Hindu Peace Building

Paper Summary:

The paper begins by explaining the dangerous connection between religion and politics in India and the Hindutva movement's use of lower social groups in an anti-minority ideology. The paper discusses educated Hindus, NGOs and how different commissions are at work. The paper describes the new optimism with the Congress electoral victory of 2004, but also describes the more interesting work done by ordinary citizens to draw together diverse citizens, showing the emptiness of the Hindutva ideology and its incorrect view of minorities. The paper stresses Gandhism and Hinduism as forever changing entities.

From the Paper:

"In India, nationalism and social reform seem to have gone hand in hand to Independence in 1947 and beyond. Western education, Christian social thinking and political activism shaped much activity before the turn of the 20th century. Members of every community contributed strongly to the Indian nationalist movement, including secular-minded Muslims who opted to stay in a secular India, rather than migrate to the new Muslim state of Pakistan. However, the rise of communalism and Hindu chauvinism in the Republic of India, in the late 1980s and 1990s, created a situation of new divisions."

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