Netaji, Hindutva and nationalismBy Kanchan Gupta on January 23, 2013
As the nation, or what passes for it in this wondrous land with an abysmally poor sense of history, observes the 116th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, perhaps the time has come for one of India’s great leaders to be freed from the confines of political myth-making that has reduced him to calendar lithographs which adorn living rooms in provincial Bengal and the dimly lit offices of the Forward Bloc in Kolkata.
In a sense, that would mark the posthumous homecoming for a nationalist who believed that rashtrabhakti is a synthesis of religion and nationalism, of the spiritual and the political. In the early decades of this century, when others were looking up to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi for inspiration, Bose was looking elsewhere for guidance: His search for a religious philosophy that would spur political activism led him to explore the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and the writings of Aurobindo Ghosh. The latter made a lasting impression on his mind, providing his political activism with a religious side.
The profound Impact that Aurobindo Ghosh had on Subhas Chandra Bose is reflected in his autobiography: “In my undergraduate days, Aurobindo Ghosh was easily the most popular leader in Bengal… a mixture of spirituality and politics had given him a halo of mysticism and made his personality more fascinating to those who were religiously inclined… We felt convinced that spiritual enlightenment was necessary for effective national service…”
It is, therefore, not surprising that he should have also been influenced by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s construction of nationalism. And like Aurobindo Ghosh, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the Indian nation for him extended beyond the geographical to the devotional plane. During his college days he discovered the wretchedness of not India but “impoverished Mother India.”
Curiously, his view of the other India, the one which appears so distant from the fashionable drawing rooms and glittering malls of our cities, is not different from those who believe that a divide separates ‘us’ and ‘them’. For, “the picture of real India”, which Subhas Chandra Bose described as “the India of the villages where poverty stalks the land, men die like flies, and illiteracy is the prevailing order”, is also the India which many believe should receive priority over that India which revels in rejecting anything that carries the label ‘Made in India’, including Hindu spirituality and religious philosophy.
In his book, Brothers Against The Raj, Leonard A Gordon writes about Bose’s quest for a religious philosophy to serve as the core of nationalism and sustain his political activism: “Inner religious explorations continued to be a part of his adult life. This set him apart from the slowly growing number of atheistic socialists and communists who dotted the Indian landscape.” And it was this “religious exploration” that set apart Subhas Chandra Bose from Jawaharlal Nehru for whom “this was a vain quest”. Although Bose scrupulously avoided publishing his faith or his quest, he remained firm in his belief that “Hinduism was an essential part of his Indianness”, his Bharatiyata. In other words, he subscribed to cultural nationalism or, call it If you must by its other name, Hindutva.
This did not, however, make him a bigoted Hindu, nor did it propel him towards Hindu orthodoxy. Commenting on the “definite Hindu streak in Bose’s dislike for Gandhi”, Nirad C Chaudhuri records in his memoirs, Thy Hand! Great Anarch, “He was in no sense a bigoted or even orthodox Hindu. But he had grown up in the first two decades of the twentieth century in Bengal, where, owing to the influence of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Swami Vivekananda, there was a fusion of religion and nationalism, so that the nationalist feeling had a pronounced Hindu complexion and Hinduism a pronounced political character.”
This “fusion of religion and nationalism” and Hinduism with a “pronounced political character” came into play in 1925 when during his incarceration at Mandalay prison, Subhas Chandra Bose, along with the other Bengali prisoners, organised Durga Puja on the jail premises and demanded that the expenses be borne by the authorities. When the latter refused, Bose converted his spiritual quest into a political campaign by launching a hunger strike. This practice of political Hinduism had an electrifying impact on public opinion and soon the Swarajists lent their voice to the popular demand for the release of all political prisoners who had not been charged with specific crimes.
Those who deride nationalism, more so cultural nationalism, as narrow, selfish and aggressive, a hindrance to the promotion of internationalism, would do well to go through Bose’s speech at Poona after being elected president of the Maharashtra Provincial Conference. “Indian nationalism,” Subhas Chandra Bose asserted, “is inspired by the highest ideals of the human race, Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram. Nationalism in India has… roused the creative faculties which for centuries had been lying dormant in our people…”
Sadly, nationalism has now been rendered politically incorrect by our deracinated intelligentsia and abandoned by our corrupt political elite.
(This is a revised version of an article published more than a decade ago.)
Image source: Tamil Treasure
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Comments (10)
RealOdishaNewsReply
January 23, 2013 at 11:07 pm
Sorry, but wrong account of History.
Nethaji was born an Oriya to a Bengali couple, in 1897. His hometown is Cuttack and birthplace is Oriya Bazar. He was there till end of 1911. He studied in Stewart School and matriculated from Ravenshaw College.
So for 1st two decades of 19th Century, one decade he completely spent in Orissa and went into the beginning of the 2nd decade.
For first 15/16 years of lives, human lives are shaped a lot and where real seeds are sown in. Many of us will vouch for that. His life was shaped by Barabati Stadium, which inspired him early in his years & many other iconic Oriya figures. Yes, later Swami Vivekananda was a huge influence,
He is an iconic figure in Orissa along with Buxi Jagabandhu (50 years before 1857, he opposed the British) , Veer Surendra Sai (perhaps the 1st person to do mutiny – two decades before 1857). Unfortunately, time and again, there is dilution of actual history – sometimes knowingly and sometimes unknowings (I do not know which one this post will be yet)
No wonder, this country yet to know what actually happened to the Great Man himself. With the kind of historians (no offense to the current author) and some self serving minds with vested interests, we may never know! But, I have hope, as world is changing & much more interconnected with correct information than ever before.
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RealOdishaNewsReply
January 23, 2013 at 11:11 pm
In the previous comment, it is “Barabati Fort”, not stadium – but closer by.
It is a 14th century fort. Ruins are still there & as noted it was his 1st Major influence on patriotism.
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Satish PotdarReply
January 23, 2013 at 11:46 pm
Very good article sir. Its a sad world we are living in. It takes us years after our school to know the real history of India and develop our views on the politics of India. The curriculum we have been taught in school is always on Gandhi or Nehru and their ‘achievements’.
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Sayan SenReply
January 24, 2013 at 12:09 am
I hope the article explains clearly that Hindutva does not stand for Hindu bigotry or Hindu exclusiveness. Rather it is synonymous with true secularism (as opposed to pseudo-secularism) i.e. respect for all religions. (“The Truth is One. The wise call It by different names.”)I don’t think that Netaji favoured Sri Aurobindo over Swami Vivekananda. Please refer Netaji’s writings in “The Indian Struggle”. (Kanchan Gupta being a Brahmo i.e. legally not a Hindu, may not be aware of the intricacies of the philosophies of Hindu saints) For Netaji, Swamiji was the epitome of patriotism as well as spirituality. Swamiji dreamed of an India having “Islamic body with Vedantic brain”. True Hindutva is all about religious synthesis rather than religious conflict. Netaji was never an Islamophobic Hindu riot-monger. He was a champion of secularism. He sacrificed everything he had, including his life, so that both Kanchan Gupta and Hafeez Sayid can live in a free country. In entire South Asia (including Pakistan), the legend of Netaji lives on.
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SuheelReply
January 24, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Dear Sayan Sen,
1) True Hindutva is all about religious synthesis rather than religious conflict. Netaji was never an Islamophobic Hindu riot-monger
- A true Hindu can never be a riot monger, but he must also stand his ground & fight till his last breath for his religious & political beliefs. Unfortunately when one says he is a proud Hindu, he is labelled as Islamophobic as if Muslims are epitome of secularism. Such a Hypocricy.
2) He was a champion of secularism. He sacrificed everything he had, including his life, so that both Kanchan Gupta and Hafeez Sayid can live in a free country
- Netaji was a champion of Secularism only because he was a proud Hindu.
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vvReply
January 24, 2013 at 1:33 am
For a different take, I suggest Sarvesh Tiwari’s work on Bose at http://bharatendu.com/2011/02/10/subhas-chandra-bose/comment-page-2/#comment-817
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Johnson Thomas KReply
January 24, 2013 at 4:21 am
Let me support this article on Netaji with an A-Z link of the Christian Democratic Parties from around the world including Europe which often used by the Indian Communists/leftist thinkers/academics and the so called mutated and evolved communists who hide under a lot of euphemism such as econ champions/human rights activists and others.
This link below clearly shows from the Christian Democratic Party in Germany to the Christian Democratic Party in Cuba religion played a substantive role in shaping nationalism/social order/patriotism/ via the institution of family. Additionally most of the so called secular European nations which the Indian Communist combine including their mutated and evolved fringes bleat about are not secular at all. Many of the European Monarchs who are the head of states are also the head of their relevant prominent churches as the British Queen is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and her coronation is presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury who in turn is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British Cabinet. The British Parliament has also about 30 church commissioners which exposes that religion still plays a huge part in British nationalism and constitutionalism whether people go to church or not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_democratic_parties
Now if we transfer the same template to India what we see is the Indian nationalism originated and was sustained throughout her recorded history by Hinduism and Hinduism and Indian nationalism are therefore inseparable. All of India’s so called secular arts were also connectable to the Hindu religion predominantly. When Hinduism was in decline during the ascendancy of Buddhism and Jainism too it was again religion which shaped and gave direction to the nationhood. The evidence of this is littered across India and around South East Asia.
India is defined by her geographical, cultural and civilizational heritage and nothing else except as it is today dictated by a small but vocal group of anti-Indians who call themselves secular. Sadbhavana of Hinduism is the mother of secularism as I have claimed in my legal notice to the European Union as in the link below;
http://indianheritageprotection.wordpress.com/
Indian Heritage sadly is denigrated along with Hinduism to facilitate the laundering of the proceeds of Indian Heritage via European Museums/auction houses and the Communists and the leftist combine are therefore the biggest brand ambassadors for this European loot. No wonder only left leaning charities are funded by the European charities. Therefore be it in Europe or in India or in the USA’s Bible Belt religion still shapes politics and nations who turned their back to religion like USSR had to eat a humble pie and re-install their religion as Putin’s Russia had to do. As regards Western Europe the destruction of their religion Christianity is taking a huge toll on nation building and families as exemplified by the “Broken Britain” coined by David Cameron. JAI HIND
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Sandhya JainReply
January 24, 2013 at 8:11 am
The British were good at recognising genuine nationalists and dealt with them harshly. The wishy washy petitioners who were no threat to their hegemony were propped up by British propaganda and asked to hold the state when British needed to leave; that is the legacy we are dealing with till today. That is why the history books have to tell lies, because truth cannot be told
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MurthyReply
January 24, 2013 at 12:17 pm
Political awakening in 19th and 20th century India, as the author illustrates through the life and times of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, did rest on the religious culture of India.
For the first time in Indian history, a sense of nationhood and CULTURAL IDENTITY spread from Bengal to the rest of India. Tamil translations of works by such nationalist intellectuals as Bonkim Chandra Chatterjee, Sarot Chandra Pal and, above all, Swami Vivekananda and Aurobindo, became regular reading among Tamils for over seventy years prior to 1947!!
Merely shouting against ‘Hindutva’, without knowing what the term represents or ever understanding Indian history, our mainstream media and anti- Hindu political opportunists are MISLEADING a whole generation of young Indians.
Hinduness is the invisible BOND that sustains INDIA as a CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL entity.
In my view, ‘hinduness’ or ‘hindutva’ has been built by India’s long history. It is not same as any sectarian or theological definition of Hinduism.
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mikeranaReply
February 1, 2013 at 8:41 pm
In my book, 5th generation, I have tried to give new meaning to Hindutva based on religion and its inner messages. Hinduism, is freedom for all and no coercion. I have called it humanism, insaniyat, where all live with equal rights and with dharma. muslims well as Hindus or people from other religions.
Id Shiv Sena promotes its patriotism beyond Maharashtra, then JP,SS and RSS can present a big front of Insaniyat …
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http://www.niticentral.com/2013/01/23/netaji-hindutva-and-nationalism-40916.html