Hinduism, by the way, was and, still, is not a (cohesive) religion as was/is the case with Judaism, Christianity or Islam, to take a few prominent examples.
It doesn't have a definite origin. No central holy scripture. No Pope or a singular apex church. Even the tag "Hindu" was coined by incoming outsiders, in order to denote the people inhabiting a specific region - beyond the river Indus or Sindhu. Being not too comfortable with a tag awarded by (despised and berated) outsiders and also the fact that the term "Hindu" figures nowhere in the holy scriptures, some Hindu Nationalists have picked up "Sanatan Dharma". Some radicals also, in turn, picked it up. But, then, this appears to be of even (far) more modern provenance. It became current in opposition to the rise of the Arya Samajis, in Punjab and adjoining regions - a revivalist/reformist current. (Quite often, it is bracketed with its sort of polar opposite Brahmo Samaj - initiated by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a polyglot, apart from being many other things - a modernist/reformist current.) No scripture, as it seems, uses it. Not to confuse, the term "dharma" is, of course, ancient. So is "sanatan". But, not "Sanatan Dharma". "Dharma" meant the just and righteous way (or the intrinsic nature/property of someone/something). Its antonym "adharma", of which there's no English synonym, brings that out with vivid clarity - wrong/unjust/immoral act/ way. Only much later "Dharma" would come to denote "religion". It was, and still is - though to a significantly lesser extent now, a basket of loosely interconnected traditions, which have been incorporated, with modifications and getting modified here and there, in the process of growth. The two commonest threads are the (obnoxious and oppressive) caste system and the two great epics - in myriad versions, the classical and vernacular. Quite contrary to the usual claims of the Indian radicals, there's no uniform Brahmanism either. While Brahmans of the north, except for Kashmir, would, or rather did, desist from consuming any variety of flesh, in the east their counterparts would happily, or rather eagerly, preside over ritual animal sacrifice. Even the gods/goddesses, to be worshipped, vary from region to region. Even for the Brahmans. Just to take two very visible markers. But, of course, they constitute a pan-Indian caste, being at the top of the heap - in the context of religious rituals and certain social customs. In the process of encountering the Abrahamic religions, the basket of Indic traditions, which would come to be called Hinduism, also, partly out of the urge for self-preservation and partly otherwise, started reshaping itself in the image of its, at least somewhat, adversarial interlocutors. This process picked up momentum with the establishment of the British rule. The Britishers tried, pretty seriously, to comprehend the Indian realities, in order to rule. Their scholars, not necessarily willing partners in that project, looked at India and tried to theorise Hinduism in terms of categories and experiences they had been familiar with. Not necessarily, with evil designs. Their explorations made a strong impact on the Indian educated elite - whether in the process of serving them or opposing them. The process of homogenisation of Hinduism gained momentum. Emergence of a common state, market and easier communications between regions helped. Both the "Indian Nationalists" and the "Hindu Nationalists", in their own different ways, pushed the process further forward. That story, particularly as regards the Hindu Nationalists, still continues, in even more conscious and organised ways. Even then, the birthmark could not be completely erased off. At least as yet. While Islamists just blasted off the Bamiyan Buddhas, the Hindu Nationalists have to live with the Konark and Khajuraho temples - even glorify these, while shouting and screaming, and doing much worse, against M F Husain for picturing a Hindu goddess in the nude. Husain, in the process, would be hounded out of his beloved land of birth. But, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a Bengali *Christian* poet, whose best known literary product is 'Meghnad Badh Kabya' (Lyrical Saga of Slaying Meghnad) - retelling (a portion of) the Ramayana, which runs down Lakshmana and Rama and valorises Ravana's son Indrajit, or Meghnad, and Ravana and it still remains a revered, even if no longer too familiar, piece of literary work, as far as the educated Bengalis are concerned. It'd be rather blasphemous to charge it of blasphemy. The heterogeneity or amorphousness of Hindu traditions is, however, often confused with tolerance and liberalism. Caste oppression and the, now (virtually) extinct and legally banned, practice of widow burning, for example, notwithstanding. Of course, the heterogeneity provides far larger elbow room for heterodoxy, than otherwise. While "Hinduism" refers to a religion, "Hindutva", when used in political discourse, is an Indian shorthand for "Hindu nationalism". "Hindu nationalism", very much like "Muslim nationalism", arose during the epic Indian freedom struggle as opposed to "Indian nationalism". While "Indian nationalism", at least notionally, stood/stands for a pluralist, inclusive and composite Indian nationhood, "Hindu" or "Muslim" nationalism stood/stands for an exclusivist "Hindu" or "Muslim" nationhood. Thereby, they also pit the religious community they claim to represent against all the "other"s. "Hindutva" - out and out a political project, in the process, tries to reimagine and recreate "Hinduism" as a monolithic entity. "Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan!" is a familiar war cry. Thus, **while "Hindutva" is, evidently, linked to "Hinduism", these two terms are in no way synonymous*. As "Islam" and "Islamism" are not. Sukla -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send an email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
