DR.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY,

LUCKNOW.

(SESSION 2020-2021)

NATIONALISM

IN

INDIAN CONTEXT

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

PROFESSOR SANJAY SINGH SHUBHENDRA MISHRA

PROFESSOR ENROLLMENT NUMBER: 200101135

(SOCIOLOGY) B.A. LL.B. (Hons.)

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University 1st Semester Section B
 Table of Contents
DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................... 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ......................................................................................................... 4

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 5

SWAMI VIVEKANAND ...................................................................................................... 6

BAL GANGADHAR TILAK ................................................................................................ 6

ARTICLE REVIEW .................................................................................................................. 8

CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 8

REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 9
 DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the project work entitled “Nationalism in Indian Context” submitted to
the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow is a record of an original
work done by me under the guidance of Prof. Sanjay Singh, Professor, Sociology, RMLNLU
and this project work is submitted in the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award
of the degree of B.A. LLB. (Honours).

The results embodied in this thesis have not been submitted to any other University or
Institute for the award of any degree or diploma.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my deep sense of gratitude to my respected and learned guide, Prof. Sanjay Singh
for her valuable help and guidance, I am thankful to her for the encouragement she has given
me in completing the project.

I am also grateful to our respected library teachers for permitting us to utilize all the
necessary facilities of the Institution.

I am also thankful to all the other faculty and staff members for their kin co-operation and
help.

Lastly, I would like to express my hearty thanks to my parents and classmates for the moral
support and encouragement.
 INTRODUCTION
Nationalism in India found its substratum in the freedom struggle against the depredations Of
the British Raj. It was with the advent Of the Indian National Congress that the idea Of
nationalism struck the Indian conscience. Leaders and social reformers associated with
congress used nationalism as a tool of resistance against the Britons and it also created a sense
Of selfless service for the national good and pride. It was because Of this nationalistic approach
that India saw the dawn of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar.
Bhagat Singh who was prosecuted by the Britons because of his involvement in the Lahore
conspiracy case is regarded as the tallest figure in revolutionary nationalism of India. Indian
nationalism had many factors that affected it. Be it revolutionary nationalism or be it Jawaharlal
Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi's perception of nationalism or be it the nationalism
that was expounded by leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the collective nationalism Of India
stood tall and was always bolstered. But in the recent time the word 'nationalism' has earned
for itself the reputation Of being an apple Of discord. The word dominated the national
narrative in the yesteryears. Ever since the elections of 2014 there has been a general perception
among the chattering class that has also gained groundswell of acceptance on an international
stage. and that perception relies upon the simple though apprehension carrying premise that a
regressive, redundant and archaic nationalism has creeped in the Indian society, the apologists
of which like to label it Hindu
nationalism. The word Hindu nationalism in itself is no new term for the Indian society, a
society wherein national struggle for freedom was built upon the very idea of collective
nationalism and patriotism. India has witnessed many exponents of Hindu nationalism, the
personalities Of whom were Of such towering stature that can hardly be overstated. Swami
Vivekanand, Ramkrishna Paramhansa. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Raja RamM0han Roy. Swami
Dayanand Saraswati, Madan Mohan Malviya were supporters of Hindu nationalism, but not
only has Hindu Nationalism resurfaced as a topic of debate but it has also acquired a new
definition m the Indian context and that definition is staunchly in contrast to the idea of Hindu
nationalism that was expounded by the leaders mentioned above.
 SWAMI VIVEKANAND

Swami Vivekanand's reflections on nationalism nowhere resonate With the idea Of

nationalism that is being increasingly foisted on us in the current scenario and neither does the
revolutionary nationalism of Lal Bal pal and Bhagat Singh finds itself even in the slightest Of
magnitude juxtapositioned with the regression nationalism that has labelled
sacrosanct in today s time. Since in the modern Indian society we are witnessing an increasing
mention Of Hindu nationalism. I would like to deliberate upon the same. The word traces its
provenance to the works of Swami Vivekanand. It was his unshakeable belief that a sense of
mission. a sense Of spirituality and a sense Of nationalism combined can bc the ground for
India to achieve ultimate destiny. It was Vivekanand's actual quote. " let others talk of politics.
of the glory of acquisition Of the immense wealth poured in by trade. Of the power and spread
Of commercialism, Of the glorious fountain Of physical liberty, the Hindu mind docs not
understand it. Touch him on spirituality. On religion, on god, on the soul, on the infinite, on
spiritual freedom, the lowest peasant, I am sure, is better informed in India than many a so-
called philosopher in other lands." Vivekanand believed and had asserted it time and again
without any hesitation that Hinduism is going to bc the leading force on a global scale in the
years to come It was his deep sense Of spirituality that made him feel so. He once drew an
analogy between the Indian State and the Hindu mind. He asserted that India Will stand and
thrive so long as the common masses did not give up their sense of spirituality. And the Hindu
being a blessed child of god cannot simply abdicate his or her spirituality for the sake of
materialism.

BAL GANGADHAR TILAK

Apart from Swamiji there were Other reformers also Who advocated a religious form Of
nationalism. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was one of them. He was part of the triumsirate of 'Lal Bal
pal' Tllak advocated the cause of Hindu nationalism. He staunchly believed that religious
feelings Of people can be used as a tool to dismantle the hegemony Of the British Raj and it
was quite ingenious on his part to think so because not long before he came to the fore of
national politics and joined the Indian national congress. he and the whole Of India witnessed
the great uprising Of 1857 which was actually the result of the British Raj's act of hurting the
religious sentiments of the sepoys that served in the British Indian Army. Britain had outraged
the public conscience by introducing the greased cartridges. The sentiments Of Hindus and
Muslims were hurt and this resulted in a mutiny. Tilak must have observed the uniting force
that religion possess and since lack Of unity was at the core Of the failure of the movement Of
1857, Tilak With utmost prudence used religion as a uniting force. Bal Gangadhar Tilak led
the national mowment by invoking various religious tokens. He proudly organised a myriad Of
religious events including Ganpati festivals. Bal Gangadhar Tilak called for the swadeshi and
boycott movement to return the damage done to Indian economy by Britain. He not Only asked
for boycott Of foreign goods but at the same time called for the social ostracisation of any
individual Who advocated the use of those goods Bonfires Of English goods were organised
under his super.'is10n. He also wrote polemic articles against the British administration in his
newspapers Kesari and Maratha. He
was tried by the British raj almost 3 times under the infamous sedition law.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

When talking of nationalism in the Indian context, the one man whose unparalleled
contribution that can never be forgotten is mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji asserted that India should
strive for the creation Of Ram Rajya, Gandhi organised mass agitations and was able to forge
a nationalistic feeling among the masses by advocating the cause Of Hindu-Muslim unity.
Gandhi led the national movement from the forefront and an assertion that he was the biggest
enchilada Of pre-independence Indian politics would hardly attract any repudiation. National
movement was invigorated with the entry of Mahatma Gandhi. The feeling Of nationalism
touched the Indian soul and the great unifier mahatma Gandhi should bc credited for this. It
was under his leadership that thousands and thousands of people joined the national struggle.
His ideology of Satyagrah filled the lacunas of the national struggle. The biggest of them being
Hindu-Muslim divide. Gandhi successfully instilled the feeling Of
nationalism in the masses and was able to convert the feeling into mass agitation.
 ARTICLE REVIEW
 Gokhale, B. (1964). Swami Vivekananda and Indian Nationalism. Journal Of Bible
and
Religion, 32(1), 35-42.

There have been several reformers and Swami Vivekanand was among them who not
only played the role of a social reformer but were also actively involved in instilling in the
youth the feeling of patriotism. The author in the article focusses on the understanding of
nationalism from the point of view f Swami Vivekanand_ The paper brilliantly showcases the
Hindu Nationalism Swami ji used to believe in unlike the manifestation of nationalism that is
present in the contemporary India. Swami ji firmly believed that the rise of Indian society is
possible only if the common masses adopt the spiritual way. The paper talks about the early
life of Swami ji and his rise to glory, from being Narendranath dutt to becoming the world guru
Swami Vivekanand. His affiliations with the Bramho samaj were discussed in detail in the
article. There were attempts made by the author to draw an analogy between Swami ji and other
reformers such as Lokmanya Tilak Who were very much a supporter Of Hindu nationalism.
ther great identities such as Mahatma Gandhi were also cited to portray the real nationalism
that one should follow. Swami ji’s idea Of Hindu nationalism was very different and tin-
associated to any kind of political ideology unlike Bal Gangadhar Tilak who was an active
member of the Indian National Congress and who used to Organize numerous events such as
Ganpati festivals to forge a feeling Of nationalism. Swami Vivekanand exclusively believed
that spiritualism and asceticism is the only way to revive the Hindu mind and bring back the
lost glory Of India. The article overall is an excellent piece of writing on the convictions and
beliefs of Swami ji and various other figures who were the exponents Of Hindu nationalism
and also puts the discrepancies in the modern world regarding Hindu nationalism in a very
cogent manner.

CONCLUSION
In the present day Indian scenario we have seen the dawn of a new regressive nationalism and
there is hardly any need to reiterate that people who support such rcgrcssivc thoughts have
termed that nationalism as Hindu nationalism. The flawed understanding in not the result of
some apparent obtuseness but is the result Of a well-planned activity. I am trying to point
towards the growing trend Of mob lynching incidents that are a part Of the type Of Hindu
nationalism that is being forced upon us. The common idea that the proponents of such
ideology want the people to believe in is that only a particular majoritarian community is to
be labelled as nationalistic and in the case at hand the majoritarian community would be
Hindu. There have been horrifying incidents of hate crime in almost all parts of India such as
the case of Pehlu khan. Mohd.lkhlaq or various others. Where the victims were beaten badly
to death and in the name of cow protection. but it should not bc difficult task to identify that
cow protection is just a garb to cover the real motive behind such attacks that is to seclude the
minority Muslims especially when almost 95 such incidents have taken place since 2014.
Neither Gandhi nor Tilak ever believed in such nationalism. For them anyone who did not
worked for the betterment Of nation was an anti-national. Today the word "anti-national* is
used by such regressive minded people to lablc anyone who is not according to them worthy
of living in this country. Such vigilantism in the name Of nationalism is slowly and
systemically deteriorating the condition Of the secular fabric of our nation. There has. bccn
incidents Where to appeal such majority at a political level. The top brass of government
have made outrightly outrageous statements that justify terror in the name Of religion or point
Out to some mentality that blamestorme a particular community for the acts of terror.

REFERENCES
https://www.historydiscussion.net/history-of-india/rise-of-nationalism-in-india-indian-
history/648

https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/nationalism-then-and-now/article8409074.ece

https://ramakrishna.org/vivekananda.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bal-Gangadhar-Tilak

http://www.istor.orq/stabIe/1460427