Thread by @KuldeepGaurav7

[THREAD] on #Hindutva_is_Hinduism

Hindutva is formed by adding -tva suffix (Pratyay) to Hindu. Now, what do we understand by -tva? In plain language adding -tva (ness) to a noun means :in state of being that noun. Eg. Naritva, Astitva, Prabhutva. Therefore, on the

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basis of grammer, Hindutva is simply state of being Hindu.

The terminology initially coined by Babu Chandra Nath in his Hindutva--Hindur Prakrita Itihas attempts through Upanishads and coining the term Hindutva the exposition and eventual

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integration of the deepest and abstrutest doctrines of 'Hinduism' where Hindus are notorious for having extremely diverse transcendental doctrines and make a comparative study with foreign belief systems primarily Xnity in the wake of forced

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English Education and Anglicization of the masses. So what we observe that the need to integrate extremely diverse belief systems of Bharat Civilization arose as a response to Abrahamic extremism onslaught.

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The follow up and popularization of the word was done through Savarkar who too defined Hindutva as a state of being Hindu or closest English translation as Hinduness. In his book he further goes on to propound and attempts to draw from History what

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Hindu would mean, how it's more than a mere geogrophical identity and what the state of being Hindu would imply. This too seems to be along the same lines of his predecessor who too in the light such huge diversity that Bhartiya Civilization allows

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with respect to ontological enquiry systems attempted to draw the underlying unifying aspect that binds the Civilizational entity. His discussion revolves around the idea of Sindhu Civilizational and cultural identity along with its practices,

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heritage and the spirit of Nationalism regarding this identity and asserts the need to defend this identity, the way of life.

Now the terminology Hinduism was coined had been used as a disparaging address the religious beliefs and cultural

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practices of the people of India.
In the USA of the mid 19th century, the phrase "the isms" was used as a collective derogatory term to lump together the radical social reform movements of the day (such as slavery abolitionism, feminism,

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alcohol prohibitionism, Fourierism, pacifism, early socialism, etc).
Savarkar explains Hinduism as only a fraction or a part of Hindutva and explains it similarly as collective religion or religions of the people of the Sindhu land but further

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states that the conflict with understanding who is a Hindu and what is Hinduism creates a friction not needed by us, even questions the use of Hinduism altogether. The discussion he claims is insufficient and outside our scope of enquiry.

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Now it is also essential to bring in the views of Shree Aurobindo who also around the time established the Civilizational identity and a unified National identity based on that. In his famous Uttarpara speech laid the ideological foundation for

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Hindutva, the Hindu nationalism, in which Maharshi Aurobindo emphatically said, "I say no longer that nationalism is a creed, a religion, a faith; I say that it is the Sanatan Dharma which for us is nationalism. This Hindu nation was born with

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the Sanatan Dharma, with it, it moves and with it, it grows." Here the Civilizational identity is bound to Santan Dharma which much better explains the beliefs and practices, of society of way of life of the Bhartiya Civilization than the word

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Hinduism which was intended as a derogatory explanation.

Even the Supreme Court in a judgement of 1995 on Hindutva has held that, "it's he way of life of the Indian people and the Indian culture or ethos", and by no means an anti minority or

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anti Muslim potion. "Ordinarily, Hindutva is understood as a way of life or a state of mind and is not to be equated with or understood as religious Hindu fundamentalism... it is a fallacy and an error of law to proceed on the assumption... that the

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use of words Hindutva or Hinduism per se depicts an attitude hostile to all persons practising any religion other than the Hindu religion..."

The secular nature of Hindutva claimed here is explained in the judgment due to the way of practice which

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allows so much diversity and freedom in 'Hinduism' rather Santan Dharma.

The charges against Hindutva of Anti-minority, extremist, majoritarian nation are artificial and constructed to serve vested interests of Abrahamic belief systems to exercise

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their exclusivist nature whilst keeping Hinduism like a lamb and being devoured slowly along with its cultural practices. The discussion on Hindutva has shown that such attempts were being made to extrapolate and articulate the underlying unity that

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covers the numerous belief systems within Bhartiya Civilization. It is of utmost importance that the core problem be addressed that is the Fundamentalist and exclusivist nature of the Abrahamic faiths. Abrahamic extremism is sprinkled throughout

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history, it's there in the texts for anybody to read, of how the Europeans and the Middle-eastern pagan practices and believes were brutally destroyed by these ideologies in consonance with what's mentioned in their holy books. Ofcourse I am vary of

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the faith that preaches 'only my faith is true and before redemption (Judgment Day or Kayamat), the whole world would be of my belief' and lays down personal mandate to achieve the same and would stop at nothing to exterminate all others and history

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is ample proof of the same. The current geo-political reality is due to that. The charge of Hindutva extremism is just a red herring to deflect attempts to fight back against such exclusivist ideas.

[THREAD] ends.
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