Hindutva Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The contribution of Ambedkar in building secular deemocratic India is matchless. Through his writings and struggles he oriented his work around the values of Liberty, Equality and fraternity. The movements and struggles led by him... more

- by
- •
- Indian studies, Politics of Secularism, Modern Indian History, Secularisms and Secularities

The forthcoming general elections to be held in 2014 in India make an interesting but intriguing study. BJP seems to be the biggest challenger to Congress. It is intriguing as htere is no difference between these two contending parties so far as economic and political policies are concerned. However, BJP is gaining ground against Congress due to incumbency factor. The gains of AAP in Delhi in Assembly elections show that whereever there will be an alternative to Congress-BJP, electorate will choose the third alternative. This issue is discussed in the light of 2013 Assembly election resultss.

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Indian Politics, Hindutva, India Elections 2014

‘The RSS: A View to the Inside’ is a very good read for all those who are interested in knowing
about internal workings of Hindu organizations and India itself. Through case-study method, the authors
have attempted to shed light on most pressing issues faced by Sangh in recent times and how it has
transformed and continues to do so to make itself relevant, socially acceptable and maintain
cohesiveness within itself.

- by Fahad Nabeel
- •
- Indian studies, Indian Politics, RSS, India

OPEN LETTER TO PM MODI
SIR, YOU RESPECT DIVERSITY BUT RSS MOURNS IT, WHOM DO WE BELIEVE?
My Dear Prime Minister Modi ji,
Namaskar.
It is heartening to note that you as PM of our democratic-secular state have underlined the great diversities in the Indian nation which needed to be celebrated. While addressing a conference on 'Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation' in the presence of the King of Jordan, Abdullah II in Delhi on March 1, 2018 you were kind enough to declare that India's democracy was "a celebration of our age-old plurality" recalling that "religions and beliefs from all over the world" flourished in the country. It was great to hear you to commit that "We Indians are proud of our diversity." While specially addressing the Muslim youth of India you were kind enough to advise them to hold Quran in one hand and computer in the other for an all-inclusive progress and welfare. However, I would beg to say that this call for Quran or any other scripture in one hand is a risky proposition. The US taught Afghan youth Quran in one hand and AK47 in other hand and what price Afghan Muslims paid for it is well known.
Read the whole letter....

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Hinduism, Human Rights, Race and Racism, Indian studies

This piece is a rejoinder to a big fixer & ideologue of the RSS, Ram Madhav's article (‘What Dalits want’, The Indian Express, April 14) on Dr Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary. The fake and untruthful Hindutva compassion for Dalits is... more

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Indian Politics, Sectarianism, Ambedkar Studies, Hindutva
- by Kant Singh
- •
- Philology, Religion, Hinduism, Comparative Religion

'KNOW THE RSS' is now available in Kannada, English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi.

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Indian Politics, Women In Hinduism, Hindu nationalism, Hindutva

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its affiliated groups - usually known as the "Sangh Parivar" - are the most powerful organisations in India today. But ask what they stand for, and you will get two very different answers. Critics of the RSS describe them as anti-secular, medieval and anti-democratic; but supporters of the organisation claim that it is a selfless social service group concerned only with genuine nationalism. Starting with the RSS' own texts, and exploring its history and the relationship between its beliefs and Indian politics, this book examines both of these claims. On this basis, it tries to answer two key questions: what do these groups actually stand for, and what does their rise mean for India's future?

- by Shankar Gopalakrishnan
- •
- Political Economy, Fascism, Gramsci, Indian Politics

The article examines the factors behind the expeditious rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura, the tiny Northeastern State of India in which the party had a negligible presence since Tripura's emergence as a state. The paper highlights the party's political strategy in the state in successfully countering the strong left bastion at the height of its electoral presence for more than two decades. The paper however argues unlike other cases of mainland India, ideology was not a significant element in BJP's electoral success in the case of Tripura, and therefore its future success will depend upon a fine balancing act of managing its alliance as well as effective handling of the key socioeconomic determinants that lies at the heart of state politics.

- by Biplab Debnath
- •
- Indian studies, Communism, Indian Politics, Political Ideology

An article following the argument behind an important Tehelka magazine expose of Hindutva in India - a communalist Hindu Nationalist ideology seeking to equate the very idea of ‘Indian-ness’ with ‘Hindu-ness. The expose of the horrendous Hindutva-led pogrom of Muslims in the state of Gujarat in 2002, took place in a context where neoliberal advocates and boosters, fronted by the bought media worldwide, were busy extolling the ‘competitive’ and ‘dynamic’ virtues of India’s de-regulated economy.

- by Neil Gray
- •
- Fascism, State Complicity in Torture, Hindutva, Communalism

If somebody is looking for a gurukul or university to graduate from in deceit and lies, doubtlessly, the RSS will be his or her best choice. Its mastery over this trait is unparalleled and is proved once again by its criminal disregard of facts on the controversy over beef-eating in Indian history by Hindus of India. It aggressively claims that beef-eating started in India with the arrival of Muslims as rulers who initiated and subsequently popularized it in order to denigrate Hindus and their holy symbols. Such propaganda helps the Hindutva gang in terrorizing the largest minority of India. It is to be noted here that since the early 20th century, coinciding with the rise of Hindutva politics, cow has been the most important issue which has triggered the maximum cases of violence against the Muslims of the country. It is immaterial to the Indian heirs of Nazi propagandist Paul Joseph Goebbels that the claim that beef-eating started with the arrival of Muslims in India is not even in keeping with the Vedic version of history.
This article quotes Hindu sources to tell the true story. We also reproduce here a scholarly article by Dr. BR Ambedkar on the issue.

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Hindutva, Sangh Parivar, Beef eating in the Hindu Tradition

The passage of the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act exemplifies legislative populism in its most ethnic format, the National Register of Citizens being its subservient arm or vice versa. The anti-CAA, NRC movement offers a significant challenge to Narendra Modi’s brand of populism, a challenge that is generative of a “new” vision of democracy. It is my contention that Shaheen Bagh protest contains possibilities for redefining democracy. The meaning of the Urdu word ‘Shaheen’ is ‘eagle’, and is central to Muhammad Iqbal’s decolonial poetic philosophy.

- by Prof. Irfan Ahmad
- •
- Populism, Democracy, Islam in India, Citizenship

A book that looks at the relationship between melodrama, gender, sexuality and nationalism per se, and with reference to Hindi cinema between 1970-2000.
Table of Contents:
1. Political History, Political Economy
2. Bombay Cinema and Questions of Form
3. Towards a Theory of the Sexual Economy
4. Femininity and the Regulation of Pleasure and Desire
5. The Changing Faces of Masculinity
6. Gender, Sexuality, Nation
7. Communities and Their Others
8. Wounded Identities

- by Karen Gabriel
- •
- Censorship, Film Studies, Heterosexuality, Sexuality

The Sangh Parivar has essentially merged the registers of Mandal and Mandir by way of creating a viable political block for themselves in Uttar Pradesh. Based on an ethnographic study of the Sangh Parivar in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh and through interviews and participant observation, the article examines the roles played by various elements of the Sangh Parivar in expanding the vote base of the party. First of all, the article analyzes how the Sangh Parivar uses the strategies of social engineering and politicization of diverse identities to attract communities who traditionally have not voted for the party. Secondly, it examines the Sangh Parivar’s abilities to respond to local factors and develop political alliances within constituencies with varied demographics without compromising its core principles. Lastly, the article documents how the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functions like a corporation, with a committed workforce and clear division of responsibilities, and engages in electoral and political mobilization.

- by Avishek Jha
- •
- Indian Politics, Hindutva, Hindu Nationalism in Modern India, Uttar Pradesh

It is Marathi version of HINDUTVA: SAVARKAR UNMASKED.
Based on the documents of Hindu Mahasabha & RSS it shows the real face of 'Veer' Savarkar who betrayed the Freedom Struggle, formed coalition governments with the Muslim League in 1942, demanded promulgation of 'Manusmriti' as Indian constitution and supported the two-nation theory of Muslim League.
It is also available in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi.

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Politics of Secularism, Caste and Untouchability, Indian Politics, Brahmanism

"Hindustan Times 13/12/2002 Whet a Burning Appetite The barbaric practice of sati is being preached and glorified openly in a nation that prides itself to be the largest democracy. Will no one take note and root out this dangerous... more

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Violence Against Women, Hindutva

The paper presents a broad overview of various approaches adopted in the field of historiography across the ages starting from ancient times. It also discusses the merits and demerits of the major schools of thought and proposes a new methodology for the study of history within the framework of the proposed Twenty-First Century school of Historiography. This paper proposes a stakeholderfocussed approach towards historiography and encompasses a wide range of topics from research and definition of processes to dissemination of information to multiple stakeholders, and comprises a large number of checks and balances to prevent potential misuse of history or a one-sided interpretation of history. It also proposes a wide-range of heuristic tools to aid the researcher in carrying out his research and emphasizes objective and data-driven approaches throughout. It seeks to lay a greater emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of a historian from the point of view of the twenty-first century. The key objective of this paper is to ensure that the historian avoids the pitfalls of all ideologydriven approaches and acts in the greater interests of science, society and the education system, and that as many checks and balances as possible are put in place. We seek to reiterate that in the glamorous era of science and technology, the role of a historian can only become much more purposeful and exciting and can encompass completely new vistas of research and historiography. Although these approaches stem from the author’s research experience in Ancient India, the approaches and principles of Historiography can be put to use anywhere in the world.

- by Sujay Rao Mandavilli (Sujay)
- •
- Religion, Hinduism, History, Ancient History
- by Sumant Badami
- •
- Anthropology, South Asian Studies, South Asia, Adivasi Studies

Understanding the relationship between media and communication as increasingly conflictive under conditions of de-democratization in India, this essay proposes a focus on violence-induced conditionalities of political communication among the affected. I introduce the term 'media/violence' as I look at two spaces in North Indian cities that have been turned into 'Muslim ghettos' over the past two decades: Jamia Nagar in New Delhi and Juhapura in Ahmedabad (Gujarat). Based on intermittent fieldwork between 2015 and 2020 (partly online), I argue that differences both in the quality of the violence as well as in the interaction between mediated and physical violence executed on the two spaces conditioned long-term options of collective communication (and their absence). The analysis helps us understand how massive political and legal protests could eventually erupt in Jamia Nagar (Shaheen Bagh) in late 2019, while the very reason for protest appears to have eluded residents of Juhapura.

- by Britta Ohm
- •
- Media Studies, Television Studies, Political Violence and Terrorism, Social Media

This article uses the context of the widespread circulation of accounts about “CoronaJihad” in India during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine how public WhatsApp groups that participate in disseminating such accounts function within the ecosystem of hate around Hindutva majoritarianism in the country. The manner in which the WhatsApp platform operates within this ecosystem is mapped through a granular study of three public Hindutva WhatsApp groups; the messages within these groups during the first phase of the COVID-19 lock-down in India were examined during the course of this study. The pattern of messaging within the three groups that contribute to the narrative of “CoronaJihad,” which blames the minority Muslim community for the spread of the virus in India, were analyzed. The article focuses on factors including company policies and the specific sociopolitical situation in the country to understand the circumstances that make WhatsApp’s deep entanglement with the divisive politics of Hindutva majoritarianism in India possible.

- by FATHIMA NIZARUDDIN
- •
- Digital Media, Social Media, Mobile Communication, India

RSS and its off springs are master conspirators. In fact, RSS as fountain head of the Hindutva politics is a gurukul of teaching the art of how to conspire and where to execute the conspiracies. It thrives by hatching conspiracies to undermine truth and destroy its adversaries. RSS like any other fascist organization relies on intrigues and it is through conspiracies that it attempts to legitimize its nefarious agenda. The purpose is to turn victims into perpetrators.
The latest expose has come from Kerala. A leading English daily, The Indian Express wrote: “In what could be a major embarrassment for the BJP, a Yuva Morcha [youth wing of the RSS] leader apparently condemned a petrol bomb attack on the party’s Thiruvananthapuram office on the social media hours before the actual incident took place, triggering speculation that the attack was planned and executed by the saffron party itself.” The Yuva Morcha leader Jayadev Hareendran Nair, a top RSS functionary in Kerala had put out three Facebook posts on Wednesday (June 7 at 8.01 am, 5.01 pm and 6.31 pm) condemning the attack on the BJP office where as the actual ‘attack’ took place between 8.30 pm and 9 pm.
KNOW HISTORY OF CONSPIRACIES BY THE RSS.
http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/06/11/rss-and-conspiracies-made-for-each-other/

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Terrorism, Political Violence and Terrorism, Indian Politics, Indian Muslims

RSS specializes in double-speak and triple speak. In fact, the situation is so critical that it may be an understatement regarding RSS behavior. No other organization which claims to be committed to moral regeneration of India can compete with RSS in manufacturing lies. The current public manifestations of RSS for active participation in Indian politics, specially, forcing BJP to adopt Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate for 2014 elections is continuation of the same conspiratorial mind-set. In the aftermath of brutal killing of Father of the Nation, Gandhiji by committed and trained cadres of Hindutva camp, RSS was forced by Jawaharlal Nehru & Sardar Patel to write a constitution declaring that RSS would be “devoted purely to cultural work” and would not indulge in “political” activities. But the fact is not that cat is out of the bag now recently. Despite its assurances that it would not participate in politics to the Nation (on the basis of which ban imposed on it for being responsible for killing of Gandhiji was lifted), it is not first time that it has violated this cardinal pledge.
This write-up is based on the original RSS documents.

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Neo-Fascism, Indian Politics, Hindutva, Hindu Nationalism in Modern India

It is a review of the book

- by Navin T
- •
- communalism in India, Hindutva

ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDIAN AND HINDU NATIONALISM
Indian nationalism and Hindu nationalism are two different things. While the former is unconcerned with a person‟s religious or cultural identity, the latter imagines the nation as an exclusive community of Hindus. From the time of Independence till now, this distinction has never been in doubt.
But today there is a move by flag-bearers of Hindu nationalism to equate it with Indian nationalism. What exactly is the provenance of these two nationalist ideologies? Who were their earliest proponents? What role did either play in India‟s freedom struggle? These are some of the questions that author and dramatist Shamsul Islam dwells on in Hindu Nationalism and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh , a fine primer on the history and dynamics of Hindu nationalism.
Islam cites extensively from the works of historians and thinkers who themselves are part of the Hindu nationalist canon, such as R.C. Majumdar and V.D. Savarkar, to interrogate many of its claims. For instance, he shows how Majumdar contradicts the Hindu nationalist claim of India being a „primordial nation‟, given the historian‟s observation that the idea of India “had no application to actual politics till the sixties or the seventies of the nineteenth century.”
Indian nationalism was born in opposition to British colonial oppression. Its most significant moment of resistance was the 1857 mutiny, in which Hindus and Muslims battled together against foreign rule. Islam cites Thomas Lowe, a British army commander, who observed that “the cow-killer and the cow-worshipper, the pig-hater and the pig-eater” fought together.
But this nascent Indian nationalism that was composite in nature underwent a process of bifurcation in the “third quarter of the nineteenth century”, notes Islam. Two things played a role in this: a „divide and rule‟ policy adopted by the British, and the bickering between the elites of the two communities “for securing a favourable place in the eyes of the victor”. Together they created a “scenario in which only competitive Hindu and Muslim varieties of nationalism could flourish.”
Islam‟s book also raises interesting questions: If Indian civilisation is more than 3,500 years old, why is it that only a period of 500 years (the period of so-called Muslim rule) is closely scrutinised by Hindu nationalists? What about the period before?
It might be interesting to read Islam‟s book alongside his primary sources: V.D. Savarkar‟s The Indian War of Independence of 1857 and R.C. Majumdar‟s Three Phases of India’s Struggle for Freedom.
Link for procuring Shamsul Islam’s books in English, Hindi & Urdu:
https://tinyurl.com/shams-books

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Human Rights, Indian studies, South Asian Studies, Neo-Fascism
- by Pallikonda Manikanta
- •
- Social Justice, Affirmative Action, Hindutva, Sangh Parivar

Preparation for a genocide under way in India: Dr. Gregory Stanton
Internationally acclaimed expert raises concerns about possible mass extermination of Muslims while briefing US Congress on situation in Kashmir and Assam.
Sabrangindia 14 Dec 2019
Dr. Gregory Stanton, founder of Genocide Watch, addressed an audience of Congressional and Government officials at a briefing titled Ground Reports on Kashmir and NRC in Washington D.C on December 12 where he said, “Preparation for a genocide is definitely under way in India.” He said that persecution of Muslims in Assam and Kashmir “is the stage just before genocide,” adding, “The next stage is extermination — that’s what we call a genocide.”
Dr. Stanton created the world-famous “Ten Stages of Genocide” as a presentation to the U.S. Department of State when he worked there in 1996. According to Dr. Stanton, the ten stages of genocide are as follows:
• The first stage was “classification” of “us versus them”.
• The second stage, “symbolization”, named the victims as “foreigner”.
• The third stage, “discrimination”, “classified [the victims] out of the group accepted for citizenship” so that they had no “human rights or civil rights of citizens” and were “discriminated against legally”.
• The fourth stage, dehumanization, “is when the genocidal spiral begins to go downwards. You classify the others as somehow worse than you. You give them names like ‘terrorists’, or even names of animals, start referring to them as a cancer in the body politic, you talk about them as a disease that must be somehow dealt with.”
• The fifth stage was creating an “organization” to commit the genocide: the role played by the “Indian army in Kashmir and the census takers in Assam”.
• The sixth stage was “polarization”, which is achieved by propaganda.
• The seventh stage was “preparation”
• The eighth “persecution”, where Assam and Kashmir currently were.
• The ninth stage is “extermination” and;
• The tenth stage is “denial”.
[With thanks to Sabrang]

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- South Asian Studies, Genocide Studies, Neo-Fascism, Indian Politics

The traditional Vedic/Buddhist/Jain concept of daana was transformed by Swami Vivekananda into something imitating the Christian concept of philanthropy, and thus led to the birth of modern "Hinduism" as well as to its awkward cousin,... more

- by Prabhu Guptara
- •
- Hindutva
- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- History of India, Neo-Fascism, Caste and Untouchability, communalism in India
- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Hindu nationalism, Partition of India, Hindutva, Muslim League
- by Dylan Clark
- •
- Japanese Studies, Migration, Ideology, Nationalism

“Some 3500 years ago, Krśńa was born. His ávirbháva (advent) was just at a crucial time – humanity was suffering then. He removed the suffering of humanity by creating Mahábhárata. He gave an assurance to the entire world that there would not be degradation of dharma, that He would come and save it,” explains Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. “A yuga parivarttana [change in age] is taking place. All of you plunge wholeheartedly into making sadvipra samája [spiritual society]. Do not be indecisive, do not hesitate, and do not under any circumstances feel fear. Your victory is a certainty.” P. R. Sarkar, (1921-1990), was a spiritual guru in the tradition of Shiva and Krishna. He introduced the empowered universal spiritual mantra “Baba Nam Kevalam”, composed a collection of 5018 spiritual songs called Prabháta Saḿgiita, and founded the socio-spiritual movement Ananda Marga (“the Path of Bliss”). – Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, June 8, 2021.

- by Richard Gauthier
- •
- Hinduism, Indian Philosophy, Indian studies, Sanskrit language and literature

'KNOW THE RSS' is now available in Kannada, English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi.

गोलवलकर की 'हम या हमारी राष्ट्रीयता की परिभाषा' : एक आलोचनात्मक समीक्षा (लेखक शम्सुल इस्लाम) गोलवलकर की अंग्रेज़ी पुस्तक वे और आवर नाशनहुड डिफाइंड का सम्पूर्ण हिंदी अनुवाद सहित "गोलवलकर पर सावरकर के विचारों की गहरी छाप थी, दोनों... more

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Race and Racism, Fascism, Neo-Fascism, Racism

The following article, focussed on the analysis of the ongoing crisis of Indian democracy in the year 2020, is articulated in two parts. The first, after a synthetic summing up of how the crisis started in 2019, is an overview of the main developments which characterized the struggle against and for democracy in the year under review. The crushing of the anti-CAA/NRC democratic movement, the persecution of minorities, the harassing of NGOs, the attacks on journalists and the continuing repression in Kashmir are summarised. The celebration of the transformation of India from a secular democracy into a Hindu Rashtra through the inauguration of the construction of the Ram mega temple in Ayodhya is remembered. This first part ends by discussing the unexpected rise of the Indian farmers’ anti-government movement in the concluding months of the year.
The second part of the article is a case study of the repression of the anti-CAA/NRC movement. It is argued that it was pursued through fascist-like violence on the part of Hindutva thugs, abetted by the police. This culminated in the Delhi riots-turned-pogrom of February. In spite of all, the anti-CAA/NRC movement continued up to the explosion of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, which made the continuation of street manifestations and sit-ins impossible. The analysis continues through the examination of the veritable witch-hunt carried by the police, on the basis of fabricated evidence, against representative members of the anti-CAA/NRC movement and intellectuals known for their criticism of the Modi government.
In the conclusion it is argued that the political set-up prevailing in India is not a full-fledged democracy any more. Rather, it is a hybrid system which, below an outwardly democratic appearance, badly conceals its highly authoritarian nature.

- by Michelguglielmo Torri
- •
- History of India, Indian Politics, communalism in India, Hindutva

This paper focuses on the shifting contours of the anti-Tehri dam movement in the past three decades. It examines the changing declarations of environmentalists, especially Sunderlal Bahuguna and other leaders of the movement on the one hand, and the involvement of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the anti-dam politics on the other. Exploring the evocations of nature, religion and nation in different phases by these two groups of actors, it argues that through a regular use of certain mythical beliefs and simplified dichotomies, there was an inadvertent collaboration between green and saffron. The Tehri dam became a means of combining sacredness with impulse, gravity of high politics with solemnity of daily worship, and nature with nationalism.

- by Mukul Sharma
- •
- Environmental Studies, Hindutva, Hindu Nationalism in Modern India

"""With Swayamsevaks (volunteers) like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani in the drivers’ seats in the National Democratic Alliance Government at the Centre in India (1998-2004), the RSS accelerated its old favourite pastime of undoing democratic-secular polity and minority bashing in India. Sarsanghchalak or Supreme Leader of the RSS, KS Sudershan while addressing a rally on the eve of 75th founding day of the RSS in Nagpur, called upon Muslims and Christians of the country to prove their patriotism. It is really atrocious that an organization, which was at least twice banned for anti-national activities by the Government of India after independence should pose as controlling authority of patriotism in the country. Should we once again refresh the memory of the RSS bosses that their rabid communal organization was banned in 1948 for collaborating in the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, and in 1992 it was again banned for demolishing Babri mosque at Ayodhya? Do we also need to tell the RSS that misadventures like demolition of Babri mosque only served the strategic goals of the enemies of India like the ISI who wished to see an India, fractured and at war with itself?
This is high time that the people of this country scrutinize the record (of patriotism and loyalty to the nation) of the RSS itself. Unfortunately, the RSS which is fond of demanding unwavering and unflinching loyalty to the Nation from minorities is neither loyal to the Constitution of India, nor to the National Flag. RSS is an organization, which openly decries the existence of a democratic, federal and secular India which are the ‘Basic’ features of the Constitution of India. In fact, it has long heritage of worshiping dictators like Hitler. It is an organization which not only openly decried the Freedom Movement against the British rule but also made fun of the great martyrs like Bhagat Singh and his companions who laid down their lives for the liberation of the Motherland. In order to know the truth we will simply have to make access to the literature and publications of the RSS specially the writings of Golwalkar (known as Guruji) who as a philosopher and guide is religiously followed by the bosses and cadres of the RSS. In this booklet we have presented fully the official viewpoints of the RSS on different aspects of Indian polity so that it cannot allege misrepresentation.
We must seriously know about the RSS today, as it is no more a fringe organization with the present BJP leaders declaring their open allegiance to the RSS. They have even told the Nation that RSS to them is what Gandhiji was to Nehru! It is a highly intriguing and dishonest parallel in the sense that Gandhiji was theoretically never disloyal to a democratic, secular and federal India. We are publishing this booklet with the hope that this Nation gets familiarized to the real face and intentions of the RSS; otherwise it may be too late to save this country.
All quotations reproduced below are from the RSS publications/literature and English translations are by the author."
Note: The material of this book is for the personal benefit of all researchers and those who are concerned about Casteism, denigration of women and theocratic politics in India. In no case commercial use is permitted."
More Info:'KNOW THE RSS' is now available in Kannada, English, Hindi (13th revised edition), Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi.
इस का नया संस्करण ''आरएसएस को पहचानें : आरएसएस के दस्तावेज़ों पर आधारित'' PHAROS MEDIA & PUBLISHING PVT LTD (PHONE: 91-9818120669 EMAIL: books@pharosmedia.com और website: www.pharosmedia.com) से उपलब्ध है ।
LINK FOR BUYING:
https://pharosmedia.com/books/product/9788172211028/

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Neo-Fascism, Dalit studies, communalism in India, Indian Government and Politics

"""From the back-cover:
This book will prove quite useful in the present times when the RSS is showing up its colours, more and more starkly, in a number of areas. The communal carnage in Gujarat has exposed the diabolical plans of RSS. The Babri mosque demolition and riots across the country; the attempts at Brahmanisation of education and communalization of the civil services were some other instances which unmasked RSS and other affiliates of the Sangh Gang. The author traces the plans, policies and propositions of the RSS to their origins, in the words/publications of the RSS itself, so that there is no room for alleging misrepresentation.
The shameful role of the RSS in the struggle for the independence of India, its close affinity with the Fascist concepts of Hitler and Mussolini, its resulting priorities of anti-minoritiism and redressal of historical wrongs, its seeking to adopt any means to achieve political power—all these are described in detail in the book.
The author has taken pains to conclusively prove that the RSS policies will inevitably lead to the denigration of the Dalits and the marginalization of women with excerpts from the ‘Manusmriti’ which is dear to the RSS establishment. The book concludes that the RSS is out to subvert the basic democratic-secular characteristics of our Constitution.
The author is known for his frank writings about the subversive games which communal forces play in the Indian sub-continent. This book will prove to be a handbook for knowing RSS.
" Note: The material of this book is for the personal benefit of all researchers and those who are concerned about Casteism, denigration of women and theocratic politics in India. In no case commercial use is permitted."

- by Shamsul Islam
- •
- Neo-Fascism, Indian Politics, Religious Persecution, communalism in India

A discourse in Bombay cinema, that veers from the dominant reflection of Hindutva views in which Muslims are constructed as alien and dangerous Others, depicts a pluralist Indian society characterized by intersectionality between religions. Such portrayals resonate in particular ways with South Asian groups, like the Satpanth tradition of Khoja Ismailis, which have historically emerged from Vedic-Islamic interaction and occupy a liminal in-between space. Those Khojas who have migrated to East Africa and Canada over several generations have lost touch with elements of their South Asian cultural heritage due to pressures of cultural westernization and religious Arabization / Persianization. However, they have maintained their centuries-old ginan literature that articulates Shia concepts in Indic languages, culture and symbolism. They find an intertextuality between these hymns and Hindi film’s themes and music that draw from tropes of Indic scripture. Compared to the kinds of identifications favoured by Islamist and Hindutva forces, the religiously hybrid characteristics of the Khoja Ismaili community coincide with a more pluralist and less essentialist set of portrayals in Hindi cinema. They have responded well to the ways in which their co-religionists in Bollywood have creatively used Indic and Islamic religio-cultural resources in the face of religious nationalism. The examination of this group’s engagement with Bollywood affords insight into one of the several countervailing discourses that continue to flourish in complex national and global settings despite the heavy constraints imposed by nationalist power politics.

- by Karim H Karim
- •
- Hinduism, East Africa, Islam, Hindi Cinema

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888 - 1989) is widely acknowledged as the father of Modern Postural Yoga. This paper carefully analyzes one of his few major works, the 1934 Yoga Rahasya, . The book reveals the depth of Krishnamcharya's dialog with the received tradition as well as his desire to promulgate a modern yoga focused on numerous complex asanas, yoga for the householder and yoga for women.

- by Eric John Shaw
- •
- Hinduism, Indian Philosophy, Indian studies, Yoga