In post-partition Bharat, the RSS has remained the only prominent flag-bearer of the concept and the ideology Hindu nationalism. Influenced by V. Savarkar, Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a doctor in the city of Nagpur founded RSS in 1925. Later, the RSS’ political wing, Jan Sangh….
…founded by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in 1951 carried on the mantle (At present in the BJP avatar).
Much before the concept of Hindutva became associated with the Hindu Right Wing, the term was coined in Bengal for the revival of Hinduism.
In 1892, for the first time ever, the term “Hindutva” was invented or conceptualised by Chandranath Basu, a Bengali litterateur in his magnum-opus-Hindur Prakrita Itihash. This apparently is the “first recorded” use of the word “Hindutva”.
Born in 1826, Rajnarayan Basu,
..an educationist, litterateur and intellectual established Jaitya Gaurab Sampadani Sabha in Midnapore, & Savjibani Sabha in Calcutta for promoting Hindu nationalism. His writing Hindu Dharmera Sresthta’, in 1879 was also on the lines of Hindu revivalism.
The first congregation of the Hindus took place in West Bengal. In 1867, Nabagopal Mitra, a playwright, poet, essayist & a patriot started a political & cultural festival called-“Hindu Mela.” The objective as stated in various articles was to “instil a sense of national pride….
….among the people of Bengal and India.” As records indicated, in 1875, Rabindranath Tagore, who was then 14-years-old recited his first poem-Hindu Melar Upahar.” This incidentally was the first poem published in the name of Rabindranath Tagore.
In 1853, Girish Chandra Ghosh founded the newspaper-‘Hindoo Patriot’. During the 1857 war stories published in the paper indicated that the rebels “harmed their own cause by placing their trust in the leadership of Mughals”.
"Vande Mataram”, pronounced in Bengali as Bande Mataram (Mother I bow to thee), appropriated by the right wingers was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1876. His novel “Anandamath” (in which he included the poem) written in 1882 is open to many interpretations.
Even before the first partition(1905) Bengal witnessed the rise of nationalist organisations. Most prominent among them was the Anushilan Samiti or the Body Building Institution. It was established by the local Bengali youths and akharas in Bengal.
The Anushilan Samiti was led by Aurobindo Ghosh, his brother Barindra Ghosh and was influenced mainly by Hindu Shakta philosophy- as established by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Swami Vivekananda. Incidentally Shaktisim is worship of Hindu goddess Shakti-power or energy.
Today, particularly the recently concluded high voltage Bengal elections. The verdict is out, the flag-bearers of the Hindutva were defeated. But did Bengal & Bengali bhadraloks reject Hindutva? Or is BJP’s rise from 4 to 76 seats could possibly be a signal of history repeating?

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More from @SortedEagle

18 Jun
हल्दीघाटी महासंग्राम १८ जून १५७६ का इतिहास

दुष्ट व आसुरी प्रवृत्ति के यवनों का सामना करने के लिए प्रताप ने भी अपनी सेना का लोह सिंह में पड़ाव डाल दिया। पूरे मेवाड़ के मैदानी इलाके खाली करवा कर जनता को सुरक्षित पहाड़ों पर भेज दिया। प्रताप की सेना में ३६ बिरादरी के लोग शामिल थे।
प्रताप की ३००० की सेना शत्रु पर टूट पड़ने को तत्पर थी। ४०० भील सैनिकों ने भी पहाड़ों पर मोर्चाबंदी कर ली थी। भील इस इलाक़े को बहुत अच्छे से जानते थे और महाराणा को इसका बहुत फ़ायदा हुआ।
१८ जून १५७६ ईस्वी का पावन दिन हल्दीघाटी महासंग्राम के रूप में अमर हो गया। इसी दिन प्रताप ने हल्दीघाटी के एक संकरे दर्रे से निकलकर मुगल सेना पर आक्रमण कर दिया।
राणा की सेना में झालामान, हकीम खां, ग्वालियर के राजा रामसिंह तंवर आदि वीर थे। इस भीषण आक्रमण को मुगल सेना झेल नहीं पाई।
Read 5 tweets
28 Apr
Foresight of our Ancestors :

5000 years ago, Sanatan Dharma gave clear instructions on how to prevent Pandemics, and taught us how to maintain perfect hygiene:

1) लवणं व्यञ्जनं चैव घृतं तैलं तथैव च !
लेह्यं पेयं च विविधं हस्तदत्तं न भक्षयेत् !!
धर्मसिन्धू ३पू. आह्निक
Salt, ghee, oil, rice and other food items should not be served with bare hand. Use spoons to serve.

2) अनातुरः स्वानि खानि न स्पृशेदनिमित्ततः !!
मनुस्मृति ४/१४४

Without a reason don't touch your own Indriyas (organs like eyes, nose, ears, etc.)
3) अपमृज्यान्न च स्न्नातो गात्राण्यम्बरपाणिभिः !!
मार्कण्डेय पुराण ३४/५२

Don't use clothes already worn by you & dry yourself after a bath.
Read 11 tweets
10 Apr
While trying to tarnish Modi Govt, Congress exposes its own ‘Rafale Scam’ & it needs to be investigated.
"According to an accounts spreadsheet belonging to Sushen Gupta, an entity called simply ‘D’, which is a code he regularly used to designate Dassault, paid €14.6 million..
..to Interdev in Singapore over the period 2004-2013," the report said.
Sushen Mohan Gupta was a very influential middleman during the UPA era. In 2019, he was arrested in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, another defence deal scam worth crores in during the UPA govt.
Gupta was being paid directly by Thales, a French multinational company that designs and builds electrical systems, through shell companies. According to another account’s spreadsheet belonging to Gupta, which only covers the years between 2004 to 2008, Thales paid €2.4...
Read 5 tweets
10 Apr
PK’s Clubhouse audio chat was leaked, Kishore is purportedly heard saying that 'PM Modi is very popular in Bengal’. Kishore also spoke on 'anger against TMC' & ’55% Hindus are voting for BJP’. Mamata’s strategist, Kishore talks of TMC & Left resorting to appeasement politics.
He said that all the parties tried to impress Muslims, gain votes and rise to power. He is praising PM Narendra Modi. He is heard saying, "PM Modi is popular" among people in West Bengal. Kishore was heard talking to Commies Ravish, Arfa Khannum, Rohini Singh etc. Accepts defeat.
BJP’s national dominance stays & even if they lose Bengal (which they will not) they’ll come as a very strong opposition. Incumbency is a problem for TMC, not BJP. With Muslims turning towards Modi he’s winning hands down as 55-60% Hindus will vote for him. Mamta is history.
Read 4 tweets
8 Apr
Zulfikar Ali from Bengal became famous overnight when his picture where he’s whispering something in PM Modi’s ear went viral on social media. Listen to what this young Muslim has to say about his experience with the Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi 😊🙏🏽
In continuation....
Hats Off....
Read 8 tweets
8 Apr
As Temples - the soul of Tamil culture – suffocate under government control, people of Tamil Nadu express their pain and tell us how despite wanting to take care of the temples and their presiding deities, the rules and regulations in place deny them that privilege.
It’s very painful to see that even after 74 years of independence the temples of India are still under government control and they’re not concerned as they say they have no money to perform a pooja a day. They’re suffocating the temples.
12,000 temples in the state are in a bad shape. Around 34,000 temples have a revenue of less than ₹10,000 a month. It’s time the temples come out of the clutches of the government.
Read 6 tweets

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