Trads (Hindu nationalism)

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Trads (short for "Traditionalists") is a term used to describe groups like the alt-right within Hindutva. Advocating for a Hindu nation based on traditional values and Brahminical supremacy, they also want a strict adherence to the traditional Hindu caste system. [1] [2] The group is seen as a Hindu supremacist faction that criticises other Hindutva groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for weakening "true" Hindu traditions. [3] Their content is based on provocative hate based on caste, religion, race, and gender and these groups promote rhetoric for genocide of Muslims and other Indian minorities. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Background

A sub-cultural movement, it hosts the people who are inspired by the idea of a Hindu nation. The term "trad" is short for "traditional". [7] [8] The debate between trads and other Hindutva supporters exist due to the differences between their ideologies. The trads consider themselves as the defenders of Hinduism and find Narendra Modi to be soft on the Muslims and Dalits. [4] [9] [10] [11]

Trads and Raitas

Trads refer to other Hindu nationalist factions as "raita"s for having softer stances toward caste hierarchy and non-hindu religions. [12] Raitas generally support Narendra Modi and RSS, while Trads often criticise RSS and use the term "Maulana Modi" for Narendra Modi in a derogatory manner. [13] [14]

Comparison of Trads and Raitas
AspectTradsRaitas
Ideological Position [15] Hardline, extremist HindutvaMainstream, pro-Hindutva
View on Narendra Modi [13] Critical, call him "Maulana Modi" for being too moderateSupportive, view him as a strong leader
Approach to Hindutva [16] Advocate for a purist, traditionalist Hindu stateSupport a more pragmatic, electoral Hindutva
Views on Muslims and minorities [17] Openly extremist, support violence against themPrefer institutional suppression over direct action
Involvement in controversies [18] Linked to Bulli Bai and Sulli Deals hate campaignsOften defend BJP from left-wing criticism
View on RSS and BJP [19] Criticise RSS and BJP for being too softStrongly support BJP and RSS
View on the Constitution [19] Want Manusmriti as the constitutionPrefer the Indian Constitution with desirable changes

Influence

Trads are primarily active in online spaces, using social media to conduct campaigns and disseminate extremist content. They frequently use memes and do not have a formal organizational structure. [20] Doge memes, Wojak face memes, and Pepe the Frog memes are often used by trads. The green frog with a skullcap is used to mock Muslims, while the blue frog is used as an insult against Dalit Ambedkarites, calling them "Bhimtas." [21]

Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai app

Sulli Deals was an open-source app created by Trads used to target Muslim women by sharing their photographs and personal details online. [22] The app was hosted on GitHub and sparked outrage, leading to legal action and police investigations. [23] The Delhi Police registered an FIR after the National Commission for Women took suo moto cognizance of the case. [24] The app's creator, Aumkareshwar Thakur, a self-identified trad member and BCA student from Indore, was arrested in January 2022 but later granted bail. [25] [26]

Following the incident, a similar app called Bulli Bai emerged in early 2022, targeting Muslim women in a similar manner. The police arrested trad member Neeraj Bishnoi, as a key suspect in the case. [27] [28]

Reception

The rigid stance and aggressive tactics of the trads have drawn widespread criticism. Human rights organizations and political opponents argue that their ideology deepens social divisions and weakens democratic pluralism. [29]

The conflict between trads and raitas is viewed by some political analysts as a reflection of deeper fractures within the Hindu nationalist movement. [30]

References

  1. "These Muslim Women Were Fetishized for Their Faith and 'Auctioned' Online". Vice.com. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. Iyer, Aishwarya (2022-05-13). "Why Trads, India's Alt Right, remain untouched online despite hate crimes". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  3. Baruah, Sukrita; Sinha, Jignasa (2022-01-10). "What are 'trads', used by police to describe GitHub case accused?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  4. 1 2 Laraib Farhat (May 2022). "Inside India's Digital Hate Space" (PDF).
  5. Jafri, Alishan; Barton, Naomi (2022-01-11). "Explained: 'Trads' vs 'Raitas' and the Inner Workings of India's Alt-Right". The Wire. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  6. "Explained: 'Trads' vs 'Raitas' and the Inner Workings of India's Alt-Right – Janata Weekly". Janata Weekly – India's Oldest Socialist Weekly. 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  7. Federal, The (2022-01-10). "Sulli Deals case: Know the Trads, latest Hindu supremacists in town". The Federal News. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  8. Goyal, Prateek (2022-01-06). "Bulli Bai campaign exposes the rift between Trads and Raaytas in RW ecosystem". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  9. Walther, J.B.; Rice, R.E. (2024). Social Processes of Online Hate. Taylor & Francis. p. 2-PT32. ISBN   978-1-04-012168-9 . Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  10. Arya, Divya; Khare, Vineet (2022-02-11). "Trads vs Raytas: The young Indians spreading hate online". BBC Home. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  11. Taskin, Bismee (2022-01-10). "How 'Trads vs Raitas' plays out online as Hindutva fault lines emerge after Bulli Bai row". ThePrint. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  12. Hasin, Fahad. "Trads, Raitas, and the Emerging Developments in the Hindutva Ecosystem". Substack. Retrieved 14 February 2025. ...They are 'trads' and they call other 'mainstream' Hindutva supporters 'raitas'.
  13. 1 2 "Explained: 'Trads' vs 'Raitas' and the Inner Workings of India's Alt-Right". Janata Weekly. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  14. "What the Trad and Raayta Controversy Is All About". India Today. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2025. They call Prime Minister Narendra Modi "Maulana Modi" for his 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' slogan and oppose RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's claim of all Indians having the same DNA.
  15. "Podcast: Trads, Raitas, and India's Alt-Right". Scroll.in. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  16. "Trads, Bulli Bai, and Hindutva: How Delhi Police Links Them to Modi, BJP, and Sangh". The Quint. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  17. "Podcast: A Peek into Online Right-Wing Hate Groups – Trads and Raitas". The Quint. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  18. "Decoding the Online Right-Wing Hate Ecosystem". NDTV. Retrieved 14 February 2025. All those arrested in the Bulli Bai and Sulli Deals cases are 'Trads'. Those opposing them are known as 'Raitas'.
  19. 1 2 "Sulli Deals case: Know the Trads, latest Hindu supremacists in town". The Federal. Retrieved 14 February 2025. [...]and swear by the Manusmriti over the Indian Constitution[....]Trads consider the BJP, RSS and their icon Veer Savarkar rivals and consider the Shankaracharya of Dwaraka and Puri as their gurus.
  20. "The Hindu nationalist comic books promoting hate". BBC News. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2025. Trads love memes and loathe mainstream Hindu nationalist parties, even the ruling BJP.
  21. "Genocide as Pop Culture: Inside the Hindutva World of Trads and Raitas". The Wire. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  22. "Sulli Deals: The Indian Muslim women 'up for sale' on an app". BBC News. 9 July 2021.
  23. "'Sulli Deals': How photos of Muslim women were misused on a GitHub app". Dawn. 6 July 2021.
  24. Ramesh, Mythreyee (12 August 2021). "'Sulli Deals': No Arrest Made Because We Are Muslim, Say Women Seeking Probe". The Quint.
  25. "'Sulli Deals' Auction App Creator Arrested from Indore, 'Admits' Idea Was to Defame Muslim Women". News18. 9 January 2022.
  26. "Delhi court grants bail to Bulli Bai, Sulli Deals creators". BBC News. 29 March 2022.
  27. "India police make arrests in online 'auction' of Muslim women". Al Jazeera. 5 January 2022.
  28. "Bulli Bai app: Fourth man held over the auction of Muslim women". BBC News. 6 January 2022.
  29. "UN official says app targeting Muslim women form of hate speech, must be condemned". The Indian Express. 13 January 2022.
  30. Udupa, Sahana (2020). "Exploring Hindutva Online Subculture". Economic and Political Weekly. 55 (12): 45–53. Retrieved 14 February 2025.