The preamble of our country's constitution describes our nation as a secular one. Which surely is true and fair because we have infinite numbers of religion and beliefs. When we talk about the country like India, it’s really unfair to describe it as a secular in a written form because we belong to a nation, which has been secular in its practice since the ancient times. Secular state is a sate which neither supports religion nor irreligion. Now the big question arises what was the basic law in those times which allowed everyone to practice their own beliefs and culture. What was there in those times, which from our understanding we call undeveloped state, which allowed everyone to follow their own paths to reach the ultimate power. Answer would be hindutav. What today has been misinterpreted as something which divides our nation, which today has been misinterpreted as something which cultivates the seed of communalism. In context of today’s politics all the parties are trying to suppress rising party BJP on name of hindutav. Where every other party is trying proving themselves as the worshiper of secularism and equality while on the other hand t portraying BPJ as someone who is trying to cross the border line between Hindus and Muslims.
What exactly is hindutav is a necessary question and the question whose answer should be well perceived. Let’s first talk about from where did this term originated - V.D sawarkar coined the term in his essay, Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? As an atheist, he took pains to emphasize that Hindutva was not synonymous with Hinduism. The addition of –ism links the term Hindu with all the cultural beliefs and norms. His concern was political; the political mobilization of Hindus into one nation.
What is hindutav that RSS and BJP talks about? Hindutav was never related with cultural preferences or worshiping one god, it basically means a way of leading a life. Hindutav talks about “serve bhavantu sukhinah sarve santu niramaya” which means May all be happy, may all be healthy. It has a nature to nurture and respect every individual. Hindutav has dynamic concept which is above all spiritual goals.
Another concept which is related to hindutav is known cultural nationalism which is widely spoken by RSS leaders. They urge on having one unique identity of our country. Which by all means is a Hindu nation. That simply doesn’t mean neglecting other cultures because most of it like Jain, Buddhist, Sikh took birth into it. Where on the other hand culture like Persian or Muslim were never part this holy land either they invaded or came as a guest to our country. Of course for most of them, as savakar quotes, “ it’s their birth land or say pitrbhu since they were born and bought up here but it will never be their holy land or as we say punyabhu. Anyone whose pitrabhu and punyabhu is India is a Hindu.
India is not only the state where cultural nationalism is talked about. Cultural nationalism was and is the key topic of U.S.A. France identified itself as a cultural nationalist country though having different cultures within a nation though they do have developed respect for the other cultures present in it. But these all nations were smart enough to understand the importance of their languages, beliefs, and cultures. That is the main reason why as soon as they got independence, they fought for their nationalism and thus became the most developed nation of the world. France leaders always believed "their language is the key of their independence and prosperity". But the irony of India is, we didn’t understand the value of our identity back then nor today the so called leader’s of our country are trying to.
When a Muslim community is given around 50 minutes off from their work hour to recite their prayers then how come chanting a bhajan gets communal. When a Christian is a proud Christian, when Muslim is a proud Muslim, then how it gets communal to be a proud Hindu. Being secular is different and neglecting our own tradition just to support someone else’s is different.
BJP and RSS leaders have always been very vocal about hindutav and always been alleged on destroying our country on the name of community by the opposition party. What baffles me is how being the one who exactly you are becomes the topic of controversy and debate. When a citizen of America is an American, then why the citizen of Hindustan, the land Hindus, can’t be a Hindu.
Usually the debates which run over and around the place are if we call it a Hindu nation what will happen to other religion who are residing in our country? How would they survive? Concerns are well made and well defined. But what I believe as I said above, need is to understand the meaning of hindutav by our dear politicians and byall the so called prudent secularists.
Recently an article was published in Times of Indian where the writer went on saying “hindutav in state through crack down on illegal slaughterhouses, setting up anti Romeo squad or ban on wearing jeans by govt. officers shows that in hindutav style govt. there little space for individual right and free will” now what I don’t understand is how we can relate the activity of closing down something illegal to hindutav, how making sure no girl gets eve teased on road can be related to a belief system and how a step of maintaining decorum in an office becomes hot topic of dispute about the free will of an individual.
Modi government regime which tried on creating a national identity while focusing on the development of the nation has left the entire opposition spell bound and probably made their thinking capability inefficient. Maybe that’s the reason of making all flawed arguments by the opposition party members. Sab ka sath sab ka vikas in my belief is true picturisation of the most controversial subject “hindutav”.
