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   From: alt.fan.jai-maharaj@googlegroups.com   
      
   Bharat's identity is intrinsically tied with the eternal   
   philosophy of Hindutva   
      
   It is imperative to expose the conspiracy to divide and   
   confuse, and to establish the eternal philosophy of   
   Hindutva, by dedicated action and practice. This will   
   result in the unfolding of Bharat's identity, known to the   
   world since centuries.   
      
   Written by Manmohan Vaidya   
   The Indian Express, indianexpress.com   
   Wednesday, May 8, 2019   
      
   This view of life is the Hindu view and all those who live   
   in Bharat, irrespective of their caste, region, religion or   
   language, subscribe to this view of life. (Representational   
   Image)   
      
   For ages, Bharat has offered a unique view of life because   
   it is based on spirituality. Bharat believes that Truth can   
   have various forms, names and paths to reach it. Though   
   diverse, all these paths are equal. Bharat sees unity in   
   diversity and has a capacity to establish unity amongst   
   such expansive variety. It doesn't see diversity as   
   difference: This brand of spirituality teaches us that   
   every soul is potentially divine and the same divinity   
   pervades all things, animate or inanimate, and hence we all   
   are connected with each other. To realise this   
   connectedness, to expand its ambit and to work accordingly   
   towards the betterment of the connected, is the basis of   
   Dharma. Dharma, which is different from religion, is not   
   exclusivist; it includes, connects and benefits all.   
      
   This view of life is the Hindu view and all those who live   
   in Bharat, irrespective of their caste, region, religion or   
   language, subscribe to this view of life. Hence, being   
   Hindu or "Hindutva" has become the identity of all   
   Bharatiyas. The founder of RSS, K B Hedgewar, made this   
   Hindutva the tool to awaken the sense of unity among all   
   Bharatiyas -- connecting them with each other irrespective   
   of their caste, region, religion and language. He started   
   organising the entire society by binding them together with   
   this thread of Hindutva.   
      
   However, those who, for their individual and political   
   gains wanted to keep the society divided started opposing   
   Hindutva and the Sangh by calling them communal,   
   regressive, divisive and anti-minority: The opposition to   
   and rejection of the seminal works of great souls and   
   Hindutva proponents like Swami Vivekananda and Dayanand   
   Saraswati was condemned by levelling these allegations.   
      
   But the activities of the Sangh, built on the foundation of   
   Hindutva, kept expanding despite the ill-will directed at   
   it. Then, the same ill-intentioned critics started saying   
   that Hindutva is alright, but there is a demarcation   
   between soft-Hindutva and hard-Hindutva. The Hindutva of   
   someone like Swami Vivekananda is soft, but RSS practices   
   hard Hindutva, which is condemnable. Books such as Why I Am   
   Not a Hindu and then Why I Am a Hindu have been written by   
   such naysayers, but irrespective of such attempts,   
   acceptance of Hindutva has grown exponentially. This is   
   because it's the soul of Bharat and an expression of its   
   consciousness: It cannot be countered by books that seek to   
   compete with the epics.   
      
   Elements with vested interests started creating confusion   
   by calling Hinduism a virtue and Hindutva an evil. A media   
   house recently asked me, "What is the difference between   
   'Hinduism' and 'Hindutva'?" I told them that it's one and   
   the same. One is in Hindi whereas the other is in English.   
   S Radhakrishnan wrote a book in English, titled The Hindu   
   View of Life and used the term "Hinduism". Had he written   
   it in Hindi, he would have used "Hindutva". If Savarkar had   
   written his book, Hindutva, in English, then he might have   
   used the term Hinduism. That said, it is my personal belief   
   that an apt translation of Hindutvaa should be "Hinduness"   
   instead of "Hinduism".   
      
   RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has clearly enunciated the   
   meanings of "Hindu" and "Hindutva" in his three-day lecture   
   series at Vigyan Bhavan. But propagandists won't refer to   
   it because it does not suit their malafide intentions. The   
   real ideological battle is between the two different ideas   
   of Bharat. One is the Bharatiya concept with roots going   
   back to age-old spiritual traditions of the nation, and the   
   other is an alien or foreign conceptualisation.   
      
   A journalist-turned-politician recently stated that in this   
   election, the choice to be made is between "Hindu India"   
   and "Hindutva India". The only reason people like him talk   
   of Hindu India is because of the growing influence of   
   "Hindutva". It doesn't reflect their conviction but   
   convenience. Given that Bharat is coming together and   
   uniting due to "Hindutva", their casteist, communal and   
   regional politics is weakening everyday and their support   
   base is eroding. For their petty politics, it is imperative   
   for them to divide society -- if not in the name of caste,   
   language or religion, then on the basis of Hindu and   
   Hindutva. But today, the common Bharatiya is not foolish   
   enough to fall into their trap. Their sense of entitlement   
   has, thus, been challenged.   
      
   Another term which is being used to spread confusion is   
   "Hinduvaadi" or Hinduist. There are capitalist, communist   
   or socialist ideologies in the world, but in Bharat there   
   is no place for any "-ism" like in the West. The "-ism"s in   
   the west have a hegemonic tendency to impose their world-   
   view on others, even by force. In Bharat, "Hindutva"   
   (Hinduness) refers to people living and leading their   
   personal, familial, social and professional life in the   
   light of this spirituality based on a holistic view of   
   life, called "Hindu".   
      
   It is, therefore, imperative to expose the conspiracy to   
   divide and confuse, and to establish the eternal philosophy   
   of Hindutva, by dedicated action and practice. This will   
   result in the unfolding of Bharat's identity, known to the   
   world since centuries, and Bharat's purusharth will   
   manifest in every sphere of social and national life. In   
   his essay, Swadeshi Samaj, Rabindranath Tagore rightly says   
   -- "First of all, We will have to become what We actually   
   are".   
      
   This article first appeared in the print edition on May 8,   
   2019, under the title 'Hindu, by any other name'. The   
   writer is joint general secretary of the RSS.   
      
   https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/hinduism-hindu   
   va-rss-hindu-by-any-other-name-5715832/   
      
   More news and views at:   
      
   The Indian Express   
   https://indianexpress.com   
      
   Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi   
   Om Shanti   
   http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj   
      
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