Roots of Hindutva

ROOTS OF HINDUTVA A Critical Study of Hindu Fundamentalism and Nationalism Hindutva is perhaps the most pernicious ideology that modem India has encountered, and in many respects it resembles European Fascism, especially Nazism. As an ideology Hindutva is a synonym for Hindu cultural nationalism which in essence is aggressive, militant, fundamentalist and anti-Other and is opposed to secularism, democracy and cultural pluralism. The ideology has succeeded in brainwashing many passive Hindus both in India and abroad to be aggressive in the name of Hindu religion. It has also become an instrument in the hands of the powerful upper class Hindu elite to realise their political ambitions. Today the proponents of Hindutva are engaged in making this ideology the catalyst for winning the support of the Indian masses in orderto create a Hindu rashtra (Hindu nation) out of India, founded solely on a monolithic Hindu culture. This book is an exposition of the fundamental characteristics and the historical roots of Hindutva and a critical analysis of the same based on original sources. It will be of interest not only to students and scholars as a handbook on Hindutva but also to all those interested in knowing what Hindutva is, its fundamentalist and nationalist overtones, how the Hindu religion is being exploited for political ends, and the impact of all these on the Indian psyche.