The inception of the Hindu nationalist ideology was largely a result of India’s colonial history. While the movement was in many ways a reaction to the British presence, as well as the Christian missions that accompanied it, it had many aspects which were borrowed or inspired by the colonial rule itself. Concerned about the momentum of the Khilafat movement of the 1920’s, the hindu nationalists adopted strategies of stigmatization and emulation of groups that were perceived to be threats. Hindu nationalism remained active in India throughout the 1900’s, and was solidified by the publication of the Hindutva and were characterized by groups such as the Sang Parivar and the RSS. The success experienced by the BJP in the late 1990s can be explained by its effectiveness in creating coalitions, its strategies of gaining state-level support in contentious areas, and most prominently, the manipulation of ethno-religious vulnerability. All of these factors contributed mobilization of the hindu nationalist ideology, and the success, however brief, experienced by the BJP.
The success of the BJP in the 1980s and 1990s was largely due its ability to use a series of events to emphasize the vulnerability of the Hindu religion and identity, as well as its collaboration with the RSS and the VHP, which were integral to it’s mobilization and gaining of popular support. Events such as the Meenakshipuram conversions of 1981, where 300 low-caste Hindu families converted to Islam, caused anxiousness among many Hindus, and the Shah Bano case reinforced the perceived need for a homogeneously Hindu civil code. The RSS was able to utilize its old strategies of emulation and stigmatization to counter the internal threats posed by separatist sentiments amo...
... middle of paper ...
...he NDA, the INC proved itself adept at making new strategic alliances. With it’s focus on relevant social issues, “the INC emerged as the natural spokesman for the masses.” (2005, p. 249)
Jaffrelot concludes that the overall, the loss of popularity of the BJP can be explained by the lack of vulnerability of the Hindu identity and subsequent loss of interest in its nationalist agenda (which is not necessarily a movement toward secularism), and the weakness of its coalitions. Since ethno-religious mobilization has only been effective in India in times of unrest, the success of this type of aggressive strategy is largely reliant on the momentum of a driving issue such as building a temple in Ayodha. For years, the RSS has capitalized on the perceived threats to the Hindu majority; however, where no such fears exist, it is difficult to exploit them for political gain.
In Nehru’s India, women were victims of a “passive revolution” that subtly advanced bourgeoisie men of higher castes under a guise of parliamentary democracy. Though women have presided over the Indian National Congress, served as a prime minister, and represent a large part of India’s la...
In the impoverished imagination of the multiculturalist, all those who do not belong by birth to the predominant culture are engaged in a united struggle against its oppressive and illegitimate hegemony.” Dalrymple is explaining that with the increasingly pluralistic character of modern Western society there is an increasing belief that all cultural traditions and perspectives represented in the public deserve to be heard at every level. However all those who do not belong to the ‘dominant Western culture’ are living on the fringes of society. In order for multicultural coexistence to work it requires goodwill from all parties. It requires tolerance towards other’s religious and moral values to an extent. Religious tolerance is not a value universally admired within the immigrant cultures of showcased Indian families. A Muslim patient of Dalrymple had fallen in love with a young Sikh boy. Once the Muslim girl’s family found out about the relationship its outcome resulted in violence. The Sikh boy was machete and forced into hiding by the Muslim’s girl’s brothers. Although the brothers were tried in court and regarded as delinquents to the rest of society, the members of their community thought the girl’s brothers behaved in an honorable and decent way. They had broken the law in pursuing their blood feud and risking
India has a characteristic of more ethnic and religious groups than most countries in the world. Despite this multiplicity of religions, there exists a broad group of interrelated traditions called Hinduism. Although other religions within the nation such as Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity have occasionally challenged its dominance, Hinduism is the most prevalent religion in the South Asian region. Some of the outstanding differences between Hinduism and other denominatio...
India can be considered as the most classical example of Western Imperialism’s development and the rise of anti-colonial nationalism; indeed the Indian national movement appears as the precursor of the national liberation fronts that flourished in Asia in the twentieth century. How then would we have imagined that the Indian mobilization would take a national dimension so fast, and the English would leave hurriedly?
“ The Hindu society maintain this peculiar character over the centuries. The two societies, Hindus and Muslim like two streams have sometimes touched but never merged, each following its separate course.”
During the Cold War, many regional conflicts occurred and were noted as the significant battles which later led to decolonization. One of the regional conflicts were India and Pakistan fighting for their independence. In 1947, India was released under Great Britain’s control and gained its independence. However, the country was divided between Muslims and Hindus, which share different religions. Muslims wanted church and state to become unified while Hindus wanted a separation of these two establishments. Since these two ethnic groups disagreed, it was difficult to create a new government. Therefore, India was divided into two nations: India for the Hindus and Pakistan for the Muslims. Hindus and Muslims were racing to the border in order to get to their nation state which led to killing 500,000 people due to rioting. Although, Mohandas Gandhi, an Indian National Congressman, wanted to obtain peace between these two religions. Pakistan refused the H...
In this article we will see how Dr.Rajendra Prasad played a pivotal role in independence movement. Though his extra-ordinary role in independence, he his remembered as the first president of India rather than a freedom fighter. This is because of his charismatic personality and the elegant way in which he carried the peace message of India to foreign country in post independence era. Amidst all this, we will see how unknowingly in the process of achieving the bigger goal of independence resulted in weakening of social fabric of Hindus and Muslim. Most importantly we would also investigate how the “bad evil”,that polluted the society in name of Indian culture, made the process of independence more complex and difficult. We would
Born in 1915 and lived in Lahore, Punjab Singh had first-hand experience with the events that followed the partition of India, which should have been “the joyful culmination of decades of anti-British struggle [and instead] became a shameful debacle as Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs turned on each other in a fury of religious bigotry” (Brians 47-8). Though he was fortunate
The political history of South India intertwines at odd ends with the one of the North. In 1944, North India transited from the Quit India movement to the Gandhi-Jinnah talks on Pakistan. South India on the other hand raged with a ‘quit India’ movement of its own. The emergence of anti-Hindi, anti-North sentiments ruled the roster and virtually paralleled the anti-British notions. Leading the front was the Dravida Kazhagam (DK) (Dravidian Federation), a metamorphosis of the Justice Party under E V Ramasamy Naicker. (Hardgrave Jr, 1965)
We know the history of the post Nehruvian congress party. We know how it splintered and how its factions fought amongst themselves to claim legacy to THE Congress party. The Congress party had enviable hold...
Parsis form a dwindling community of fewer than 1,25,000 people worldwide, most of whom are concentrated around Bombay. (Vinodhini, 1) During the 7th century, they had fled Iran to avoid conversion to Islam. India had offered them a home free from religious persecution. Most of the small community rose to affluence by working as tradespeople. Under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s first term (1971-1977), India remained their safe haven, but they were marginalized as nationalized banks seized their enormous share of the banking industry. During this time period, Gustad Noble from Such a Long Journey finds the Parsi cultural identity intensifying his community’s problems, adding to the already anxious and insecure mood of pre-war India. Nevertheless, it remained the community’s great source of pride, with their strong devotion to Zoroastrianism guiding them through arduous times.
The history of tribal oppression in India is an old one. “The Sanyasi Revolt”, “The Wahabi Movement”, and “The Naxalbari Rebellion”, are evidence of the tribal outcry that appropriately foregrounds their requirement for fundamental rights as citizens of the country. Even after sixty six years of independence, India’s rural poor and tribals are lamenting under the curbing effects of destitution, unemployment, undernourishment, illiteracy and human trafficking. For these people, the notions of liberty, equality and democracy have no meaning at all. Though the country is free from the bondage of foreign rule, their repression and prejudices still continue leaving them dependent on their new masters.
India is the center of a very serious problem in the world today. It’s a very diverse place with people from many different religious backgrounds, who speak many different languages and come from many different regions. They are also separated economically. Two of the country’s religious sects, Muslims and Hindus, have been in conflict for hundreds of years. Their feelings of mistrust and hatred for each other are embedded in all those years and will not leave easily. What’s most disturbing is that there seems to be no plan for reconciliation available. There are numerous reasons for this conflict.
The impact of world war one was very much a significant out turn to Indian nationalism to an undoubted extent. Nonetheless, there were many other factors that had led up to the rise in nationalism with the help of rising leaders such as Ghandi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Nationalism is a form of patriotism based upon the identification of individuals within a nation. This can likewise be said for the people of India as many people had an intense desire for independence from the British rule. They had come to realise that the ways the British had been treating people were cruel and monstrous. This had almost left India ungovernable and in a state of anarchy.
There is a distinct difference between popular Indian nationalism, that is the nation believing in a state independent of Britain, and Indian nationalist movements, for example the Muslim League or the Hindu revivalist movement. These movements fought for independence but were far more religiously orientated and were fighting in their own interests. Although Indian nationalism initially found expression in the Mutiny of 1857, its deve...