Hindu politics

Last updated April 07, 2019

Hindu politics refers to the political movements professing to draw inspiration from Hinduism. Hindu nationalism is the numerically most significant among the current political movements claiming to be inspired by Hinduism.

Hinduism is an Indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practised in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as Sanātana Dharma, "the eternal tradition", or the "eternal way", beyond human history. Scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no founder. This "Hindu synthesis" started to develop between 500 BCE and 300 CE, after the end of the Vedic period, and flourished in the medieval period, with the decline of Buddhism in India.

Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. Defenders of Hindu nationalism have tried to avoid the label "nationalism" by arguing that the use of the term "Hindu nationalism" to refer to Hindū rāṣṭravāda is a simplistic translation and is better described by the term "Hindu polity".

Revivalism

Hindu revivalism started with a reassertion of Hinduism in British India, mainly in its largest province, Bengal. Hindus were trying to incorporate things from the West, but while some were trying to make a clean break from their past, others tried to preserve their heritage in an adopted form.^[1] Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Swami Vivekananda were the earliest to formulate a political vision and a social reform program for India on the basis of Hinduism. Later, Aurobindo, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Golwalkar formed much of the political direction of the Hindus in India.^[2]^[3] Taking into account just how ancient the features of Hinduism were, it is clearly understandable why many maintained a nationalist Hindu mentality.^{[ original research? ]}

Bengal is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Geographically, it is made up by the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta system, the largest such formation in the world; along with mountains in its north bordering the Himalayan states of Nepal and Bhutan and east bordering Burma.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay or Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was an Indian writer, poet and journalist. He was the composer of Vande Mataram, originally in Sanskrit stotra personifying India as a mother goddess and inspiring activists during the Indian Independence Movement. Chattopadhyay wrote thirteen novels and many serious, serio-comic, satirical, scientific and critical treaties in Bengali. His works were widely translated into other regional languages of India as well as in English

India, also known as the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh largest country by area and with more than 1.3 billion people, it is the second most populous country as well as the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

The revivalism movement from other Hindu groups, however, was brought about in hopes of incorporating Western ideas into their ritualistic political practices.^{[ original research? ]}

What revivalists failed to realize though, was that by forcibly impressing the unpracticed thoughts of Western culture into fellow Hindus, it further distanced their potential to achieve what they were ultimately hoping for. Instead of attaining a society that grew in part of Western political processes, what revivalist Hindus contracted was plainly a broadening of their existing culture; Hinduism expanded, and continues to expand, by claiming more and more religions as acceptable, such as Christianity and Buddhism.^{[ original research? ]}

Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization, Occidental culture, the Western world, Western society, and European civilization, is a term used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems and specific artifacts and technologies that have some origin or association with Europe. The term also applies beyond Europe to countries and cultures whose histories are strongly connected to Europe by immigration, colonization, or influence. For example, Western culture includes countries in the Americas and Australasia, whose language and demographic ethnicity majorities are European. The development of western culture has been strongly influenced by Christianity.

By their attempts to christen Hinduism as spiritual, not religious, it severed the possibilities to connect existing traditional Hindu culture to what was being practiced in the West.^{[ original research? ]}

"Spiritual but not religious" (SBNR), also known as "Spiritual but not affiliated" (SBNA), is a popular phrase and initialism used to self-identify a life stance of spirituality that takes issue with organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth. Historically, the words religious and spiritual have been used synonymously to describe all the various aspects of the concept of religion, but in contemporary usage spirituality has often become associated with the interior life of the individual, placing an emphasis upon the well-being of the "mind-body-spirit", while religion refers to organizational or communal dimensions.

The efforts to modernize were in fact too radical, and thus revivalism essentially fell victim to motionless Hindu nationalism. ^[4]

Hinduism in political discourse

Hinduism is an important source of political discourse in India. Hindu minorities have played significant roles in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Hindu symbols are frequently used in political campaigns of Indian politicians. For example, the Ram Janmabhoomi issue in Ayodhya was brought up as a national issue by the Bharatiya Janata Party before the Babri Mosque demolition in 1992.

Ideologies

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is the philosophy that the whole cosmos is a single family
Rama Rajya is an ancient Indian concept of an ideal society which according to Gandhi is the "sovereignty of the people based on pure moral authority".^[5] "One of true democracy in which the meanest citizen could be sure of swift justice without an elaborate and costly procedure”.^[6] It became widely espoused in the Indian Independence Movement.
Hindu nationalism is the political philosophy of cultural nationalism. The followers claim to be inspired by Vivekananda, Aurobindo and other modern Hindu Gurus.
Hindutva ("Hindu-ness") is the political ideology first expressed by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who defined a Hindu in terms of nationalism, rather than religion is the unofficial ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).^[7]^[8]

Parties

Parties claiming to be inspired by Hinduism and Hindutva ideology include the erstwhile Jana Sangha, Hindu Mahasabha, Ram Rajya Parishad and the current Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena. Parties have even formed in countries such as Bangladesh (e.g. Banga Sena) and in Mauritius (Independent Forward Bloc) supporting the oppressed Hindus in these countries and giving importance to Hindu traditions.

Minority politics

Hindus form minorities in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Fiji. Minority Hindus in these countries have been denied human rights in many cases.^[9]^[10] Dhirendranath Datta was a Bengali Hindu member of the renamed Pakistan National Congress who supported the creation of Bangladesh and was later assassinated by the Pakistan Army. Krishan Bheel, a Hindu member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, came into news recently for manhandling Qari Gul Rehman.^[11]

Independent authors

In recent years, a few authors have taken up the cause of Hinduism as a political force. Some of these commentators on the Hindu political scene include Sita Ram Goel, Ram Swarup, Arun Shourie, Koenraad Elst among others.^[12]

Related Research Articles

Nathuram Vinayak Godse was a right-wing advocate of Hindu nationalism who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi on 30 January 1948. He shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point-blank range. Godse was a member of the right-wing nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS); he believed that Gandhi favoured the political demands of India's Muslims during the partition of India.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, abbreviated as RSS, is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation that is widely regarded as the parent organisation of the ruling party of India, the Bharatiya Janata Party. The RSS is one of the principal organizations of the Sangh Parivar group. Founded on 27 September 1925, it claimed a commitment to selfless service to India. The organisation is the world's largest voluntary missionary organization.

Hindutva ("Hinduness") is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was popularised by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is championed by the Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Sena. Some left-leaning Indian social scientists have described the Hindutva movement as far-right, adhering to the concept of homogenised majority and cultural hegemony but some other Indian social scientists dispute this description. In 2017, related to a plea to minimize electoral malpractices in terms of religion, the Supreme Court of India declined to reconsider its 1995 judgment that defined Hindutva as "a way of life and not a religion".

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Indian pro-independence activist,lawyer, politician, poet, writer and playwright

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as Veer Savarkar, was an Indian politician, lawyer and writer,savarkar popularized the term Hindutva (Hinduness), previously coined by Chandranath Basu, to create a collective "Hindu" identity as an essence of Bharat (India). Savarkar was also a pragmatic practitioner of Hindu Philosophy. He insisted for validating religious myths/blind faith against the test of modern science. In that sense he also was a rationalist and reformer.

Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, also known as "Doctorji" within his organisation, was the founding Sarsanghachalak (head) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and a prominent member of the right wing party Hindu Mahasabha. Hedgewar founded the RSS in Nagpur in 1925, with the intention of promoting the concept of a united India rooted in Hinduism ideology.

Quit India Movement Katra Neel Chandni Chowk Delhi

The Quit India Movement, or the August Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee by Gandhiji on 8 August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British Rule of India.

The Hindu Mahasabha is a right wing Hindu nationalist political party in India.

Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar was the second Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Golwalkar authored the books Bunch of Thoughts and We, or Our Nationhood Defined.

Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras Indian politician

Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras, popularly known as Balasaheb Deoras, was the third Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The Rashtra Sevika Samiti is a Hindu nationalist women's organisation that parallels the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for men. Even though it is often referred to as the "women's wing" of the RSS, the organisation claims that it is independent of the RSS while sharing its ideology. Membership and leadership is restricted to women and its activities are directed to nationalist devotion and mobilisation of Hindu women.

The Hindu Revolution is a term in Hindu nationalism referring to a sociopolitical movement aiming to overthrow the secular Republic of India and replace it with a Hindu State.

Eknath Ramkrishna Ranade, popularly referred to as Eknathji, was a social activist and leader, motivated by the twin spirits of nationalism and spiritualism, and known for his great organisational abilities.

Ganesh Dāmodar Sāvarkar, also called Babarao Savarkar, was an Indian freedom fighter, nationalist, and founder of the Abhinav Bharat Society.

Prabhakar Balwant Dani was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization in India. He served as a pracharak of the organization. He served in senior positions of the RSS and played a large role in spreading the RSS network in the erstwhile Indian state of Madhya Bharat.

Des Raj Goyal (1929-2013), also known as Desraj Goyal or D. R. Goyal, is an Indian journalist, academic and a well-known author of books on secularism and communalism. Having been a member of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in his younger days, he wrote a seminal book on the organisation in 1979, which is widely cited in academic works.

Mauli Chandra Sharma was a senior Indian politician, originally of the Indian National Congress. He was a founding member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, serving as its Vice-President and President, before being forced out by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activists in the party in 1954.

These are the references for further information regarding the Sangh Parivar.

We, or Our Nationhood Defined is one of the two books written by M.S. Golwalkar, also referred to as Guruji, who was the second Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). This book was published in 1939. The scholar Jean Curran characterised this book as the RSS' "Bible" in his book Militant Hinduism in Indian Politics: A Study of the RSS.

Bunch of Thoughts is one of the two books written by M. S. Golwalkar, also referred to as Guruji, who was the second Sarsanghchalak (president) of the right wing Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. This book was published in 1966.The RSS leaders Rajendra Singh and Bhaurao Deoras had made a joint statement in 1978 to the effect that Golwalkar's purpose of writing the book was "to clarify and understand the true purpose, the exact nature, the ambit and scope of the RSS work...and its activities."

References

↑ Elst, Koenraad (2005). Decolonizing the Hindu Mind . India: Rupa. p. 102. ISBN 81-7167-519-0.
↑ Elst, Koenraad (2005). Decolonizing the Hindu mind. India: Rupa. pp. 2–3. ISBN 81-7167-519-0.
↑ Elst, Koenraad (2005). Decolonizing the Hindu mind. India: Rupa. pp. 2–3. ISBN 81-7167-519-0.
↑ Huffer, Amanda J. (1 September 2011). "Hinduism Without Religion: Amma's Movement in America". Cross Currents. 61 (3): 374–398. doi:10.1111/j.1939-3881.2011.00188.x.
↑ Harijan, 2 January 1937
↑ Young India, 19 September 1929
↑ http://www.bjp.org/about-the-party/philosophy
↑ Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar (1923). Hindutva. India: Bharati Sahitya Sadan.
↑ Nasrin, Taslima (1994). Lajja . India: Penguin Books India. ISBN 0-14-024051-9.
↑ "Hindu Human Rights" . Retrieved 2006-08-23.
↑ "Opp MNAs fight in PM's presence". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2006.
↑ Nanda, Meera (11 July 2009). "Hindu Triumphalism and the Clash of Civilisations". Economic and Political Weekly . 44 (28): 101–114. JSTOR 40279263.

External links

"Voice of Dharma". Voice of India Publications. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2006.
"Integral Humanism — the philosophy of Deendayal Upadhyaya".

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[1] Elst, Koenraad (2005). Decolonizing the Hindu Mind . India: Rupa. p. 102. ISBN 81-7167-519-0.

[2] Elst, Koenraad (2005). Decolonizing the Hindu mind. India: Rupa. pp. 2–3. ISBN 81-7167-519-0.

[3] Elst, Koenraad (2005). Decolonizing the Hindu mind. India: Rupa. pp. 2–3. ISBN 81-7167-519-0.

[4] Huffer, Amanda J. (1 September 2011). "Hinduism Without Religion: Amma's Movement in America". Cross Currents. 61 (3): 374–398. doi:10.1111/j.1939-3881.2011.00188.x.

[5] Harijan, 2 January 1937

[6] Young India, 19 September 1929

[7] ttp://www.bjp.org/about-the-party/philosophy

[8] Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar (1923). Hindutva. India: Bharati Sahitya Sadan.

[9] Nasrin, Taslima (1994). Lajja . India: Penguin Books India. ISBN 0-14-024051-9.

[10] "Hindu Human Rights" . Retrieved 2006-08-23.

[11] "Opp MNAs fight in PM's presence". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2006.

[12] Nanda, Meera (11 July 2009). "Hindu Triumphalism and the Clash of Civilisations". Economic and Political Weekly . 44 (28): 101–114. JSTOR 40279263.