence. VHP leader
Praveen Togadia described the attacks on Muslims as a
natural reaction to
Islamic terrorism. The cause of the violence, the attack on the train, and even the number of victims remain hotly disputed in India. It is estimated by the
National Human Rights Commission that over 2,000 people (including a large number of Hindus) were killed, and tens of thousands of Gujaratis displaced.
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