B’luru Lit Fest: RSS ideologue clarifies Hindutva-Hinduism-Hinduness.

Hinduism and Hindutva not different: Ram Madhav.

Former national general secretary of the BJP said that Indians derive unity from the feeling that we are an ancient civilization.

The Hindu News Bureau | Bengaluru | Dec 14, 2024:: Contesting the argument that “Hindutva” and “Hinduism” need to be seen separately, Ram Madhav, former national general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said both are not different things but “the philosophical and practical sides of the same idea.”  

“People seek to make a distinction between Hindutva, Hinduism, Hinduness — Hinduism in practice is Hindutva … They are not two different things. The great philosophy of Hinduism converted into the way of life is Hindutva,” he argued.

Mr. Madhav was in conversation with author Ami Ganatra at the Bangalore Lit Fest.

“There was a time when it was difficult to understand (Hindutva) but also easy to misunderstand. A lot of misinformation was going around Hindutva. Over the last few decades, things have changed in the country,” he said.

Nehru vs Deendayal Upadhyaya

Commenting on Jawaharlal Nehru’s socialist vision for the country, Mr. Madhav noted that Nehru never defined the idea entirely.

“Nehru thought that for an independent India, the best way would be something along the lines of communism but not entirely communism. He described it as a ‘socialist pattern of society,’ but in his lifetime Nehru never defined it. We tried to adopt something which is not very natural to us,” he contended.

“Around that time, Deendayal Upadhyaya propounded the idea that an integral humanist thought can be the guiding light for our polity, economy, and society because India is not a new country that was born in 1947. Through millennia-old living, it has gathered rich experiences, and can we build our mode of life? That is what Deendayal said … He said our economic model should be grounds up,” said Mr. Madhav.

Contesting the idea that India as a single entity came into being only after colonial rule, Mr. Madhav claimed that the unity in the country was never political.

On Constitution

“There is no denying the fact that the Constitution keeps us one. However, the Constitution came into force only in 1950. Were we not one people before that?” he asked.

Noting that Indians derive unity from the feeling that we are an ancient civilization with an ancient philosophy, he further said that partition was done based on the misconception that India is not one. “In India, many religions are born every day. That doesn’t disconnect you from your past,” he said.

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Courtesy: The Hindu.