I was born into a Hindu family with a Brahminical lineage on my father’s side till three generations back. My great grandfather married a Nair lady, and since Kerala is a matriarchal society, the following generations did not inherit the Brahmin roots. My father and mother were born and brought up in Kolkata and Mumbai respectively, and even though they eventually settled in Kerala, I was brought up in a completely cosmopolitan household. Caste-based discussions used to happen rarely, but there were no religion-based ones. I studied with kids from all walks of life from school to college and religion, and caste-based discussions never came up.
Being a Hindu never mattered till the Ram Janmabhoomi issue flared up. I was in my teens at that time and didn’t understand much about all the fuss. Bricks and funds were being collected from every house to be taken to Ayodhya to build the temple. What people didn’t know at that time was, it was a political game kickstarted by Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress party to woo Hindu votes which would end up in the demolition of the Babri Masjid, provide BJP with the political platform to become a national party and plunge the country into the perpetual darkness of communalism. The Hindutva card has been used time and again by the BJP to call for the conversion of India into a Hindu Rashtra.
Now, according to the dictionary, Hindutva is an ideology seeking to establish the hegemony of Hindus and the Hindu way of life.
According to Wikipedia: Hindutva (“Hinduness”), a term popularised by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923, is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India.
Savarkar’s Hindu nationalism included in its fold the followers of all Indian religions including Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, but excluded the followers of “foreign religions” such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.
When leaders are not sensible and do not have enough knowledge and common sense to take balanced decisions, the repercussions can ripple through the society for decades and generations. Islam and Christianity are the biggest practised religions in India after Hinduism, and both of them are indeed “foreign religions” but who are the followers in India of both religions? Every Christian and Muslim in India has Hindu lineage. Both these religions came to Kerala first and were accepted into the society wholeheartedly.
The first Christians in India were Brahmin families who converted to Christianity. Savarkar and his band of nationalists clearly didn’t know India’s history nor did they have the measure of how diverse and accommodating Indian society and mindset is. People from all major countries have aspired to travel to India, have come and done their bit be it with the trade or ruling large parts of the country. Indian society has undergone unprecedented cultural exchanges with all these countries, and in spite of going through monumental changes, Hindu culture has remained untouched and has actually thrived. The enormity of being part of the most diverse land in the world is yet to hit in the face of every Indian.
The proponents of Hindutva should first understand that Hinduism is and has never been a religion. In the pantheon of Indian deities, there are Gods who represent all natural forces such as rain, wind, etc. The earliest humans used to worship nature as part of their lives and Hinduism has its roots right in the dawn of modern humanity. Now this is where it gets interesting. Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism all have their roots in Hinduism. Christianity and Islam have their roots in Judaism. What does this imply? New religions sprouted out as improvements to the older ones. All religious texts mention about an entity who is going to arrive and liberate humanity from the clutches of darkness and sins. For Hindus it is Kalki, the 10th avatar of Vishnu, for Christians it is the return of Jesus Christ. Logic says only one entity is coming. If every religion is saying the same thing, it has to be based on some fact. From the moment the entity arrives, will any of these religions have any significance? Every human being is supposedly going to be evaluated and rewarded/punished based on their karma. If belonging to any religion is going to be immaterial then, what relevance do religions have now? Every religion may be meant to guide humanity as communities to the time of arrival of that entity which is why newer religions have improved rules for societal life.
Now, what is the proof that Ayodhya in UP is the birthplace of Lord Ram? Ayodhya has been described as the biggest city on Earth in Ramayana, but absolutely no evidence of such a city has been excavated yet. There are many places called London and Delhi in the world so just because there is a place called Ayodhya does not mean that is the birthplace of Lord Ram. Facts and fiction about places and incidents merge and become inseparable with time. Let me propose a theory for consideration. Both “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata” speak about weapons of mass destruction that were deployed in wars and annihilated thousands and even millions of soldiers. Scientific expeditions to Mars have concluded that the planet was just like ours in the distant past and two massive nuclear wars seem to have destroyed the planet’s surface and it’s atmosphere making it the red planet it is today. What if the incidents mentioned in “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata” happened on Mars and the stories somehow managed to reach Earth?
To understand the concept of Hindutva, we need to look at who needs Hindu nationalism. If we go by the Hindu caste system, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas were the warrior and business clans respectively who were busy with their respective occupations and had little to moderate time for religious affairs. Sudras, the menial class did not even have the right to pray to God. People of all these three castes have successfully integrated into the modern society. Its the Brahminical class that has been steadily losing their relevance in society just like the might of the Church has waned off in many western countries. The proponents of Hindutva all belong to the Brahminical class which is again a minority group within Brahmins itself. I am bemused by their multi-fanged agenda about treating cows as our Mother. A cow is mother everywhere except in Goa and North East states, and cow is a mother for everyone except the Hindus who own the largest exporters of beef in the country. This is why Kerala society has chosen its culture of eating beef over the Hindutva diktat.
I would like to know how many of the self-professed agents of Hinduism are actually aware that idol worship as a practice started only at the beginning of Kali Yuga and Kali Yuga started after the demise of Lord Krishna as per Hindu texts. Only one God has been mentioned as being worshipped in ancient times, even by Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. The perpetual and omnipresent Lord Shiva and I are quite sure most of these Hindutva preachers may not be knowing why. Destroying and subsequently paving the way for new creation is the most important and most intense activity which requires using the entire energy of the Universe with utmost focus and without any remorse, empathy and compassion. Temples are meant to be places of rejuvenation of our chakras and the energy flow in our body rather than the residence of Gods. So what relevance does building the Ram temple have for people who are being choked with inflation, lack of employment and education and struggling to make their ends meet? Only political. That’s why it flares up during elections and whimpers to its demise afterwards.
None of the above is indicators that I am an atheist or anti-Hindu. So much has been written in ancient Indian texts that it is impossible to assume everything as fantasy stories. We are just not technologically advanced to interpret them correctly. I am proud of my Hindu lineage but not arrogant enough to desire for a Hindu land. For thousands of years through the invasion of India by foreign kings and countries and their subsequent rule, Hindus haven’t felt threatened about losing their identity. There is no such danger now, and there will never be.