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Nandakishore Varma
Dec 06, 2014Nandakishore Varma rated it did not like it
Unbelievably dangerous right-wing fanaticism. My short review is...
YUCK!!!
Long review is given below.
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Okay, here is the longer review as promised.
Most non-Indians do not know that there are Hindu fundamentalists. For those favourably inclined to it, Hinduism is a religion of tolerance and pluralism, of lofty philosophy preached by serene swamis: for those antagonistic, it is a loony faith which includes yogis lying on beds of nails and people who worship snakes. But try telling them that it can be as intolerant as Christianity or Islam and set out to destroy non-believers, they shake their heads in disbelief.
They are right and wrong at the same time. Hinduism, defined as the set of beliefs which loosely connect the people of the subcontinent, is as tolerant as a religion can be. All gods are accepted as the expression of one supreme essence (the Brahman) which resides within oneself, the realisation of which is the ultimate aim of life. But one need not necessarily strive for it - one can be quite happy worshipping whatever god one likes, and live out a full life.
However, at the end of the last century, a dangerous new idea was brewing in India - that of Hindu nationalism, of carving India out as a "Hindu Rashtra" (Hindu Nation). This found its most fully developed incarnation in the concept of "Hindutva" (Hindu-ness) as expounded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar ("Veer" Savarkar). This idea , having a strong resemblance to the National Socialism of Hitler is as fanatic as they come. This philosophy is the basic ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently in power in India. So while Hinduism is largely tolerant, all Hindus evidently are not.
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As a student, I was attracted towards the BJP: in an aggressively secular democracy which stressed non-religiosity of the government to the extent of purposefully rejecting the common Hindu culture, fearing that it might hurt the sentiments of the minority, perhaps it was only natural. At that time, I understood Hindutva to mean the common inclusive culture of India, which was rejected by many aggressive Muslim clerics. I was upset at this, and did not want the rich literature, art and culture of our country (which is Hindu in nature) to be abandoned to favour minority sentiments.
However, as the ruling centrist-right Indian National Congress weakened, the BJP grew in power: and its cries of Hindu pride grew shriller. Riots started happening sporadically across the country. In 1992, the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, a centuries-old Muslim Mosque was destroyed by a Hindu mob, alleging that it was built by the Mughal emperor Babur on the site of a destroyed temple of the Hindu deity Rama. Atrocities against minorities increased in frequency and ultimately peaked in the mindless carnage of Gujarat in 2002. As I watched, I slowly moved away from the party which contained the Hindu fanatics responsible for this atrocities.
The writing was on the wall, however. The Indian National Congress, lacking any coherent political ideology or leadership was thrashed soundly in the recent parliamentary elections. The BJP swept to power under the man who was Chief Minister of Gujarat during the 2002 riots. For all practical purposes, the ideology of Hindutva had triumphed.
In this context, I thought I should read the slim book which is the root of it all - Hindutva by V. D. Savarkar. Understanding a fascist philosophy is the first step in defending oneself against it.
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For Savarkar, Indian civilisation starts with the arrival of the Aryans. In fact, he dismisses all those existing in the Indian subcontinent at the time of their arrival as "scattered tribes", whose languages were the "Prakrits" (uncultured tongues) which evolved from the immigrants' Sanskrit, which means "cultured". He is also at pains to establish that these original inhabitants were also most probably known as Hindus because Hindu is derived from "Sindhu", the river Indus. Thus, at the outset itself, he establishes Hindutva as tied inseparably to the land. He also makes the astonishing statement that it is certain to have predated Egypt and Babylonia!
Although it would be hazardous at the present stage of oriental research to state definitely the period when the foremost band of intrepid Aryans made it their home and lighted their first sacrificial fire on the banks of the Sindhu, the Indus, yet certain it is that long before the ancient Egyptians, and Babylonians, had built their magnificent celebration, the holy waters of the Indus were daily witnessing the lucid and curling columns of scented sacrificial smokes and the valleys resounding with the chants of Vedic hymns – the spiritual fervour that animated their souls.
Emphasis mine.
Savarkar conveniently forgets the Indus Valley civilisation which had a settled city life, apparently some kind of government, and complex art and religious belief; and which was born, thrived and perished much before the nomadic Aryans ever reached anywhere near India!
(Also, India had a rich collection of Dravidian languages which was in no way linked to Sanskrit. A language of Dravidian origin, Brahui, is still existing in modern-day Pakistan! So the claim that all the languages of India are uncultured versions of Sanskrit is offensive and silly.)
Thus at the outset itself, the intention is clear – the falsification of history to create a false identity for the “Hindu” – the purposeful rejection of pluralism in favour of an identification based on a fabricated story of a mythical “fatherland”. And Savarkar says that he is treading on the “solid ground of recorded facts”!
But it is when the author veers off into areas of conjecture that the whole thing becomes seriously eccentric. He first of all sets out to discredit the Maurya civilisation as the first great Indian civilisation: for him, a great Hindu civilisation as delineated in the Hindu myths preceded it. Recorded history means nothing to Savarkar: he considers it all misreadings (at best) or outright fabrications (at worst) by the West. Rather, he considers the Buddhist era a period of decadence (!) when Hindus were totally enervated by the concept of Ahimsa which left them easy fodder for the Muslim invaders.
(For his examination of the “history” of the Hindu people, Savarkar uses dubious sources like the “Bhavishya Purana”. It seems that he accepts any text which is supportive of Vedic Brahmanism as the gospel (!) truth. Whether this is due to genuine belief or political agenda, we can only conjecture.)
Now the author goes on to establish that, in spite of all the differences of caste, creed and colour, Indians are one people – which is true and what is beneficial for the country, anyway – but then, puts the final spin on the ball when his fundamentalist agenda suddenly comes out baring its claws and teeth, casting aside its mask of patriotism. Savarkar writes:
But can we, who here are concerned with investigating into facts as they are and not as they should be, recognise these Mohammedans as Hindus? Many a Mohammedan community in Kashmir and other parts of India as well as the Christians in South India observe our caste rules to such an extent as to marry within the pale of their castes alone; yet, it is clear that though their Hindu blood is thus almost unaffected by alien adulteration, yet they cannot be called Hindus in the sense in which that term is actually understood, because we Hindus are bound together not only by the tie of love we bear to a common fatherland and by the common blood which courses through our veins and keeps our hearts throbbing and our affections warm, but also by the tie of common homage we pay to our great civilisation – our Hindu culture, which could not be better rendered than by the word Sanskriti suggestive as it is of that language, Sanskrit, which has been the chosen means of expression and preservation of that culture, of all that was best and worth preserving in the history of our race.
In short – Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains are in: Christians and Muslims out. Why? Because they don’t consider India as their “Holy-land” (Punyabhumi) in addition to their fatherland: for them, the Holy Land is Jerusalem or Mecca. So, as long as they remain tied to their Abrahamic religion which traces their origin from the Levant, they cannot be accepted as Hindus.
(Interestingly, Savarkar leaves the Jews and Farsis out of it. Jews mostly, I think, because the RSS have been supporters of Zionism since day one, and vice versa: also because Jews and Farsis were not proselytising religions so he did not perceive them as threat.)
Now Savarkar launches into his real agenda. He says that he is not criticising or lamenting, but stating a simple fact. Christians and Muslims cannot be accepted as Hindus (according him, this means Indians) unless they accept India as their Holy Land, by forswearing their allegiance to their “foreign” origins – this effectively means abandoning their religion in the current format.
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Thus, the philosophy strikes at the roots of secularism. If India adopts “Hindutva” as its guiding principle and starts rewriting the constitution, Hinduism may not become its official religion: minorities may be allowed to practice their beliefs in private. But the nation will be governed by laws based on the principles set forth in this venomous tract . All people who do not toe the “Hindutva” line will have to live as second class citizens.
From that to the concentration camps is only a minor step.
Think I am overreacting? The statements by certain elected representatives during the past six-plus months of the BJP government, leave aside the war-chants of the Hindu fundamentalist groups, should set every intelligent Indian thinking.
Update (04/10/2015)
Some recent news items from India.
Hindu Mob Lynches Muslim Man Suspected Of Killing And Eating A Cow
Choice of ICHR chief reignites saffronisation debate
HRD Ministry set to spark another controversy; proposes rewriting Vedic chronology
Intimidation of a minority by mob "justice".
Takeover of cultural institutions.
Rewriting history to suit political ends.
Does it remind you of anything, folks? (less)
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Pankaj
Oct 14, 2016Pankaj rated it it was amazing
Those people who are here reading the negative reviews and wondering if they should read it. Trust me you wont find a single positive thing to ever hear for Savarkar from either left wing (communists, marxists, maoists, garbagists...whatever) or money funded missionaries (he who salivates at the mouth at the thought of fresh young converts conned into his abrahmic faith) or...the jehadi terrorist or sharia peddler (the propenent of the most vicious, anti-civilizational, retrograde, genocide ...more
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Jennifer Jacobs
Jan 03, 2015Jennifer Jacobs rated it did not like it
Shelves: owned, hate-manuals-trash-racist-books
It's a hate manual.After reading this book,I smell Nazism and I hate that smell!
Hindutva is a maligned version of Hinduism!And this book in particular reeks of Xenophobia!Muslims and Xtians should not be considered as equal to Hindus as they have their holylands elsewhere??Welp,that makes NO sense and I hope BJP doesn't follow this line in the future in India's national policy!
Hinduism is a much benign religion and confined to Indian subcontinent where 94% of Hindus live,there's no ...more
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Surender Negi
Aug 08, 2017Surender Negi rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: hinduism
"A Hindu means a person who regards this land of Bharat Varsha, from Indus to the seas as his father land as well as his holy land that is the cradle land of his religion" - By Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
"Hindutva", yes !! the same term which being beaten thousand times by leftist, communist, regionalism bigot, Dravid ideologist and western pseudo liberals as a communal ideology. This book is about "Hindutva". Moreover, I think this book about more than that.
Many leftist and western Indologist ...more
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Sathyanarayanan D
Jan 16, 2018Sathyanarayanan D rated it it was amazing
Wonderful exposition and original thinking by Sarvarkar on theorizing Hindutva.
Few important themes in my opinion.
1. If the holy land and Father land are different ones for the people living in India or for that matter for the people of any Nation, the allegiance of such groups is torn between these two extremes. For Hindus India is their Holy land and also their Father land. This is also not a problem with the Sister communities of Hindus like Sikhism, Jainism or Buddhism etc., But this is ...more
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Hindu
Jul 31, 2013Hindu rated it it was amazing
Great book of hindu culture
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Hariprasad
May 09, 2018Hariprasad rated it it was amazing
A great book. An absolute must read for all Hindus. Crystal clear conception of who a Hindu is, what Hinduism is, and how Hindutva is the over-arching umbrella for the former two.
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S.Ach
Jul 25, 2019S.Ach rated it liked it
Shelves: indian-author, politics, india, non-fiction
Pongalswamy : No No. You are getting it wrong. Hinduism is different. Hindutva is different. You tell her. You just read the book (looking at me).
Sarah : He doesn't need to tell me. I know. Hinduism is all encompassing liberal religion. Hindutva is just hating Muslims.
PongalSwamy : You are prejudiced. Brainwashed by leftists. Hindutva is a way of life. The way of life of all Hindus. Tell her (Giving an angry look now).
Me : Well I am still confused.
Pongalswamy : That you are always. It is ...more
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Sumallya Mukhopadhyay
Mar 19, 2018Sumallya Mukhopadhyay rated it liked it · review of another edition
The Essentials of Hindutva, Savarkar
In order to resist your enemies, it is important to know everything about them.
That’s why I decided to read Savarkar’s “The Essentials of Hindutva”. Interestingly, I was reading Savarkar and Kancha Ilaiah at the same time. Though different in their approach, both these individuals were driven by a sense of urgency that is reflected in their writings. Savarkar’s politics is intrinsically laced with him being a Hindu—he proudly asserts this in the opening ...more
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Vipin Sirigiri
Mar 06, 2016Vipin Sirigiri rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Hindutva believes in the concept of Hindu nationalism wherein by modern day definitions, all Indian religious communities except Islam, Christianity and Parsis are Hindus and thereby India has always been a de facto Hindu nation.
Anyone whose ancestors are from Hindustan (thereby making it their Pitrubhumi), their cultures and traditions are similar, acknowledges Hindu history (Ramayana and Mahabharata) and believes that Hindustan is their holy land (of gods, thereby Punya Bhumi) is defined as a ...more
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A.
Dec 17, 2019A. rated it it was amazing
Shelves: indic-awakening
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Alistair
May 13, 2019Alistair rated it it was amazing
Hindutva – By Veer Savarkar Prakashan
‘Who is a Hindu?’ A Hindu is someone who regards the land of Bharatvarsha, being from the Indus to the Sea as his Fatherland and Holyland. During Veer Sacarkarji’s stay in England he drew to the question of who can be called a ‘Hindu’. There was chaos in India concerning the same question as different sects claimed it, namely the Arya-Samajists, the Sikhs, the Brahmos and the Jains and various groups of the Sanatanists or greater Hindu community. Veer ...more
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Ashish Iyer
May 09, 2018Ashish Iyer rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: read-2018, non-fiction, indian-author, marathi, ebook
This book really gave me something to think about. Shatter so many thinking or assumption of mine.
There is a common misunderstanding to use the term Hindutva interchangeably with Hinduism, which should not be done. Hinduism is only a derivative of Hindutva. At best it is a sectarian term, with a positive connotation. Even if one is an atheist, as long as one agrees that this land is his pitrubhumi (Father land) he is still Hindu. Hence, Hindutva is an inclusive concept.
In this book Savarkar ...more
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Surender Negi
Mar 30, 2019Surender Negi rated it it was amazing
A very well articulate book on Political unification of Hinduism and myth-breaker for those who wanted to hate any other ideology than pseudo-secularism.
while we agree on what Savarkar said on this book or not? The question of dissent and expression of freedom shall be upheld by any civilized society. Unfortunately, in recent "War of Ideas", right wings fail to accumulate the general sympathy and branded as "manic""xenophobe""racist" slangs. However, for me who has been neutral on many topics, ...more
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Deepshikha Kohar
Nov 15, 2016Deepshikha Kohar rated it liked it · review of another edition
Totally support his view but it seems as if he is trying hard to write and it comes across in the confounding sentences. The loquacious arguments could've been more hard hitting but the verbosity has somehow diluted their impact. Nevertheless, he presents a concise history of India in a mere fifty pages and gives a pioneering idea as to what truly binds this nation.
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Abhinav Singh
Jan 14, 2019Abhinav Singh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Read the original work of Savarkar for first time. One thing is sure that he was brilliant par excellence. The way he connected the nation as the holy land is great. It took me 3 days to understand the very first page.
Shri Savarkar is a true prophet of Hindutva, the ideology given by him which paved way for many of his followers.
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The Conch
May 23, 2018The Conch rated it it was amazing
Shelves: politics
Future of Hindus are grim. Whether Hindus could survive another 100 years? Can they resist attacks from slimy christianity and violent islam? Hindus must consolidate by throwing away all nonsense secularism, all religions equal bla bla... and stand to establish Hindu Rashtra. The words of these books, the thoughts of Shri Savarkarji is becoming more crucial day by day.
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Conrad Barwa
May 11, 2019Conrad Barwa rated it did not like it
Shelves: indian-politics, punjab, caste, secularism, india-pakistan, india-history, asia-history, india-colonial-history, india-hisotroriagrsphy, india-philosophy
I mean what can one say about this book. The expected racialist claptrap, essentialist historicism, aggressive nationalism, communalist religious thinking and ethno-centrism. Necessary reading given the influence of Hindutva ideology currently
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Guruprasad
May 28, 2019Guruprasad rated it it was amazing
Must Read Book for all the Hindu/Indic People , Such a Clarity of thoughts expressed in this Book makes us realize why Savarkar is hated by Left Liberals and Congress .
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Vijay Saravate
Jul 23, 2019Vijay Saravate rated it it was amazing
Shelves: marathi-books-i-read
Great !!
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Chaitanya Sethi
Jan 06, 2020Chaitanya Sethi rated it did not like it
It's amazing how one can speak so much and say so little.
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Aaditya
Nov 22, 2019Aaditya rated it really liked it · review of another edition
For those who want to understand the true meaning of hindutva. It explains the idea of Hindutva and binds it in a really nice way the true idea and reason behind the ideology is presented in beautiful way. It explicitly explain the essentials of being a hindu and who is a hindu and explore the racial and national aspects of it.
A nice book to understand the real meaning of Hindutva from its formulator which changes the readers perspective upon the original ideas and the reasons and logic behind ...more
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G
Jul 31, 2019G rated it it was amazing
Wonderful book and a must-read for every Hindu to understand one's own history and origin.
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Nilesh Patil
Jul 09, 2019Nilesh Patil rated it liked it
Short but meaningful read.
If you are truly hardcore Maharashtrian then I would recommend to read Marathi translation.
I didn't know where the word Hindu came from unless I read this book. Its a good combination of history and logic together as it helps reader to connect multiple pieces in the history.
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Revanth Ukkalam
Nov 27, 2016Revanth Ukkalam rated it it was ok
Shelves: utopias, indian-philosophy, nationalism
This is one of the most influential books of modern India. Keep that in mind - influential. It is the origin of Hindutva as an ideology. Before beginning this book I prepared myself and gave all concessions. To be honest my first negative remark is not its fanaticism but its gross verbosity. But what I was not prepared for was its romanticism. Nationalism, patriotism, and pride are presented in the most fashionable manner making these even attractive. Let me sum the book up in these lines that ...more
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Kasyap
Oct 22, 2017Kasyap rated it liked it · review of another edition
Wanted to understand Hindutva because of its relevance in current Indian polity and who better to read it from, than the pioneer himself! The contrast between Hindutva and Hinduism is interesting and the essentials have been listed clearly. However, can't help but notice that the author doesn't refer to spirituality at all while describing India (which, I personally feel, is an incomplete picture). Having read from Swami Vivekananda, there are contrasting opinions about multiple topics - the ...more
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Shubhada
Sep 24, 2018Shubhada rated it liked it
I had few expectations about the book, because it is written by Savarkar. But the expectations were not fulfilled.
A lot of time and words are spent on the definition of Hindu, Hindusthan and why it is important. Probably that explanation was the need of the time in early 20th century. But today I felt it was irrelevant.
Some sanskrit references were not translated, so it was a bit hard to understand and make connections.
Nonetheless, the work is a piece of great study, passion and stays true to ...more
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Suparnkumar Sathe
Dec 23, 2017Suparnkumar Sathe rated it it was amazing
Great presentation of a philosophy, backed by humongous research work. A Must read for every Indian and every Hindu!
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Yas
Oct 08, 2016Yas added it · review of another edition
Shelves: uni-read, dont-own
wtf
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Pradeep Rajput
Oct 08, 2016Pradeep Rajput rated it it was amazing
Gives a complete idea of who Hindu is, Hindu a nation first
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ABOUT V.D. SAVARKAR
V.D. Savarkar
103 followers
He was the proponent of liberty as the ultimate ideal. Savarkar was a poet, writer and playwright. He launched a movement for religious reform advocating dismantling the system of caste in Hindu culture, and reconversion of the converted Hindus back to Hindu religion. Savarkar created the term Hindutva, and emphasized its distinctiveness from Hinduism which he associated with social and political disunity. Savarkar’s Hindutva sought to create an inclusive collective identity. The five elements of Savarkar's philosophy were Utilitarianism, Rationalism and Positivism, Humanism and Universalism, Pragmatism and Realism.
Savarkar's revolutionary activities began when studying in India and England, where he was associated with the India House and founded student societies including Abhinav Bharat Society and the Free India Society, as well as publications espousing the cause of complete Indian independence by revolutionary means. Savarkar published The Indian War of Independence about the Indian rebellion of 1857 that was banned by British authorities. He was arrested in 1910 for his connections with the revolutionary group India House.
Following a failed attempt to escape while being transported from Marseilles, Savarkar was sentenced to two life terms amounting to 50 years' imprisonment and moved to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
While in jail, Savarkar wrote the work describing Hindutva, openly espousing Hindu nationalism. He was released in 1921 under restrictions after signing a plea for clemency in which he renounced revolutionary activities. Travelling widely, Savarkar became a forceful orator and writer, advocating Hindu political and social unity. Serving as the president of the Hindu Mahasabha, Savarkar endorsed the ideal of India as a Hindu Rashtra and opposed the Quit India struggle in 1942, calling it a "Quit India but keep your army" movement. He became a fierce critic of the Indian National Congress and its acceptance of India's partition, and was one of those accused in the assassination of Indian leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was acquitted as the charges could not be proven.
The airport at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar's capital, has been named Veer Savarkar International Airport.The commemorative blue plaque on India House fixed by the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England reads "Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 1883-1966 Indian patriot and philosopher lived here". (less)
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