Hindutva

The ideology of Hindutva is becoming popular because there is a growing realization that everything else that has been tried to inculcate a national spirit, has failed to yield the desired results. Many people previously opposed to Hindutva have embraced the ideology, as they believe that the solutions to the country's problems can be found within it. At the mass level, with the work done by many individuals and organizations, the acceptance has been a relatively easy task. However, at the intellectual level the success leaves much to be desired. The reason for this is that those who are opposed to Hindutva occupy positions of power in the academic field. They have ensured that the research done on Hindutva remains at the fringe of the scholarly arena. Not only are the public resources denied to the work that needs to be done, but the funds are being invested in anti-Hindutva propaganda, with an intention to prove Hinduism as a regressive religion and a backward culture.

Most people who live abroad and write on India rely for their information on the English media and writings, which paint an essentially negative picture of Hindutva. It is therefore necessary to give the theoretical basis of the Hindutva movement due publicity.

In one of his recent books, a European

scholar, Dr. Koenraad Elst says, "In Europe every sizeable party or ideological pressure-group has set up a think-tank to develop ideology and formulate policy proposals. The Communists in India have a host of intellectuals (mostly on state and university pay-rolls) working full-time to develop the Marxist view on each and every topic. All the valuable and useful political thought produced by the Hindu movement would not exceed a few volumes, to put mildly. As long as there is no intellectual mobilization, Hindu society is badly on the defensive. Hindu society has a host of bright young people available, trained in traditional or modern learning, whose talent is wasted because there seems to be no Hindu nerve center interested in putting them to work. The intellectual dimension for the success of a cultural and political movement is highly indispensable."

The "Hindu Vivek Kendra" has been established as a resource center, with this objective in mind. We hope it will become one of Hindutva's "nerve centers" both in India and abroad.

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