What is Hinduism

These days a lot has been talked about on Hinduism and hindutava and that's precisely the topic I would like to delve into.

The word Hindutva was coined by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled "Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?" which describes the movements advocating Hindu Nationalism.

I kept looking for meanings and derivations. Hindutava is derived from two terms 'Hindu and tattva' which means "of Hindu Principles".

Hindutava is the state of mind that is based on the cultural and spiritual ethos. The spiritual system that evolved and includes within itself all aspects of Indian culture and civilisation.

Quoting a SC judgement:

"No precise meaning can be ascribed to the terms 'Hindu', 'Hindutva' and 'Hinduism'; and no meaning in the abstract can confine it to the narrow limits of religion alone, excluding the content of Indian culture and heritage."

Hindutva strongly believes in the well-being of every religion and sect, though it has been aggressively challenged by militant Islam and later crusading Christianity that came to India. But despite all onslaught, plunder and victimization, Hindu faith could not be decimated, and Hinduism remained the theology of the vast Indian majority.

With Indian independence emerges 'Secularism' which always had a vague meaning and stayed debatable and was promoted by Nehru and his Leftist-advisors. Hindu personal laws came in, temple supervision and temple revenue were taken over, but congress stayed away from the Muslim and Christian religious affairs. Everything was set against Hindus though they formed the majority and every step was taken to appease others predominantly Muslims who benefited by the secular policies of the congress govt. and moreover their Sharia laws give them an added advantage. This was pseudo-secularism or nehruvian secularism that pleased selected "minorities" (particularly the Muslims and Christians) at any cost and blaming the majority, even for a trivial cause.

Numerous attempts were made to distort history texts to disconnect and disinherit Indians from the past glory of Hindu India... Thanks to our leftist historians.

       

Hindutva and National Renaissance by Subramanian Swamy speaks about India as the motherland of Hinduism from Himalayas to the Indian Ocean with an in-depth analysis of the religion.

In past years the demography of this sub continent has drastically changed. In 1947 Pakistan had 22% Hindu population which is now just 2%. In india Muslims were aaprox. 11%in 1947 now they are approx. 30% though last govt fig says 17%. According to a report approx 49 Million Hindus are missing from Bangladesh Census due to Islamic atrocities.

BJP wants to rebuild this nation and give back it's lost glory. And building back can not be complete without re-discovering and uniting Hindus as this land belongs to them. We have to collectively work to bring back the true secular religion Hindutava and throw off the pseudo secularism that's is nothing but being anti hindu.

          Vandemataram

Sona Chakraborty