Tattva

The media often portrays Hindutva as an ideology of hate towards non-Hindus and is projected as a political tool to play with the emotions of people. The word “Hindutva” can be understood as Hindu +Tattva= the ideology related to Hindus. A fundamental aspect of this ideology is devoted to day-to-day living. In particular, Hindutva is a practical approach to the problems of Hindu Society, to the problems of India (Bharat). Therefore, Hindutva has a definite goal and offers the methods to reach that goal.

Hindutva philosophy aims for the overall development of Hindus and outlines that the ultimate goal of all Hindus is to be a collective Unity and work towards a Hindu Rashtra. Just setting a goal is not enough., we should work towards achieving it. This is where the practical part of the Hindutva ideology comes into picture. To achieve this goals, Hindutva suggests a multi-dimensional approach. It proposes that our approach should span political, social and religious aspects of life. In this article we focus primarily on the social aspect.

Hindu philosophy had summed up the aims of human life in a very well thought-out pattern of aspiration designated as Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. It suggests that a person who has not fulfilled the first three cannot attain Moksha- The Supreme bliss. In the same manner, a society in which the material needs are not fulfilled cannot achieve social peace and tranquility. Such a society renders itself vulnerable to violence and disturbances. Therefore, to achieve the overall development of Hindus, our first concern should be social upliftment. Seen in this light, the social approach of Hindutva becomes very vital.

The Hindu society has been inherently tolerant, non-aggressive, peaceful and also very diverse. This diversity which is the unique heritage of Bharat has also been a root cause for the social problems. The diversity of Hindu society over the years has given rise to the disunity and discrimination. The varna system having lost its relevance in the modern Hindu society remained unchecked and has given rise to discrimination and caste-based politics. Once again, Hindutva with its unalienable goal of a unified Hindu society asserts says that caste system has no place in Hindu society. Furthermore, it clearly propagates that all the elements in the Hindu society which serve as a hindrance to the practice of Hindu Dharma should be discarded.

These problems are unique to Hindu society. Along with them, we have other social ills such as poverty, illiteracy, unemployment. In particular, the problem in current-day education system in Bharat is deep. Students are ignorant about the Hindu culture and Dharmic values since the system is blindly aping the West. Moreover, due to Marxist distortions, the history of Bharat as mentioned in textbooks is ridden with lies and half-truths. Therefore, the greater challenge that Hindutva organizations face is to counter the false propaganda and to instill the values of Hindu culture in the Hindus and restore a sense of pride in their history, culture and religion.

Many organizations are now working to address the issues mentioned above. For instance, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) established the Samajik Samarasata Manch in Maharashtra and Veda Shikshana Shibir in this direction. These organizations have trained many Dalits to become priests. RSS organizes several socio-cultural programs like mass celebration of Hindu festivals to bring Hindus of different denominations together. Other Hindutva organizations such as Vidya Bharathi and Seva Bharathi are working in the education field to not only provide value based education to the poorest of the poor, but also develop in them, the Hindu pride. These organizations work to provide education to those who are not in the reach of government run schools.

Hindutva organizations have also started many newspapers and magazines like Tarun Bharath to counter the anti-Hindu reporting of the media. Students are an important part of contemporary Bharatiya society. To direct the young students in the right direction and to provide them a voice in the society Akhila Bharathiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is striving very hard. Likewise, many Hindutva organizations are present in every sphere of social life from agriculture to labor unions and education to politics. These organizations are working in their field to develop the conditions of the Hindus.

In conclusion, the social aspect of Hindutva is the backbone of Hindutva, its practical part. This social aspect is the one with which most of the Hindutva organizations are concerned and it is the duty of every Hindu to assist such organizations in their noble efforts.

Nitin Sridhar is from Mysore, India. He is 19 years old and is doing his Engineering studies. You can reach him at nkgrock@yahoo.co.in

 Email This Post

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 at 5:01 am and is filed under Sangh. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.