Pol Sc Help

Political Thoughts of

SAVARKAR
Hindutva
PDF at https://polschelp.in
Life and Time of Savarkar
• Was born, 28 May 1883 in the Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin Hindu family of Damodar and Radhabai
Savarkar in the village of Bhagur, near the city of Nashik, Maharashtra
• Education: Bachelor of Arts from Fergusson College, Pune; went London in 1906 for higher studies;
Barrister degree from Gray's Inn, London. After murder of Curzon Wyllie, a British official by Madan
Lal Dhingra in London, was arrested in 1910 on various charges relating to subversion and
incitement to war and was sent to India for trial
• His Time: After Swadeshi movement, militant nationalism was on rise. Dialogue on nature of Indian
nationalism, fate of Hindus and Muslims in independent India.
• Was influenced by: His elder brother Ganesh, Joseph Mazzini, western Enlightenment
• Career: Revolutionary freedom fighter, poet, writer, lawyer, social reformer, political thinker,
political activist Vinayak Damodar
• 3 phases of his Life/career Savarkar (1883-1966)
• Till 1911: Revolutionary freedom fighter, idea of composite Indian nationalism, Hindi-Muslim
unity Called Veer Savarkar for his courage as
• Abhinav Bharat, Revolutionary activities with Madam Cama, Lala Hardayal, Madan Lal Revolutionary against British Rule
Dhingra
• Wrote The Indian War of Independence-1909 Societies: Abhinav Bharat, India
• 1911-37: In jail, conditional freedom in Ratnagiri, social reformer, Hindu nationalism- House, Free India Society
Hindutva
• 1937-66: president of Hindu Mahasabha ( 37-43), electoral politics, differences with Gandhiji, Founder- Patit Pawan Temple,
political pariah after linked with Gandhi’s assassination
Ratnagiri
• Controversies: President of Hindu Mahasabha for 7
• Mercy petitions years- 1937-43 Was a rationalist Atheist- was against
• Linked with Gandhji’s assassination ‘Hindu ritualism, Caw protection
In 1970, PM Indira Gandhi released
• On issue of granting Bharat Ratna
Postal Stamp on Savarkar
• Creations:
• "The Indian War of Independence-1909 ; Mera Aajewan Karawaas – 2007 Never Joined RSS, despite being its
• Hinditva: Who Is a Hindu? -1923 ; Kaala Pani’ -2007 ; Mopla- 1967 philosophical founder
Who are Hindu?
• Historically Hindu denotes multiple identities
• Land/region, culture/people, religion, nation
• Ancient times- the land and People of Sindhu River
• Muslim Rule: Hindavi and Hindu- those who are not Muslims, Parsees, Jews, and other
people of books settled in India
• British Rule: native people of India; sometime people of any religion permanently settled in
India- Hindoo Muslims, Hindoo Christians
• Savarkar defined Hindu as one who
• 1. who regards the Land from Indus to the seas, Himalaya to cape Comorin -Bharatvarsha- as
his or her fatherland ( Ptribhumi- पितभ
ृ मू ि)
• 2. is descended of Hindu parents
• 3. considered this land Holy (Punyabhumi- िण् ु य भमू ि)
• Thus, to him, Indian people following Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism are
Hindu
• Hindus are a Nation, he believed
• Same culture, civilization, history, way of life, worldview, race, hopes, aspirations, destiny
• He linked Hindu Nation to his conception of Hindutva
Savarkar’s Hindutva
• Savarkar wrote in 1923- Hindutva: who is a Hindu?

• To him, Hindutva has 3 elements/components

• 1. Territorial identity: Hindu Nation(Rashtra)- Hindus of the Bharatvarsha
• 2. Racial Identity( Jati): through centuries of historical existence of living together,
Hindus have certain racial features which distinguish them from other races
• 3. Cultural Identity: a distinct Hindu culture- way of life, worldview, rituals, customs,
social practices, traditions, festivals, art/craft, literature; can easily be distinguished
from Muslim or Christian culture

• Savarkar, thus, differentiated Hinduism and Hindutva

• Hinduism as a religious system of a section of Hindus
• Hindutva as a cultural community of people following religions of India
• Hindutva- political ideology- Hindu nation (Hindu Rashtra)
• Hinduism only a part of Hindutva
Features of Savarkar’s Hindutva

• Much broader concept than Hinduism

• Denotes cultural identity, cultural nationalism, inclusive of all Indian Religion
• Hindutva is not religious concept- cultural & political concept
• On the religion-culture and nation-state axis, Hindutva aligns with culture and
nation
• Hindutva is secular, it allows all religion to coexist in Indian state, in which Hindu
nation will be the dominant component
• makes a difference between a Hindi nation( Hindu Rashtra) and Hindu State( Hindu raj)
• Hindutva allows Indian people of other religion to be part of it by following the
Hindu culture- NOT Hindu Religion-Hinduism
• Hindutva ideology opposed minority appeasement, any special privileges to
minorities, and partition of India.
Savarkar’s Idea of nationalism

• Seems to have followed western notion of Nation

• To him, Hindus are a nation, in all sense
• Believed in cultural nationalism, NOT religious nationalism
• Nation should be strong, have adequate power/force to survive- a kind of militant
nationalism
• Accepted moral relativism- morality and ethics depends upon national interest
• He wanted Hindus to be strong, united, get rid of caste, sectarian differences,
dogmas, superstition, useless rituals- be a strong, united nation
• Vision of a Pan-India Hindu Nation- undivided Indian Subcontinent
• Differentiated between Hindu nation and Hindu State;
• Hindu state- secular, equality to all religion, no appeasement, no preference to any religion
• Hindu state- multi-national, in which Hindu nation will have dominance
 Gandhi Vs Savarkar: Hinduism and Nationalism
Basis Gandhi Savarkar
Hinduism • His religion which is spiritual, moral guide • a religious system of a section
to him- Sanatan Dharma of Hindus
• Which teaches him love & tolerance for all • One of the Indian Religion,
other religion- Sarva Dharma Sambhav along with Jainism, Buddhism,
Sikhism
• a subset of Hindutva

Views about other • Spiritual Unity of Religion-Sarva Dharma Religions of India vs Religion
Religion Sambhav ; no exclusion, no ‘otherness’ practiced in India
His own Religiosity • Highly Religious, mixed spirituality and Rationalist Atheist, his Hindutva
morality drawn from his religion to his was not religious but cultural and
politics political concept
Nationalism • Indian nationalism having composite • Hindu nation, but secular
culture Indian state
• Ideal nation: based on love, tolerance, • Cultural militant nationalism
truth & non-violence; • Rejected non-violence
• Internationalism and universalism • Moral relativism: morality
contingent upon national
interest
Critical Evaluation

• His Hindutva was Not Religious, it was cultural bracket, has political
dimension
• It was inclusive, accommodative- included all Indian religion, even allowed
other religions to coexist with equal rights
• But Hindutva as Hindu nation fueled the notion of Muslim Nation, which
led to two-nation theory
• Hindutva had overtones of militant cultural nationalism
• His Hindutva seemed to be antagonistic to the composite Indian Culture
• His slogan “Hinduise politics and militarized HinduDom” was problematic
for many, including Gandhji
Overall Assessment
• We must appreciate the complex project Savarkar has taken through his idea of
Hindutva and the ongoing political discourse in which he Participated.
• On the wake of rising national consciousness against the British rule, he felt the
continued meekness, weakness, and passivity of Hindu Nation.
• He wanted to revive, unite, and strengthen Hindu Nation by giving it widest
possible meaning, including maximum numbers of Indian people in its fold
• He wanted united and strong Indian state, in which Hindu nation is the dominant
but equal part, in which all religion co-exist with equality & dignity.
• He was also participating in the political dialogue of his time- Gandhiji’s views on
Hinduism and Indian nationalism, Muslim Leagues views of Muslims in Indian
state, British political design of divide and rule, etc
• In this grand endeavour, he became contradictory on many of his stances/idea,
which was very natural. Same happened with Iqbal.
References
• Book: Indian Political Thought by O.P. Gauba

•Online Resources:
• IGNU study material on this theme :
http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/22532/1/Unit-7.pdf
•JSTOR Articles:
•Gandhi's Hinduism and Savarkar's Hindutva by Rudolf C. Heredia
•https://www.jstor.org/stable/40279289?read-now=1&seq=6#page_scan_tab_contents
•On Hindu, Hindustān, Hinduism and Hindutva by Arvind Sharma
•https://www.jstor.org/stable/3270470?read-now=1&seq=30#page_scan_tab_contents

•https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vinayak-Damodar-Savarkar
•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinayak_Damodar_Savarkar#Early_life
•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapur_Commission
• Image from https://in.pinterest.com/pin/329185053986452021/
•You Tube Videos:
• Savarkar on RS TV : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQhrzUnFKXw
• Neglected Or Hyped: Decoding Savarkar's Philosophy:India Today TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eVg8ZujNAY
• Dr Vikram Sampath on Savarkar- Echoes from a Forgotten Past : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-
GQsVvA_Pc&t=2955s
 THANKS FOR WATCHING!
PLZ SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT

YOU CAN REACH TO ME

Website: POLSCHELP.IN

Email : [email protected]

Telegram Channel: https://t.me/polschelp

Twitter : @polschelp