Hindutva and Hind Swaraj History's Forgotten Doubles

 

Hindutva and Hind Swaraj: History’s Unforgotten Ideas by Makarand R Paranjape
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hindutva and Hind Swaraj by Majarand R Paranjape. The title looks enticing. Also at the front cover, there is a review by the late great Dr. S.L.Byrappa. Hard to resist the temptation to read this book. However I was severely disillusioned when I finished reading it. It turned out to be like a bag of Lays. Full of Gas, with very little edible food. And that edible food too cooked in Palm oil is Category A junk.

Well if Lays were to introduce a new Moringa flovour, with the chips having a dressing of the superfood, perhaps this book can be equated to it.

The book start off promising to be a impartial study of both Gandhi and Veer Savarkar and proposes that both are required for modern India. I can see why Savarkar is required, but the Gandhi bit is confusing. One is curious to know why Gandhi or his methods are required at all.

While the book often quotes sublime lines of poets, speaks about Vedanta, advaita and claims the way forward is using the method of anvikshaki or intermedial hemenautics (It seems like a word taken out of a Shashi Tharoor book) .

Let me get straight to the bad in the book. Why did I find it utterly useless for the most part.

- For all it's tall claims of being objective, the author is partial to Gandhi and seems critical or disrespectful of Savarkar.

- The author seems to glorify Gandhi's contribution to our freedom (Again, the lays chips analogy here, becuase it does not seem justified by facts)

- The author underplays Veer Savarkar's contributions to our freedom struggle

- The author is convinced that Veer Savarkar was the mastermind behind Gandhi's assasination. This he hints repeatedly. At one point even calling Godse and Narayan Apte Savarkar's Chelas

-The author references Dr.Vikram Sampath's book, but I am sure he has not read it. Had he done so, he would not have concluded that Veer Savarkar had something to do with Gandhi's assascination.

-The author goes on to claim that Gandhi's detractors and critics misquote him and have misunderstood him. If that is indeed the case, then it becomes his bounden duty to convince the readers that they have misunderstood him. Makarand, I am sorry to say, does not even lift a finger, much less provide proof that Gandhi is misunderstood.

- He meanders about quoting from Hind Swaraj liberally, trying to say Gandhi had the best intention. Yet nothing in the book can or will exonerate Gandhi. There is nothing to prove Gandhi's innocence.

- He tries to show Gandhi's saintliness by the words written by him. One cannot just look at the words written by a man and pronounce him a saint. The actions of the man must be looked at in equal measure. What a man did and did not do also count.

-While Rushdie is criticicized (And rightfully so) for writing the equivalent of sewage in literature in Victory city by turning a blind eye to the Islamic bigotry and brabarism of Bahamani Sultanate, the author rightfully says Rushdie refused to see the truth even when blinded (Literally)

-However the 'Mahatma' is excused for not having seen the violence which was inherent in Islam. He is excused for his lack of Shatrubodha.

-Finally the author even enters the topic about the 'Mahatma' that must not be discussed. His 'experiments' with brahmacharya by sleeping naked with naked women, some his grandnieces. He feebly tries to defend it, and then knowing that he is trying to fight the brahmastra with a blunt knife, gives up on it. He claims more research needs to be done on this topic.

Now was the book entirely bad? I wouldn't say so. There are some parts where the author talks about the reality of Jihad and Islamic bigotry. He talks about the works of Dharampal and Sita Ram Goel. The vision of Swami Vivekananda had at Kheer Bhavani temple is beautiful to read.

Finally I must say I am disappointed in this book. I had read Prof Makarand's book on JNU. I wonder if he is trying to pull a Rushdie by doing what Rushdie did in Victory City in the book.

I still find it perplexing that Dr.S.L.Byrappa recommended this book!

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