As 90s urban kids, we have been exposed to modernity where it was cool to blame Hindus for 2002. Secularism was a badge of honour we proudly wore on our sleeves and believed there should be hospital or school in place of Bhavya Ram Mandir at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya where disputed structure called Babri Masjid once stood. Mahabharata was mythology and our culture was scoffed at.
We were made to believe our constitution was “inspired” deeply from west where we adopted Soviet’s socialism, American democracy and French secularism. Imagine the kind of indoctrination happened subconsciously and our society was becoming deracinated and rotten. It is still “not cool” to wear cultural identity and you are looked down upon if you glorify your civilizational heroes.
This all changed after 2014, albeit, subconsciously. As if there was a slight nudge. I have seen people being more assertive and have started considering India as a civilisational state where “modernity” is in sync with your cultural values.
Let us first understand what is Hindutva? A lot of authors and philosopher have their share of definition. Hindutva essentially means “Hindu + Tattva” which roughly translates as “soul and existence of Hinduism”. In today’s time we consider Hindutva as Hinduism which resists.
Now essential question arises resistance from whom? I will try to explain.
Resistance from Abrahamic and monolithic faiths. In tradition of Sanatan Dharma and Hindu faith one characterstic is particularly noteworthy. In the long history not a single instance of spread of faith by use of force is available. Cambodia is named after Rishi Kamboj. He went to Cambodia and came back. He never went to conquer it or used aggression / army. Widely revered Prabhu Shri Ram went to Lanka defeated Ravana and made Vibhishan emperor. Came back to rule Ayodhya.
On the other hand, the whole history of spread of Abrahamic faiths is the use of force in various ways. The expansion of these faiths happened by use of force. It is either by economic might or by political might or by combination of these factors. In expansion of these faiths there are a few things one must understand about them.
The Abrahamic faiths annihilated religious places of other faiths. They broke or defiled sacred images of Gods, destroyed idols, temples, burnt their sacred scriptures to ashes, and made complete and untiring effort to destroy their cultures, root and branch.
I do not want to go into details but people should read upon the Goa inquisition by Portuguese. Entire state was terrorised and temples were taken hostage to repressive, bloody, racist and genocidal chapters ever witnessed in human history.
The second example is Ajmer and Muhammed Ghauri. They used method of deceit which is commonly known as “Al-Taqqiya” in Islam. We Hindus never learnt from bloody history where they used “Moinuddin Chishti” as a Sufi ‘saint’ who came to India on the orders of Ghauri and spied on the troop movement of Prithviraj Chauhan. Our “secular”, “modern” and “inclusive” Hindus still offer cooked rice and Chadar at Majar of genocide enabler and barbarian called Chishti.
Despite the onslaught from aggressive monolithic faiths, our civilisation still continue to survive, grow and thrive. But subconsciously, this “left -liberal” and deep Nehruvian state used education, and specifically History as a tool to subvert the Dharmic society. Since they have been in power for majority of time since independence, they also used constitution as a tool tool pervert the society.
Secularism by definition means separation of Christian Church and State. The function of the state was not only to supervise and control the “worldly/secular” life of its subjects but also secure their salvation in the next world. The key to secure their salvation was use of the church. If any citizen who disregard the Chruch was excommunicated. Gates of heaven were closed for them. The state used to burn them or torture them in prison. In the language of the Church, the State was referred to as “Secular arm’’ of the Church and State admitted publicly that it used to serve the Church.
Now, please tell me how a western concept of “secularism” created by “Church” today which is used heavily in modern politics not a perversion of society? In fact, our constitution assembly headed by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar disregarded the word “secular’’ and “socialist’’ from the original constitution. It was only during Emergency when entire opposition was in jail, to please the communists, and the Left – Liberal intelligentsia Indira Gandhi inserted these draconian words in our constitution and we are still suffering from this disease.
Ram Mandir movement in 1991 was a unified effort by the Dharmic civilisation to take down symbol of oppression. Who was Babur and what was Babri Masjid? Babur was an invader who kidnapped, raped and looted Hindus in India. His tenure symbolised the modern ISIS killings. This is written by him in Baburnama. Still we have roads and monuments named after him, many in even the heart of national capital in Delhi.
Only a society which suffers from Stockholm Syndrome will glorify those who committed genocide on your civilisation. Although things have changed and despite resistance from usual quarters the name of Aurangzeb Road in Delhi was changed to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam road. It would not have been possible before 2014.
To conclude, India is a civilisational state. Our sense of nationhood comes from strong sense of civilisation. Every country that has risen to top of the world had a grand narrative. Forget what the world thinks about you. Do not care whether articles in anti-India international media platforms such as Washington Post , NYTimes call CM of UP as “Militant Monk” but glorify “Biden” who takes oath on bible and stresses the use of Christian values to run the country. In fact, these are the very same societies which lecture India on tolerance but have completely wiped natives out of their land and have been instrumental in extinction of several cultures and wreaked havoc on nature on an unprecedented scale.
They still believe “Columbus Voyage” must be seen as glorious and heroic achievement which Christianised America by ‘liberating’ tribes and indigenous societies which practiced their own culture.