UNDERSTANDING HINDUTVA
- Averthanus L. D'Souza.
Ramesh Rajaram Vispute, a former Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
once remarked: "The enemies of the Hindus are the Muslims, the Christians, the
Hindu intellectuals and the media." It is very significant as well as
intriguing that Vispute included the Hindu intellectuals and the media in his
category of the "enemies" of Hindus. It does not take great intellectual
acumen to interpret the meaning of this statement by a very prominent Hindutva
promoter. It is quite obvious that Hindu intellectuals (nor any other
reasonably educated person for that matter) will refuse to swallow the
confused gibberish which is churned out by the Hindutva propagandists to
arouse anger and hatred against Muslims and Christians, for which the VHP is
so notorious. Any thinking person (including Hindu "intellectuals") will see
through the falsity of the arguments which the VHP advances in its hate
campaigns. It is precisely because the position of the Hindutva campaign is
irrational and untenable that the propagandists prefer to recruit uneducated
and unthinking followers who can easily be manipulated to believe anything that
is fed to them. The Bajrang Dal, which is considered to be the front-rank
of the storm-troopers of the VHP is a good example of uneducated youth, with
more passion than reason, who are willing to blindly follow orders without
thinking, and who are conditioned to believe that heroism consists in
slaughtering helpless women and children, and burning innocent people alive.
In this respect the Bajrang Dal is no different from the Hitler Youth of Nazi
Germany or the youth brigades of the other fascist movements in Europe who were
used to terrorize the population into submission. With their saffron
head-bands and wielding 'trishuls', and screaming full-throated war-cries,
these rampaging gangs can cause terror anywhere - which is precisely what they
are trained to do. They are 'programmed' to follow orders, irrespective of the
morality of the orders or the consequences which follow. B.S. Moonje, a
prominent RSS leader, personally met the Italian fascist leader Benito
Mussolini in Rome on 19 March, 1931, visited some important military schools
and educational institutions and became acquainted with the Balilla and the
Avanguardisti organizations. Moonje wrote in his diary that the keystone of
the fascist system is the 'indoctrination' of youths, rather than education.
This is the foundation on which the Bajrang Dal is built.
While cultivated ignorance of the youth is one facet which is promoted by the
Hindutva ideologues, deliberate falsification of current facts as well as of
History is another method of indoctrination used. Lal .Krishna. Advani
closely studied the system of propaganda developed by Nazi Germany. He says:
"In Nazi Germany, fascism in action developed two other distinctive
characteristics: firstly, adoption of propaganda as a key instrument of State
policy; and secondly, the systematic development of a demonology to keep the
masses in a mood of perpetual tension and hysteria." (L.K.Advani- "A Prisoner's
Scrap Book" ) Advani and his colleagues have tried hard to refine and improve
upon the propaganda-cum-terror machinery which was developed by Nazi Germany,
specially by Hitler's most trusted lieutenant Paul Joseph Goebbels, whose name
has now become synonymous with high-voltage mendacious propaganda.
One of the more prominent falsifications which the Hindutva protagonists are
propagating is that Hindutva is an integral part of Hinduism. No sensible
person, (including thinking Hindus) accepts this claim. In fact, the vast
majority of Hindus are aghast at this identification of Hinduism with Hindutva.
Hinduism is a highly respected religion of long standing. It is recognized
(even by non-Hindus) as being, perhaps, one of the oldest religions in human
history. It outlived the ancient religions of the Sumerians, the Etruscans,
the Mesopotamians the Greeks and the Egyptians. Hinduism has always been
associated with 'sanatana' which denotes timelessness or ancientness.
Hinduism has never been associated with any particular political system; nor
has it ever shown a preference for any particular cultural context. In the
broadest sense of the word, Hinduism is "heterodox" and embraces a vast
variety of rituals, beliefs, popular practices and dietary preferences. In
the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna: "Through whatever path men come
to me, I accept them through that very path."
In sharp contrast to Hinduism as a religion, Hindutva is a clearly
distinguishable "political" ideology which is straining to concoct a "national"
identity based on the Hindu religion. Hindutva is a clearly fascist
political movement, which has drawn much of its inspiration from European
fascism and German Nazism. The most prominent protagonists of Hindutva,
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1902 - 1966), Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar (1906 -
1973) and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (1901 - 1953) among others, have derived
their ideologies from European fascism and modified it to suit Indian
conditions. In fact, Pravin Togadia the "International General Secretary" of
the VHP explicitly says that India is a Hindu Rashtra since millennia, and that
Hindutva is not a religion but a synonym for Hindu nationalism. It should be
quite clear, therefore, that the rejection of the claims of Hindutva cannot be
construed as being anti-Hinduism. In fact, it is precisely because of the
distortion of Hinduism by the Hindutva brigade that the Hindu intellectuals
have rejected it. The Hindutva fanatics thrive on spreading this confusion
between Hindutva and Hinduism. They have been able to increase their
popularity because they repeat the (false) propaganda that the promotion of
Hindutva is the promotion of Hinduism
There are many distortions which the Hindutva fascists have wrought on
Hinduism. Suffice it to indicate only a few blatant contradictions in their
propaganda.
One: Hindutva is supposedly a movement to create a Hindu "Rashtra". The
secularism enshrined in the Indian Constitution is violently rejected by the
Hindutva protagonists. At the same time they have made a conscious and
vigorous effort to create an "international" Hindu community. The formation
of the "World Hindu Council" and the creation of the post of an "International
General Secretary" of the VHP is a clear contradiction of the claim that
Hindutva is limited to the objective of creating a Hindu "nation." This
contradiction is obvious to every sane person, except, of course, the rabid
Hindutva ideologues.
The claim made by Pravin Togadia that Hindutva as a "Rashtra" has existed
since millennia is patently false. By all historical accounts, whether in
ancient or mediaeval India, there were several "kingdoms" or "empires."
Among the more well-known ancient empires were the Mauryan empire of
Chandragupta Maurya ( approx. 326 B.C. to 184 B.C.) and the Asokan empire
(approx. 269 B.C. to 232 B.C.) There were also other lesser kingdoms like
those of Kushana. In the south there were the numerous kingdoms of Adilshah,
the Pandyan and Chola kingdoms, the Chalukyan dynasty and the Vijayanagaran
kingdom (1336 to 1567 A.D.) and the better known Maratha Kingdom whose best
known figure is Shivaji. In the course of history, all these kingdoms were
in conflict with one or another with a view to expand their fiefdom or to
retrieve lands which had been taken away by force. There was never a "nation"
called India. Even after the gaining of political independence from Britain
in 1945, it was left to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to consolidate the various
major and minor kingdoms into a unified Nation. It is indisputable that it was
under Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel that the so-called
"Princely States" were abolished and integrated into the State of India, which,
for the first time in its entire history adopted a Constitution which was to
govern the "Nation." The falsity of the VHP's claim that India was always a
Hindu "rashtra" is proven by the very fact that it is still seeking to "create"
the Hindu Rashtra of its dream.
Two: the VHP claims that people who profess and practice other religions
cannot be part of the Hindu Rashtra. This is in stark contradiction to the
repeated statements made by the Hindutva leaders that Hindutva is a "secular"
concept. In fact, they claim that they are secular precisely because they are
Hindu. They accuse non-Hindus of being "pseudo-secular." They continue to
trumpet this obvious contradiction that only Hindus are secular and the
followers of all other religions are not secular. Yet, they also claim that
Hindutva is a "composite" culture which embraces a variety of religions, cults,
languages and ethnic cultures. The Hindutva ideologues have never been able
to reconcile this glaring contradiction in their position. If Hindutva
"embraces" other ethnic cultures, why is it that they are systematically
forcing tribals (who are not, and never have been, Hindu) to "convert" to
Hinduism? On the one hand they have sponsored so-called "Freedom of Religion"
legislation in many States; because they are ostensibly opposed to conversions
by force, fraud or inducements; yet on the other hand, they themselves are
forcibly "converting" tribals, members of scheduled castes and followers of
other religions. They offer the lame and unconvincing argument that they are
only bringing back these people to the Hindu fold. They have called this
movement a "ghar vapasi." The fact is that the tribals have never been Hindu.
They have their own culture, religion and social practices. "Ghar vapasi"
in their case simply does not make any sense. Former Indian Prime Minister,
V.P. Singh has rightly pointed out that "ultimately what they are aiming at is
authoritarian rule. Then not only will the minorities be targeted, but also
those who do not agree with them. You will be declared an anti-national and
treated thus."
One of the more prominent characteristics of any dictatorial political movement
is the systematic creation of confusion in the minds of the citizens so that
they can never be sure of what the truth is. This is done in two ways. One is
to spread rumours through the cadres of grassroots level workers, and another
is to simultaneously issue "official" statements "clarifying" the official
position on any particular issue. This is a very subtle psychological game
which is being played by the top leadership of the Hindutva brigade.
Citizens need to be aware of this and not fall into the trap which is
deliberately created by the Hindutva ideologues. A glaringly example of this
"double-speak" is the fact that the Bajrang Dal leaders in Karnataka have
openly stated on TV channels that they are responsible for the attacks against
Christian churches, institutions and personnel. At the same time, the BJP
government in Karnataka and the VHP leadership insist that the Bajrang Dal had
nothing to do with the attacks.
There are too many contradictions in the propaganda arsenal of the Sangh
Parivar to be treated at length in a brief essay, but this short analysis
will, perhaps, help to pinpoint the contradictions:
Hindu Nationalism v/s International Hindu Solidarity.
The entire Hindutva movement is grounded on the principle that India is a Hindu
nation, and that only Hindus can enjoy rights of citizenship in India. In
this view, Muslims and Christians, in particular, but also Jews, Parsis,
Buddhists and Jains, are viewed as non-Indian. Each time a violent attack is
carried out against Muslims or Christians, the Bajrang Dal terrorists shout
that the Muslims and Christians should either become Hindus or leave the
country. Islam and Christianity are considered to be "impositions" by foreign
Muslim conquerors or by Western Christian missionaries. The teachings of V.D.
Savarkar and M.S. Golwalkar are very explicit about this. According to them,
non-Hindus cannot enjoy rights of citizenship. The Muslims are constantly
warned that their continued presence in India is entirely dependent on the
"goodwill" of the Hindus and the Christians are "advised" to form an Indian
Church under the complete control of the Indian Government, similar to the
National Church in China. The so-called principle is constantly repeated that
only those who sever their links with any international community and become
entirely Hindu will be tolerated in (an Hindutva ruled) India.
The stark contradiction in this position is the fact that Hindutva is Not
confined to the geographical territory of India; it is sought to be made an
international religion. Ever since the famous Parliament of Religions was
addressed by Swami Vivekananda, in Chicago the "missionary" dimension of
Hinduism was begun with the formation of the Vedanta Society in 1893 in New
York. Today there are Hindu "missions" all over the world, in the U.S.A., in
Europe, in the Pacific Islands, in the West Indies, and in South Africa. The
claim that Hindutva is a movement to establish a Hindu "Rashtra," is,
therefore, patently false. The comparison with the expansionist movement of
Nazi Germany is too striking to be missed. First it started with the
unification of German speaking countries; then it was extended to include all
people of Aryan ethnic stock. Since racial characteristics could not be
"assimilated" the Nazis began a systematic extermination, first of the Jewish
people and then of other "tainted" races. The Hindutva claim to form a Hindu
Rashtra, is, on the face of it, a huge fraud perpetrated by the Hindutva
ideologues. From a close examination of the literature available, it is clear
that the Hindutva brigade wants to establish a theocratic Hindu State in India,
not dissimilar to the Islamic State of neighbouring Pakistan.
Tolerance v/s xenophobia.
Another myth which has been created by the Hindutva protagonists is the claim
that Hindutva is a tolerant ideology and is based on secular values. This is
far from the truth. Hindutva is a blatantly intolerant movement which thrives
on spreading hatred and fear among people. In fact it is so intolerant that it
seeks to re-write history, which, according to it, has been written by
"pseudo-secularists." Its distortion of history is so blatant that it has
even created the myth that Asoka and Chandragupta Maurya were Hindu kings.
This is a blatant falsification of History. All reliable sources tell us that
Asoka ruled over a Buddhist kingdom, and that Chandragupta Maurya was strongly
associated with the Jaina tradition. The Hindutva view of history is not based
on scientific research, but on an imagination running wild. The Hindutva
"historians" are worthy disciples of Goebbels who taught that if you repeat a
lie over and over again, people will soon begin to accept it as the truth.
If Hindutva is a tolerant political ideology which respects secular values, why
is it that in all the States which are ruled by the BJP there is a systematic
attack against Christians and Muslims? Why is it that tribals, who are not,
and never have been, Hindu are being terrorized into converting to Hinduism?
The Hindutva fanatics claim that they are against conversion by force, fraud or
by material inducements. In fact they accuse the Christians of having
converted Hindus by offering such material inducements. Yet, the duplicity of
their claims is starkly evident in the fact that wherever they have attacked
the Christians, independent Commissions of Enquiry have not been able to
confirm a single case of conversion by the use of fraud, force or material
inducement. The Laws in India are very clear about such conversions. If the
Hindutva terrorists have any evidence of such conversions, they should have
recourse to the Law. Instead, they resort to violence and terror against
helpless, innocent and weak communities. They themselves use force to
(re)convert people.
The Hindutva movement is built on the foundations of falsehood, force and
terror. In times of natural calamities, like the earthquake in Gujarat, they
prevented anyone else from assisting the affected people. They sought
exclusive rights to dispense aid, but they distributed this aid in a highly
reprehensible manner. Muslim victims were carefully and deliberately
excluded. Others were given aid only on condition that they swore to remain
or to become Hindu. There is voluminous evidence of such discrimination even
in times of dire affliction. And these very people claim that Hindutva is a
humanitarian and generous movement.
Citizens need to be aware of the duplicity of the Hindutva movement. They
should examine all their claims critically; and most of all, citizens should
not be beguiled into believing that the Hindutva movement has any redeeming
features. It is an unmitigated evil.
The battle lines are very clear. We Indians, of all faiths, varieties of
cultures and languages, are facing a grave threat to the secular, democratic
and pluri-cultural fabric of our society. We need to join forces to defeat
the evil forces of fascism and authoritarianism. The fight is not between
Hinduism and other religions. The fight is really between secularism and
democracy, on the one hand, and fascism on the other.
Averthanus L. D'Souza,
D-13, La Marvel Colony,
Dona Paula, Goa 403 004.
Tel: 2453628.
