By Jacob Peenikaparambil

Bengaluru, September 25, 2019: The sociopolitical changes that have taken place in India after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre in 2014 and many omissions and commissions of the BJP government vindicate that the Indian Constitution is under threat.

The way the article 370 and article 35A of the Indian Constitution were abrogated within 24 hours and the Jammu and Kashmir State was divided into two Union Territories shows the scant regard of the Modi government towards democratic process.

Eight million people have been kept under communication blockade and curfew like situation since August 5. This is a violation of the right to life and personal liberty guaranteed by article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

Hindutva or Hindu Cultural Nationalism

Hindutva is an ideology seeking to establish the hegemony of Hindus, Hindu values and the Hindu way of life in the political arrangements of India. The ideology of Hindutva evolved over a period of hundred years in order to reach the present form.

The Rashtria Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its more than 100 affiliated organizations have been relentlessly working since 1925 to convert India into a Hindu Rashtra. The very fact that the BJP, the political arm of the RSS, got 37.4 percent votes with 303 seats out of 543 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections shows that more and more Indians are coming under the influence of Hindu nationalism.

The three main sources of Hindutva ideology are 1) “Hindutva, Who is a Hindu” by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 2) “We or Our Nationhood Defined” and “Bunch of Thoughts” by M S Golwalkar, the second Sarsanchalak of RSS and 3) “Manusmriti,” the ancient Hindu law book.

Hindutva envisaged by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

A Hindu Mahasbha member, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s book “Hindutva: who is a Hindu” was an important milestone in the evolution of the ideology of Hindutva. According to the book, a Hindu is one who was born of Hindu parents and regarded India as the land of his ancestors (pitrbhumi) as well as his holy land (punyabhumi). The three essentials of Hindutva are Common Nation (rashtra), Common Race (jati) and Common Culture/Civilization (sanskriti).

Savarkar’s main argument is that the Aryans who settled in India at the dawn of history already formed a nation now embodied in the Hindus. Their Hindutva, according to him, rests on three pillars: geographical unity, racial features and a common culture. According to Savarkar, Christians and Muslims of India are not part of the nation because their holy land lay elsewhere, in Arabia or Palestine. Savarkar was very much influenced by the ethnic nationalism which he borrowed from Bluntschli’s ‘The Theory of the State.’ Bluntschli was an exponent of German ethnic nationalism.

Hnidu Nationalism of M S Golwalkar

The ideology of Hindutva was further developed by Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar (1906-1973), the second Sarsanchalak of RSS. His ideas on Hindutva or Hindu Nationalism are elaborated in his book, “We or Our Nationhood Defined” and “Bunch of Thoughts.” He asserted in his writings that India was the holy land of the Hindus. He vehemently opposed the concept of Territorial Nationalism of the Congress, i.e. the nation is composed of all those who live within the territory of a country. The constitution of India has accepted the concept of territorial nationalism. Golwalkar also asserted that the Hindus did not come from anywhere else and they were the indigenous children of this land from time immemorial.

In his Bunch of Thoughts his disdain for democracy is clearly reflected. He has expressed his great appreciation for Manusmriti. According to him, Manu is ‘the first, the greatest and wisest lawgiver of mankind.’ Manusmriti is diametrically opposed to the democratic principles of equality, justice, liberty and brotherhood enshrined in the preamble of the Indian Constitution. As an alternative to territorial nationalism, Golwalkar proposed nationalism based on race.

He considered Muslims and Christians as invaders and they have two options either to merge with the Hindus by adopting their culture or to live at the mercy of Hindus without any rights or privileges. He wrote in “We, Or Our Nationhood Defined”, “The foreign races in Hindustan must either adopt the Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but those of the glorification of the Hindu race and culture, i.e., of the Hindu nation and must lose their separate existence to merge in the Hindu race, or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu Nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment — not even citizen’s rights.

Shashi Tharoor in his book, “Why I am a Hindu,” has summed up Hindutva as propounded by Savarkar, Golwalkar and Deendayal Upadhyayaa in the following words. “It rests on the atavistic belief that India has been the land of Hindus since ancient times, and that their identity and its identity are intertwined. Since time immemorial, Hindu advocates argue, Hindu culture and civilization have constituted the essence of Indian life; Indian nationalism is therefore Hindu nationalism.”

Hindutva or Hindu Nationalism is diametrically opposed to the core values of the Indian Constitution: secular democracy, justice, liberty equality and brotherhood. It is also opposed to Hinduism, the essence of which is universalism expressed in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and diversity expressed in ‘ekam sat vipra bahuda vadanti’.

Increasing attacks on the minorities, especially mob lynching and the failure of the government to bring the culprits to the books, branding anyone who criticizes the government as anti-national, intolerance of any dissent and muzzling the media, the fourth pillar of democracy, are the clear signs of India moving towards converting India into a Hindu Rashtra.

Response of the Church to Hinduva

Promotion of the Values of Indian Constitution: One of the most important reasons for the saffron surge is the failure of the so called secular political parties and of the minorities to educate the people of India about the Indian Constitution, the vision and goals of India, as envisaged in the preamble of the constitution.

The most effective method the minorities in India can adopt to counter the Hindutva is to promote the core values of the Indian Constitution like secular democracy, justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, fundamental rights and fundamental duties. These are the values of the Kingdom of God as taught by Jesus and they are opposed to the ideology of Hindutva.

Dissemination of the values of the Indian Constitution should be undertaken as a movement on a war footing by all Church organizations and it should be part of all ministries in the Church, especially the education ministry.

Expression of allegiance to nation: One of the accusations against the Muslims and Christians by the Sangh Parivar is that their allegiance is not to the nation but to Pakistan and Vatican. Lack of cultural sensitivity on the part of the Muslims and Christians in India is presented as one of the reasons for their alienation from the majority community. Inculturation and being sensitive to the cultural and religious practices of the Hindus are effective means for responding to the challenge of Hindutva.

Collaboration and Networking with Like-minded Organizations: Collaborative efforts or joint ventures among the Churches, dioceses and religious congregations are to be encouraged. There is an urgent need for strengthening CBCI and CRI at the national, regional and diocesan levels to plan and implement strategies to respond to the challenge of Hindutva. Collaboration and networking is needed with other like- minded Civil Society Organizations and groups. The Hindutva tsunami can be withstood only through coordinated efforts with the organizations committed to secular democracy and pluralism.

The Goal of Education Ministry shall be Training the Youth as Enlightened Leaders: Use the vast network of the educational institutions under the Church to train enlightened leaders with character, competence and commitment to the constitution of India and its values. According to the website of the Education Commission of the CBCI, there are about 50,000 schools, 5,00,000 teachers and more than 5 crore students under the Catholic Church in India.

Transformation within the Church

• Acceptance of Pluralism: First of all the Church has to acknowledge pluralism i.e. acceptance, appreciation and celebration of differences. Pluralism is the heritage of India and it is the legacy of Jesus of Nazareth.
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• Shift from a devotee of Jesus to a follower of Jesus: The Church has to focus on following the way of Jesus. Jesus has called the priests and the Religious to become his disciples and not to become mere devotees. Unfortunately, the focus at present is to become a devotee of Jesus and make others devotees. A disciple will have to focus on following Jesus by practicing his values of forgiveness, compassion, honesty, self confidence, creativity, concern for social justice and equity, social commitment etc. Continuation of the mission of Jesus of building the Kingdom of God through individual and social transformation should be the main focus of bishops, priests and nuns rather than devoting time for rituals, devotions and other routine practices.
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• Shift the focus from Institutional Expansion to Effectiveness: The Church in India, especially dioceses and Religious congregations, have to shift their emphasis from institutional expansion and multiplication of institutions to building human beings, the people of God. Holistic empowerment of the existing Christian communities in view of transforming them as role models of Christian living, should the topmost priority of the dioceses and religious congregations. In the same way the institutions run by the Church should be role models of professionalism as well as adherence to ethical principles. They should reflect the values of Jesus. There should be a full stop on building opulent churches and erecting statues. Jesus has taught his disciples that God lives not the buildings and statues but in the human beings with flesh and blood.
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• Paradigm Shift from Service Providers to Leaders and Animators: The role of priests and religious has to change from service providers to animators and leaders. They have to become salt by entering into the mainstream society and transform it from within. Irrespective of the field in which they are engaged, they have to play the role of enlightened leaders with character and competence and facilitate the realization of the Kingdom of God. This requires radical change in the formation of the Church personnel. The focus of the training of the priests and the Religious should be self discipline and self education.
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• A Firm no to the Colonial Method of Evangelization: The mandate from Jesus to the Church (followers of Jesus) is “to make disciples” who follow the new way of life that Jesus inaugurated, a way of life based on love and forgiveness. As a flower draws people to itself through its beauty and fragrance, people are to be attracted to the Church by the quality of the life of its members. The Church in India has to give up its strategy and approach to increase the numbers. Its focus should be on living the values of Jesus in a multi-religious context and sharing them with all Indians.

Without living the values of Jesus, preaching about Jesus and spending cores of rupees for the so called evangelization work is a waste of time and resources. Let the Church in India follow the example of a flower. Let the leaders of various Churches in India remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “You Christians, especially missionaries, should begin to live more like Christ. You should spread more of the Gospel of love and you should study non-Christian faiths to have more sympathetic understanding of their faiths.”

(This is a short version of a paper presented at the opening of a two-day seminar organized by Christu Jyoti College, Bengaluru. The September 25-26 seminar addressed the theme, “The Constitution of India and the Constitutional Rights of the Minorities.”

Other topics of the seminar were “The Rapid Legal Changes in the Socio-Economic, Politico-Religious and Educational Milieu and their Implications for the Indian Society by Father Savari Muthu; “Human Rights and Indian Constitution” by Jesuit Father Cyril Antony; “Constitutional and Human Rights Defenders and International Remedies” by David Selvaraj; and “The Constitutional Rights of the Minorities: A Judicial Overview” by Advocate Ransa Vasanthi.)