1.1 Etymology
Hindutva (Hinduness), is derived from the two terms 'Hindū + tattva",
which literally mean "of Hindu Principles" or
"Hinduness". Hindutva denotes
to the state
of mind that
is based on
the cultural and spiritual ethos based on the spiritual
systems that evolved from India
that includes all aspects of Indian
culture and civilization. Hindutva
is a spiritual,
plus economic conception founded and
developed from ancient times
in India for securing the all
round happiness of all individuals irrespective of religion, race and belief of
individuals. The stress in this philosophy both on the ruler and the ruled is
the performance of righteous duty and to conform to a code of conduct. The word Hindutva was coined by Vinayak
Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled "Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?" is used to describe
movements advocating Hindu Nationalism.
1.2 Definition
According to Savarkar, Hindutva is meant to denote the Hindu
characteristic, or Hinduness. Hindutva
is commonly identified
with the guiding
ideology of the
Sangh Parivar, a
family of Hindu
Nationalist organizations, and of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in
particular. In general, Hindutva represent the well being of Hinduism, Sikhism,
Buddhism, Jainism and all other religions prominent in India.[1]
1.3 Ideology
Its wings advocate a form of Hindu nationalism, which seeks to establish
India as a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu Nation), and rejects the notion of a composite
Indian identity brought about by a synthesis of different cultures and faiths. They
claim to be inclusive of all those who are racially and culturally Hindu and
places outside of the nation all those who adhere to and identify with a
different faith or ethos, thus establishing the idea of a Hindu Rashtra as an
exclusive one where minorities are, at best, second class citizens. This
particular ideology is variously called an ideology of Hindu pride, Hindu
patriotism, Hindu fundamentalism, Hindu revivalism, Hindu chauvinism, Hindu
fascism or Hindutva.
1.4 Its Constituents
The spread of the Hindutva ideology in India is carried out at the
grassroots level through an army of swayamsevaks deployed by the Sangh Parivar.
The recruitment and ideological ‘orientation’ towards Hindutva is done on many
levels and fronts: at the grade school level, or earlier, with Hinduised
education, including such ‘educational’ activities as the holding of Ramayan
and Mahabharat competitions for school children in tribal areas, largely with
the goal of supplanting tribal culture and traditions; with the ‘celebration’
of Hindu festivals on a grand scale in areas with large non Hindu populations; and simultaneously, with
the distribution of anti-minority pamphlets and literature and the sporadic creation of anti-minority programs such as the grabbing of
minority land or buildings or the promotion of riots and murder. For these purposes,
the Sangh has set up hundreds of smaller organizations all over the country,
all supervised by volunteers from the Sangh and centrally coordinated, even
though each claims to be independent of the Sangh.
1.5 Wings of Hindutva
1.5.1 Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh: A Social Wing of Hindutva
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) (English, National
Volunteer Organization" or National Patriotic Organization) is a
right-wing charitable, educational, volunteer, Hindu nationalist,
non-governmental organization. RSS states that its ideology is based on the
principle of selfless service to India. (Indeed its aim is to limit the Indian
population and multi cultures country in to the pan of Hindu dharma and
excommunicate non Hindus from the India). The RSS was founded by Keshav Baliram
Hedgewar on Vijayadasami Day, 27 September 1925 as a social organization to
provide character training through Hindu discipline and to unite the Hindu
community. It proclaims its ideal as upholding Indian culture and
civilizational values more than anything else. During World War II RSS leaders
openly admired Adolf Hitler. Madhav
Sadashiv Golwalkar, who became the supreme leader of the RSS after Hedgewar,
drew inspiration from Adolf Hitler's ideology of race purity. The RSS is elusive and shadowy, it is only
open to Hindu males, primarily upper
caste; it maintains no membership records; it has resisted being registered
with the Government of India as a public/charitable trust; it has no bank
accounts and pays no income tax.
1.5.2 Bharatiya Janata Party: A Pariamentary Wing of Hindutva
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian Peoples Party) is one of the two major parties in the Indian political system, along with the Indian National Congress. As of 2014, it is the country's largest political party in terms of representation in the national parliament and state assemblies, and it is the world's largest party in terms of primary membership. The BJP is a right wing party, with close ideological and organisational links to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The BJP's origins lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, formed in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee. It is Hindutva's parliamentary front which constantly makes efforts to breach the secular formation through parliamentary actions elections, pushing for legislations of various kinds, making visible the ideology in limited and constitutional ways within mainstream political discourse.
1.5.2 .1 Social
Policies and Hindutva
The official philosophy of the BJP is "Integral
humanism," a philosophy first formulated by Deendayal Upadhyaya in 1965,
who described it as advocating an "indigenous economic model that puts the
human being at center stage." It is committed to Hindutva, an ideology
articulated by Indian independence activist Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. According
to the party, Hindutva is cultural nationalism favouring Indian culture over
westernisation, thus it extends to all Indians regardless of religion. However,
scholars and political analysts have called their Hindutva ideology an attempt
to redefine India, recast it as a Hindu country to the exclusion of other
religions, making it a Hindu nationalist party in a general sense. The BJP's
Hindutva ideology has been expressed in different instances and in many of its
government policies. It supports the construction of the Ram temple at the site
of the Babri Mosque. The education policy of the NDA government reorganised the
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and tasked it
with extensively revising the textbooks used in Indian schools. Various
scholars have stated that this revision, especially in the case of history
textbooks, was a covert attempt to "saffronise" Indian history.[3] The NDA government introduced Vedic astrology as a subject in
college curricula, despite opposition from several leading scientists. The
BJP supports auniform civil code, which would apply a common
set of personal laws to every citizen, replacing the existing religious laws
for each community. According to historian Yogendra Malik, this ignores the
differential procedures required to protect the cultural identity of the Muslim
minority.[4]
1.5.3 Vishva Hindu Parishad: A
Religious/Cultural/Emotional wing of Hindutva
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (English: World Hindu
Council) is an Indian right-wing Hindu nationalist non-governmental
organization based on the ideology of Hindutva. It was founded in 1964 by M. S.
Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Swami Chinmayananda. Its main
objective is "to organize, consolidate the Hindu society and to serve,
protect the Hindu Dharma.[5] The VHP belongs to the Sangh
Parivar, an umbrella of Hindu nationalist organizations led by the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It has been involved in social service projects in
India such as construction and renovation of Hindu temples, issues of cow
slaughter, religious conversion, the Ayodhya dispute and its role in the Babri
Masjid demolition.
1.5.3.1 Religious Activities
VHP organizes programmes to reconvert Hindus who had
previously converted to Christianity or Islam through their trained
missionaries called Dharma
Prasaar Vibhag (Dharma
Propagation Unit), some of them were sent to remote villages and tribal areas
which have substantial Christians and Muslims population. On 4th March
2004, more than 200 Christians were reconverted in a ceremony organized by the
VHP in the state of Orissa, part
of its plan to reconvert 400,000 tribal Christians.
1.5.4 Bajrang Dal: A Youth Wing of Hindutva
The Bajrang Dal is a militant Hindu organization that forms the youth
wing of Hindutva. The ideology of the organization is based on fundamentalist
Hindutva. Founded on 1 October 1984 in Uttar Pradesh, it has since spread
throughout India, although its most significant base remains the northern and
central portions of the country. The group runs about 2,500 akhadas, similar to
the shakhas of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The name "Bajrang" is
a reference to the Hindu deity Hanuman.
The Bajrang Dal's slogan is 'sevā surakṣā sanskṛti' or "service,
safety, and culture." One of the main goals of the Dal is to build the
Ramjanmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, the Krishnajanamabhoomi temple in Mathura and
the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, which are currently disputed places of
worship. Other goals include protecting India's "Hindu" identity from
the perceived dangers of communism, Muslim demographic growth and Christian
conversion, as well as the prevention of cow slaughter. In October 1984, the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) initiated the practice of regular processions to be
held in Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh. These processions were called
"Ram-Janaki Rathayatra" and were aimed at "awakening the
society." While the VHP did not officially claim any anti-religion drivers
for this practice, many sections of the society in India viewed this as a
pro-Hindu movement. As a result, there was an environment of communal tension
and threat surrounding this procession. Under these circumstances, Hindu saints in the VHP called upon the youth to protect
the procession. Thus, the Bajrang Dal came into existence.
1.5.5 Durga Vahini: A Female Arm Wing of Hindutva
The Durga Vahini (Carrier of Durga) is the women's wing
of Hindutva (VHP). It was established in 1991 and its founding chairperson is
Sadhvi Rithambara. The Vishva Hindu Parishad states the purpose of the Durga
Vahini is to encourage more women to participate in prayer meetings and in
cultural activities. The aim of the organization is to establish Hindu
solidarity by helping Hindu families during the time of hardship and by
providing social services and dedicated to propagate Hindutva and its Dogmas
domestically.[6]
1.5.5.1 Controversies
The Durga Vahini is often considered to be the female face of the
hardliner Bajrang Dal and have been accused of actively contributing to
instigating violence against religious minorities. The organization is described
as a militant outfit, right-wing religious fundamentalist group[7]
and a proto-fascistic young women's wing.
The Durga Vahini aggressively recruits young women from low-income
earning and lower caste families. Members learn karate and lathi, and
receive ideological education. The organization especially recruits young girls
for carrying risky tasks of militant activism in which much physical strength
is required, for example confronting Muslim people who they view as enemy and
to fight on the front lines in places like Ayodhya.[8]
1.6 Agenda of Hindutva
The Hindutva movement is a violent sectarian movement seeking to create
a Hindu Rashtra (an ethnically 'pure' Hindu Nation) in India, in many ways
similar to the Nazi idea of a pure Aryan Germany. It seeks to exclude or
eliminate religious minorities such as Muslims and Christians and fix Dalits
and Adivasis into an internal hierarchy of caste.
1.7 Terrorism
After the 9/11 event in the US in 2001 when globally
the phenomenon of terrorism started going up, RSS intensified its campaign of
demonization of Muslims saying that all terrorists are Muslims. At the
same time Bal
Thackeray, an associate
of RSS, gave
the call for formation of suicide
squads. The acts of terror were so presented by the media and in
particular by RSS propaganda that it started being felt that Muslims are
responsible for acts of terror. With this, RSS affiliates and those inspired by ideology of RSS,
went on to make
bombs and some of
them started participating
in the bomb
blasts, especially the ones
occurring in front
of mosques and
other places where
the concentration of Muslims
is higher. The first
such act came
to light after the
blasts in Parbhani,
Aurnagabad and Jalana
in Maharashtra. Around this
time in April
2006 two Bajrang
Dal workers got
killed while making bombs in Nanded. The Mahrarahstra ATS did bring this
fact to light but it was not pursued, and other blasts in Kanpur (August 2008)
and Kannur in Kerala also came to light.
Most of the links of these blasts led to those who were
indoctrinated in the ideology of
Hindu Rashtra by
one or the
other affiliates of
RSS. The Abhinav Bharat and Hindu Jagran Samiti, near Thane-Mumbai, is
also under cloud for such acts. This organization is inspired by Hindu
Mahasabha and RSS leaders and believes that Hindus, the Devs (Gods), are
facing the Danav (demons) in the form of Muslims and Christians in the Kali
Yug so such
acts of terror should
be engineered to teach these communities a lesson.
1.8 Anti-Christian violence
The sporadic, scattered anti-Christian violence was
stepped up in Adivasi areas of Gujarat, MP and Orissa in particular. Later the
Karnataka coastal belt, the Mangalore region, also saw intensified violence
against Christian minorities. The worst of this was to be witnessed in
Kandhamal in August 2008. In this violence nearly 400 Christians were killed,
and thousands were displaced and many churches were destroyed. In the
regions where this
violence took place,
the Adivasis were
lured and pressurized to come to
the Hindu fold in the name of Ghar Vapasi. In the same areas, the cultural
manipulation in the form of promoting Lord Hanuman and Shabri were popularized as
ideals for the Adivasis. A type of scare
was created by organizing Hindu Sangams (congregations) at a massive scale.
[2] “Bharatiya Janata Party”,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatiya_Janata_Party, (accessed on 04/05/15).
[3] “Bharatiya Janata Party”,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatiya_Janata_Party, (accessed on 04/05/15).
[4] Malik
Singh, “Bharatiya Janata Party,”
ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatiya_Janata_Party#cite_note-
Footnote1992318-336-3, (accessed on 04/05/15).
[5]
“Vishva Hindu Parihad”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishva_Hindu_Parishad,
(Accessed on 03/05/15).
[6]
Patricia Jeffery and Amrita Basu, Appropriating Gender: Women's Activism and
Politicized Religion in South Asia ([n. p.]: Routledge, 1997), 168.
[7] Joanna
Kerr, “The Future of Women's Rights,”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga_Vahini#cite_note-FWR-5, (accessed on
04/05/15).
[8][n.
a.], “Feminist Review: Issue 49,”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga_Vahini#cite_note-FR-7
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