V.D.

Savarkar:
UNIT 12 V.D. SAVARKAR: HINDUTVA* Hindutva

Structure
12.0 Objective
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Understanding the Thinker: Life and Works
12.3 Key Ideas
12.4 Hindutva
12.5 Nationalism: The Conception of Swaraj and Swadharma
12.6 Normative Imagination: Social, Cultural and Linguistic
12.7 Let Us Sum Up
12.8 Références
12.9 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

12.0 OBJECTIVES
This unit aims to familiarise the readers with one of the key thinkers of Modern
India, V.D Savarkar, also known as the progenitor of Hindutva. After studying
this unit, one would be able to:
 Engage with the life and works of Savarkar
 Understand the concept of Hindutva.
 Know the various aspects of Savarkar’s social, political, and cultural
thought
 Analyze Savarkar’s legacy in the shaping of Modern India

12.1 INTRODUCTION
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in the more extensive public imagination in Modern
India has been a formidable one. He is known through various titles,
‘Swantraveer,' ‘Prince amongst the revolutionaries,' ‘Ideologue of Hindutva,'
proponent of Hindu nationalism, Ideologue of Hindu Right in the Indian political
spectrum. There have been multiple tropes of his invocation. He is one of the key
thinkers who articulated the necessity of a cultural reading of nation and
nationhood and presented ideas on the normative in the form of ‘ Hindu Akhand
Bharat’ based on the framework of Hindutva.

*
Dr Priyanka Jha, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Banaras Hindu
University, Varanasi, U.P.

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BLOCK IV
Community and
12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE THINKER: LIFE AND
Nation WORKS
Savarkar was born on 28th May 1883, in the family of Chitpavan Brahmins in the
village of Bhagur, near Nashik, Maharashtra. He lost his mother, Radhabai
Savarkar, at a young age and was raised by his father, Damodar Savarkar. The
latter was the first person to inculcate nationalist consciousness, patriotic and
poetical inclination in him. He would recite to him the stories of Ramayana,
Mahabharata and introduce leaders like Shivaji, Guru Govind Singh, who would
play an essential role in shaping his outlook and worldview. However, due to a
plague, he soon lost his father and was raised by his elder brother, Ganesh
Savarkar. This was the immediate familial context of Savarkar. Thus, one can
understand his life in three broad phases which are as follows: Youth and
Education in England (1906-1910), Incarceration in Cellular Jail and Conditional
release (1910-1936), and Ideologue of Hindutva (1936-1966).

Ist Phase: Youth and Education (1910): Savarkar was intensely nationalistic
and envisioned India's independence from British colonialism as a young boy. In
this regard, from a young age, he wrote poems and plays published in Marathi
newspapers and journals. He established Mitra Mela, a youth collective which
aimed to instill revolutionary nationalist spirit and consciousness. Soon, Mitra
Mela began to grow and occupy a vital space amongst the young which witnessed
a steady increase in participation. It also acted as a discursive space for discussion
amongst the young about the revolutionary nature of the nationalist struggle. A
significant aspect of this revolutionary youth collective was its denunciation of
any caste distinction. Apart from the revolutionary discourse, it celebrated the
Ganpati and Shivaji Festivals, which B.G Tilak initiated to instill the spirit of
nationalism. In 1901, Savarkar was enrolled in Fergusson College in Pune,
Maharashtra. During his college life, he was deeply inspired by Giuseppe
Mazzini, an Italian revolutionary. The latter played a central role in the
Unification of Italy. He wrote Mazzini Charitra, a translation of Mazzini's work.
Around the same time, he became a member of the Abhinav Bharat Society,
established in 1904.

In 1905, during the swadeshi and Boycott movement, on the call of B.G Tilak,
Savarkar had organized the burning of British clothes. For this act, the college
administration had fined Savarkar, to whose rescue Tilak came, who was also one
of the founders of the Fergusson College. This was not the first time Tilak
supported Savarkar. We would see that he was central in helping Savarkar gain
the scholarship for his education in London. Shyamji Krishna Varma, a fellow

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nationalist, would offer scholarships to deserving students from India to study V.D. Savarkar:
abroad. Savarkar received the fellowship with the help of the letter of Hindutva

recommendation written by BG Tilak himself. In 1906 June, V.D. Savarkar went

to England and was enrolled in Grays Inn, London, to study law. He was provided
accommodation in Indian House. He established Free India Society. 1 an
organization that primarily worked towards the cause of India’s liberation outside
the country. It would organize meetings and discussions along with the
celebration of Indian festivals. In 1907, during the celebrations of the 50 years of
the Revolt of 1857, Savarkar staged a play depicting the revolt from the Indian
revolutionary perspective, celebrating the indicted leaders of the revolt as martyrs
and national heroes, unlike the British portrayals as mutineers. This inspired
Savarkar to rewrite the history of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. As a result, he
secretly wrote the 1857 Indian War of Independence in 1907 which was published
in 1909. However, Savarkar was arrested on the grounds of sedition and was
served two indictments of 25 years each, and was sent to Cellular Jail, Andamans.

The second phase (1910-1936) was his imprisonment in Andamans, followed

by his conditional release in 1924 to final release in 1936. Arrested in 1910, with
the litigation that took nearly a year, Savarkar was sent to India in 1911,
transported for 50 years in Cellular Jail. He was sent to Andamans, also referred
to as Kala Pani, where he was put under solitary confinement many times,
resulting in the worst physical and mental torture. Savarkar’s elder brother was
also arrested and sent to the Cellular Jail.

During this time, Savarkar exchanged letters with the British officials in mercy
petitions and his family, younger brother specifically, to garner support for his
release. As many political prisoners were being released around the time,
Savarkar attempted for his freedom as well. However, he was granted conditional
release on 6th Jan 1924 after 14 years on two conditions: Firstly, he was not
allowed to leave Ratnagiri, and secondly, he was not supposed to participate in
any nationalist activities. Consequentially, he was demanded to be in Ratnagiri for
the period, not allowed to travel to any part of the country. In 1923, Essentials of
Hindutva, considered as his major work, was published.

The period that Savarkar spent in Ratnagiri was instrumental in shaping and
articulating his political, social, and cultural views. As under obligation, Savarkar
did not raise concerns of political nature, but focused mainly on social reforms
and linguistic matters. Caste reforms were a significant work area, as he rallied

1
The Free India Society was a youth organization of Indian students in England committed to India's
independence from British rule.

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BLOCK IV against segregation and discrimination, removing untouchability. These years also
Community and
Nation
marked his appeal for Shuddhikaran (Purification). These years marked the
emergence of Savarkar as the leader of Hindu interests, with the establishment of
the Ratnagiri Hindu Sabha in January 1924. This organization, in more significant
relation with Hindu Mahasabha, focused regionally, working on local-level issues.
During this time, Savarkar met many critical national leaders. He met M K
Gandhi and leaders of organizations operating in Hindus interests. In 1925, he met
Dr. K B Hegdewar, founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The last phase of his life, 1936-1966, was marked as his emergence as the
Ideologue of Hindutva, which one will witness over the years will become the
foundational basis of a Right-wing ideological stream in Indian politics. In 1937,
Savarkar moved to Bombay, and his house Shivaji Sadan was the base from
where he carried his politics. After 26 years since his arrest in 1910, his national
presence was amplified as one of the foremost revolutionaries and leader of Hindu
interests. 1938 onwards, Savarkar was now completely involved with Hindu
Mahasabha as its President. Hindu Mahasabha, initially established in 1906, was
dedicated to the cause of ‘Akhand Hindu Bharat’ and protection of Hindu
interests. As the president from 1937-42, the speeches that he delivered at its
annual sessions of Hindu Mahasabha emerged as the framework of the principles
of Hindu Nationalism. These speeches were published as Hindu Rashtra Darshan.

During this time, he traveled extensively in the country, delivering speeches in

favor of the rights and interests of the Hindus. This period represented two
significant themes of actions: the nation's independence and consolidation and
protection of the interests of the Hindus. At the helm of Hindu Mahasabha,
Savarkar positioned Hindus as the majority and Muslims as the minorities. The
Hindu line of argument witnessed itself shaping from a milder one in the 1920s to
a dynamic one 1930s to a radical and exclusionary one in the 1940s. Savarkar
critiqued Jinnah and Gandhi vigorously defending the so-called Hindu Interests.
He appealed to the Hindus to protect the community's interests and the
Independence and Indivisibility of the nation. He was against the demand for
Pakistan and argued that the Pan Islamic alliance, which was rendering support to
Jinnah and League, was to be resisted by what he suggested as a Pan Hindu
Buddhist alliance. He argued that Indian National Congress was hand in gloves
with the League, voicing his critique against both the organizations. By the 1940s,
Savarkar was the most prominent leader and representative of the Hindu faction.
On 10th May 1942, the Akhand Hindustan Movement was started at the behest of
Savarkar. In the same year, in July, Savarkar resigned from the presidentship of
Hindu Mahasabha, which he had held for the last five years on the grounds of
fatigue and exhaustion. However, he sent a clear message to the party members to
work rigorously towards the Hindu cause. He participated in the deliberations on
Cripps Proposal and the Cabinet Mission Plan.

On 30th Jan 1948, Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, who was
inspired by Savarkar and in many ways considered him as a mentor of sorts. He
170
was a staunch Savarkarite. There was a lot of public outrage and anger amongst
the masses. Savarkar was arrested on 4th Feb 1948 as an accused. He was moved V.D. Savarkar:
to Delhi, where the trials took place in May 1948. He was later released. In the Hindutva

1950s, Savarkar did deliver public speeches and lectures on themes of Nation,
Nationalism, history, and the past. A significant part of his time was dedicated to
the establishment of a foundation of the Martyrs. In 1957 Savarkar participated in
the centenary celebrations of the 1857 Rebellion as organized by the Government
of India, for which he traveled to Delhi. By the beginning of the 1960s, Savarkar's
health was deteriorating. In 1966, Savarkar died at the age of 83 years.

12.3 KEY IDEAS

Some of the central ideas of Savarkar are as follows
(A) Hindutva: Based on an entire gamut of tropes of identity, predominantly a
cultural one. It was a historical, cultural, civilisational geographical, and martial
notion of the self.

(B) Nationalism: Invoked as combination of two central emotions, patriotism as

well as sense of duty towards the nation. Defining it as Swarajya as self-rule,
freedom, liberation from colonialism, and Swadharma which is protection of
one’s religion.
(C) Normative Imagination: Based on three major imaginations: Social, cultural
and linguistic, Savarkar’s imagination of Modern India was an egalitarian, caste
less society with a strong Hindutva Idiom.

12.4 HINDUTVA
Savarkar’s tract Essentials of Hindutva, published in 1923, can be read as one of
his central writings that provided the concept of Hindutva. This text was an
exposition of the national self, the Hindu self, which was was not simply an
iteration of the political self, as present in many strands of Indian thinking. One
can get a larger sense of his understanding of Hindutva from the following
excerpt.

‘A Hindu, thereof, to sum up the conclusion arrived at is he who looks

upon the land that extends from Sindhu to Sindhu-from the Indus to the
seas-as the land of his forefathers-his fatherland (Pitribhu), who inherits
the blood of that race whose first discernible source could be traced to the
Vedic Saptasindhus and which on its outward march, assimilating much
that was incorporated and enabling much that was assimilated, has come
to be known as the Hindu people, who has inherited and claims as his own
the culture of that race as expressed chiefly in their common classical
language, Sanskrit and represented by a common history, a common
literature, art and architecture, law and jurisprudence, rites and rituals,
ceremonies and sacraments, fairs and festivals; and above all addresses
this land, this Sindhustan as his holyland (Punyabhu), as the land of the
prophets and sees his godman and gurus, the land of piety and pilgrimage. 171
These are the essentials of Hindutva- a common nation (Rashtra), a
BLOCK IV common race (Jati), and a common civilization (Sanskriti). All these
Community and
Nation
essentials could best be summed up by stating in brief that he is a Hindu to
whom Sindusthan is not only a Pitrabhu but also a Punyabhu.’2

The conception of Hindutva as an identity in his thinking is based on specific

common themes that Savarkar identified. These included common blood,
common race, common language, common culture. In this matrix, he also adds
the theme of common fatherland and common place of reverence. He writes, ‘
Because we Hindus are bound together not only by the tie of the love we bear to a
common fatherland and by the common blood that course through our veins and
keeps our hearts throbbing and our affection warm, but all by the common
homage we pay to our great civilization- our Hindu culture, which could not be
better rendered than by the word Sankriti suggestive as it is of the language,
Sanskrit, which has been chosen means of the expression and presentation of our
culture, of all that was best and worth preservingin the history of our race. We
are a nation race and own a common Sanskriti (Civilization).’3

Invoked as a Race Jati, Hindutva is constitutive of historical, geographical and

cultural conceptions of Punyabhu and Pitrabhu. The categories of Pitrabhoomi
(Place of Fatherland/Origin) and Punyabhoomi (Place of worship) are central to
the larger framework. This aspect of the text, amongst his other writings, gained a
lot of attention in the larger theorization of Hindutva. For him, the feeling of
nationalism was not enough, as it had to be fused with the sense of reverence for
the nation, as it was supposed to be the place of worship as well. He writes, ‘The
Hindus are not merely the citizens of the Indian state because they are united only
by the bonds of the love they bear to a common motherland but also by the bonds
of common blood. They are not only a nation but also a race jati.’4 He further
writes, ‘But as long as in addition to our country, he has not adopted our culture
and our history, inherited our blood and has come to look upon our land not only
as the land of his love, but even of his worship, he cannot get himself
incorporated into the hindufold.’ 5 One would realize that the categories of the
Punyabhu and Pitrabhu would be used eventually to exclude non-Hindu
communities like Muslims and the Christians outside the frame of the Indian
nation.

2
Savarkar, Essentials of Hindutva, p 116.

3
Savarkar, Essentials of Hindutva, p. 91-92

4
Ibid,., p. 84.

5
Ibid,.p. 84

172
Invoking the category of Jati, he writes, ‘The word jati derived from root Jan to V.D. Savarkar:
produce a brotherhood, a race determined by a common origin-possessing a Hindutva

common blood.’ 6 It was the bond of common blood that tied this Jati race
together.

Apart from the above common attributes, he also emphasized on common

language as the key to his thinking on Hindutva. As a common language, Sanskrit
and Prakrit he argued that apart from being a marker of identity, they played a
central role in uniting the country from Ceylon to Kashmir. He writes, ‘the whole
life of the nation was being brought into a harmony as rich as divine, the growth
of the national language was but an outward expression of this inward unity to
our national life.’7He further writes, ‘Although the Sanskrit language must ever
remain the cherished and sacred possession of our race, contributing most
powerfully to the fundamental unity of our people and enriching our life, enobling
our aspirations and purifying the fountains of our being, yet the honour of being
the living spoken national tongue of our people is already won by that Prakrit,
which being one of the eldest daughters of Sankrit is most fittingly called Hindi or
Hindustani, the language of the national and cultural descendants of the ancient
Sindhus or Hindus.’8

The element of commonness is drawn from a historical standpoint to establish a

sense of ancient nationhood. For Savarkar, Hindutva as an identity was not a
modern invention that existed and evolved. The term ‘Hindu’ signified the name
given for a geographical region, Sindhu, and its descendants. Mentioning the
various historical and cultural records, he argued that the region was called
Sindhu. Over time, different names came to attribute this geographical region,
with the cradle name of Sindhus or Hindus, Sapatasindhu, and later Bharatvarsha.
Referring to it as the land of the Aryans, Savarkar argued that apart from being
the sacred geography, it was also a racial identity. Thus, he writes, ’Sindusthan
was not merely a piece of land but it was a nation.’9

He further writes, ‘The word Arya is expressly stated in the verses to mean all
those who have been incorporated as parts integral to the nation and people that
flourished on this side of the Indus whether vaidik or avaidik, Brahamana or

6
Ibid, p. 85.

7
Ibid,. p. 42.

8
Ibid,. p. 40.

9
Ibid;., p. 32.

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BLOCK IV Chandala, and owning and claiming to have inherited a common culture,
Community and
Nation
common blood, common country and common polity.’10 The common bloodline
argument establishes the Hindu identity, subsuming the diverse communities and
identities under one fold. He writes, ‘We Hindus, are all one and a nation because
chiefly of our common blood-Bharati Santati.’11 He homogenizes the variety of
identities as a singular race when he writes, ’Santanists, Satnamis, Sikhs, Aryas,
Anaryas, Marathas and Madrasis, Brahmins and Panchamas all suffered as
Hindus and triumphed as Hindu.’12 Therefore Hindutva was akin to an umbrella-
like identity, appropriating the diverse cultural identities into one.

In his theorization, he made a clear distinction between Hindutva and Hinduism.

He writes, ‘Here it is enough to point out that Hindutva is not identical with what
is vaguely indicated by the term Hinduism. By an ‘ism’ it is generally meant a
theory or a code more or less based on spiritual or religious dogma or system.
But when one attempt to investigate into the essential significance of Hindutva we
do not primarily and certainly not mainly concern ourselves with any particular
theocratic or religious dogma or creed.’13Savarkar invoked Hinduism, not in the
conventional sense of its invocation and usage. Hinduism was the source of
culture, identity, sense of history, and also a point of origination. However, for
Savarkar, Hinduism as a religion per se is distinct from Hindutva and argued that
the two should not be confused.

This homogenization or absorption of the various identities into one Hindu fold
was central in Savarkar. This ubiquitous framework was used to provide a sense
of self and non-self. In many ways, these categories of the self and non-self in his
imagination and theorization became the framework for deciding who the genuine
claimants of the Bharatvarsha, Sindusthan, or Hindusthan would be. It is
interesting, as in the sense of inventing the markers of the identity for the majority
Hindus based on commons traits, was used to exclude the non-Hindu minority as
the ‘others’ and the ‘foreigners.’ Therefore, demanding a critical read of the idea
of Hindutva.

Check Your Progress Exercise 1

Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.

10
Ibid., p. 33

11
Ibid, p. 39

12
Ibid,. p. 45

13
Savarkar, Essentials of Hindutva, p. 4

174
 ii) Check your progress with the model answer given at the end of the unit. V.D. Savarkar:
Hindutva
1. What are the key texts that help us understand Savarkar’s thought?
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2. What are key Ideas of Savarkar’s political thought and thinking?
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3. What are the two central categories of Hindutva according to V D Savarkar?
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12.5 NATIONALISM: THE CONCEPTION OF

SWARJYA AND SWADHARMA
The concept of Swarjya and Swadharma is central to his nationalism. Savarkar’s
explained the concept of Swarajya in self-rule, freedom or liberation from
colonialism, and Swadharma as the ultimate duty, in terms of protection of one’s
religion. Thus, the two concepts are intrinsically linked to each other.

According to him, ‘Our idea of Swadharma, too, is not contradictory to Swaraj's.

The two are connected as means and end. Swaraj without Swadharma is
despicable, and Swadharma without Swaraj is powerless. The sword of material
power, Swaraj, should always be ready drawn for our object, our safety is the
other world, Swadharma.’ 14 The real meaning of Swarajya then is not simply

14
Savarkar, Indian War of Independence. p.24

175
BLOCK IV merely the geographical and political independence of Bharatavarsha. It is the
Community and
Nation
larger framework for protecting Hindutva as the same religious, racial, and
cultural identity.

In the initial days, he rendered a revolutionary reading in the 1857 Indian War of
Independence, he invoked the notion-of Hindu Muslim unity. Still, this
understanding underwent significant transformation during the latter part of his
life, most crucially during his incarceration in the Cellular jail. This understanding
impacted his more extensive sense of nationalism as well normative imagination
of the nation. The meaning of Swadharma and Swaraj was defined in terms of
India as a Hindu Rashtra and the protection of the Hindus, which also
foundational in his sense of nationalism. Hence, he gave public support to
militancy, terrorism, and violence as the means to attain independence. Post-
independence, this translated towards the work for upholding the Akhand Bharat
thinking.

Savarkar’s idea of Swaraj was different from the Gandhian notion of Swaraj in
which the ethical, moral, and spiritual freedom of self was central. As a supporter
of militarisation and the need for compulsory military training of the youth on
many occasions, there was a certain kind of impetus to martialization of the
masses, which according to him, had gone weak, virile, and impotent with notions
of non-violence. Challenging Gandhi, he addressed Satyagraha as Impotent
Passive resistance. Savarkar was against the principle of Ahimsa and non-
violence and was critical of its advocacy carried by Gandhi in the framework of
Satyagraha. Savarkar’s social and political thought was foregrounded in a more
profound sense of history, which bore the stories of bravery and strength that had
to be emulated.

One can easily read that the nationalism that he propounded was belligerent and
exclusionary, fashioning the politics of othering. In Savarkar’s imagination, there
is a strong motif of the nation as a Hindu Rashtra. His ideas on the same can be
deciphered from his speeches, compiled as the text, Hindu Rashtra
Darshan.15Mirroring some of the propositions he made in the tract Essentials of
Hindutva, there was a continuation of the line of thought. Apart from the political
imagination of the nation, which was articulated on many occasions, Savarkar
provided a socio, economic, cultural, and linguistic vision of the normative of
Hindudom or Hindu Rashtra.

15
This text was a bunch of five speeches that he delivered from 1938-1942 as the President of Hindu
Mahasabha.

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12.6 NORMATIVE IMAGINATION: SOCIAL, V.D. Savarkar:
Hindutva
CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC
With the more considerable imagination of Hindutva, he provided a clear
geographical space with the conception of Holyland and Fatherland. He argued,
‘Everyone who regards and claims this Bharatbhoomi from the Indus to the Seas
as his Fatherland and Holyland is a Hindu.’16. To this geographical space, he
provided a political normative. His political imagination of India as a Hindu
nation had positioned centrality to the role of Hindu Mahasabha and similar
organizations. He argues, 'Therefore the Hindu Mahasabha that has, as
formulated in its current constitution, set before itself the task of 'the
maintenance, protection, and promotion of the Hindu race, culture and
civilization for the advancement and glory of ‘Hindu Rashtra' is pre-eminently a
national body represent the Hindu Nation as a whole.’17 One of the primary aims
that he set up for the Hindu Mahasabha and the nation was protecting and
safeguarding the Hindus and the nation as a Hindu Rashtra. The other significant
trope of this aim was the need to regenerate the Hindu People and the nation.

The social trope to this imagination was the abolition of caste-based distinctions.
Supporting the case of social egalitarianism, on many occasions, one of the
primary goals for Hindu Mahasabha was the abolition of untouchability. In this
trope, one also identified the various roles he imagined and prescribed for the men
and women, as they were pivotal in the regeneration of the Hindu Rashtra. He
suggested strict military training for the young, as the demand for militarisation
was in many ways his lifelong mission. Savarkar problematized the orthodox and
rigid nature of Hinduism. He posed a lot of critiques on the question of caste and
various ritualistic practices. Through his writings, one deciphers the distinctive
interpretations of the philosophical traditions of Hinduism and texts like
Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharat, and the conception of Dharma, which
was not metaphysical or philosophical but was political and radical. In his
thinking, one finds a distinct interpretation of religion. It is invoked as a vehicle
for the political reconstruction and regeneration of the nation, demanding a
scientific, modern, and rational read in its orientation and usage in identity
construction and preservation.

The linguistic imagination of Hindudom was spoken about on many occasions in

which he not only championed the cause of making Nagari the national script of

16
Ibid,. p. 4.

17
Ibid,. p.7

177
BLOCK IV the nation but at the same time doing away with both English and Urdu. Savarkar
Community and
Nation
also articulated the economic trope of the normative of Hindudom and argued the
need for the school of nationalistic economics. This was based on the national
coordination of Class interests, with attention to be given to both the peasants and
the workers in the like manner. He made a strong case for the mechanization of
the economy; as for him, it was the age of the machines. He argued that
technology was to be used to better the human lives and growth of the nation.
There is a robust civilizational anchorage to the Hindu Rashtra, which Savarkar
reiterates. Bharat has been the cradle of many civilizations, as it birthplace of
many religions. He made a distinction between the co-religionists like Chinese
and Japanese who have their Holyland in India and countrymen. For him, it was
necessary to tap on civilizational vitality to make the Rashtra glorious again.

The normative thus envisioned by him was an exclusionary project. It was based
on deep lines of fractures. With elements of homogeneity in terms of one nation,
one religion, one language, his normative imagination of the nation was that of
the Akhand Hindu Bharat.

Check Your Progress Exercise 2

Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.
ii) Check your progress with the model answer given at the end of the unit.
1. Describe the nature of nationalism in Savarkar?
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2. What is the relationship between Swaraj and Swadharma?
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3. Critically assess Savarkar’s views on Hindutva.
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12.7 LET US SUM UP V.D. Savarkar:
Hindutva
V D Savarkar is one of the central interlocutors in the more extensive debate on
Idea of India, providing a specific tradition of thinking based on Hindutva. His
thinking and ideas did impact and shape the politics of the nation. Yet, one also
needs to trace the politics of the othering and exclusion in his thinking. The key
concepts like Hindutva, Swaraj, and Swadharma are central in his thinking and
ideas. However, one cannot deny that some of his ideas were problematic and in
contrast to the secular notion of Bharat, based on the mutual coexistence of all
religions in a like manner. Privileging Hindus as the dominant community was a
hegemonic idea that needs to be read critically. One cannot deny that Savarkar’s
legacy could be traced in the cultural reading of the nation. Still, at the same time,
it did create fissures and conflicts, providing trajectories of exclusions, which
seems to be increasing fracture lines, therefore demanding a critical read of his
ideas and philosophy.

12.8 REFERENCES
 Savarkar. Vinayak. Damodar. (1923). Essentials of Hindutva, Nagpur.

 _______________(1925) Hindu Pad Padshahi or The Review of the

Hindu Empire of Maharashtra. B G Paul &Co.Madras.

 ______________, (1949) Hindu Rashtra Darshan. Bombay.

 _______________(1909) The Indian War of Independence 1857. London.

 _______________(1971) Six Glorious Epochs of Indian history (trans:

Godbole ST). Bal Savarkar Prakashan, Bombay.

 Keer D (1966) Veer Savarkar. 2nd edn. Bombay. Popular Prakashan.

12.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

EXERCISES
Check Your Progress Exercise 1
1. Your answer should highlight following points
 Essentials of Hindutva, Hindu Pad Padshahi, Hindu Rashtra Darshan,
The Indian War of Indepenedence.
 Each texts are important in presenting his key ideas and Political thought.
 These texts gives us a sense of politics that Savarkar envisioned.

2. Your answer should highlight following points

 Hindutva: Geographical and Historical sense of nation, along with the
category of Punyabhu and Pitarbhu.
 Nationalism: Swaraj and Swadharma: Freedom as Rights and Duty as
Responsibility towards the Nation.
 Normative Imagination: Social, Cultural and Linguistic. 179
BLOCK IV 3. Your answer should highlight following points.
Community and  Hindutva is constitutive of historical, geographical and cultural
Nation
conceptions of Punyabhu and Pitrabhu

Check Your Progress Exercise 2

1. Sense of nationalism based on Swarjya and Swadharma, as Freedom as well

as responsibility and duty towards one’s religion as well as nation.

2. Your answer should highlight following points

 Swaraj and Swadharma as intrinsically connected with each other.
 One is incomplete without the other.

3. Your answer should highlight following points

 Hindutva as a strong emotive idiom.
 Framework for Akhand Bharat.
 Possibilities of Belligerent nationalism.
 Can be exclusionary and divisive.

180
 Genesis and
SUGGESTED READINGS Salient Features of
Modern Indian
Political Thought
 Bali, Dev Raj. (1984). Modern Indian Thought: From Rammohun Roy to
Jayaprakash. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

 Brown, D Mackenzie. (1953). The White Umbrella: Indian Political

Thought from Manu to Gandhi. University of California Press.

 Chakrabarty, Bidyut and Pandey, Rajendra Kumar. (2009). Modern Indian

Political Thought – Text and Context. New Delhi: Sage.

 Chandra, Bipan. (1979). Nationalism and Colonialism in Modern India.

New Delhi: Orient Longman.

 Guha, Ramachandra. (ed.). (2013). Makers of Modern India. Cambridge:

The Belknap Press of Harvard University of India.

 Gupta, Ram Chandra. (1998). Indian Political Thought. Agra: Lakshmi

Narain Agarwal, Educational Publishers.

 Harihar Bhattacharyya and A. Ghosh (eds.). (2007). Indian Political

Thought and Movements: New Interpretations and Emerging Issues.
Kolkata: K. P. Bagchi.

 Jayapalan, N. (2000). Indian Political Thinkers: Modern Indian Political

Thought. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors.

 Jha, M. N. (1975). Modern Indian Political Thought – Ram Mohan Roy to

Present Day. Daryaganj: MeenakshiPrakashan.

 Kapila, Shruti and Devji, Faisal. (2013). Political Thought in Action – The
Bhagavad Gita and Modern India. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.

 Mehta N. & Chhabra S. P. (1976). Modern Indian Political Thought. New

Academic Publishing Co.

 Padhy, K S. (2011). Indian Political Thought. New Delhi: PHI Learning

Pvt. Ltd.

 Pandey, B. C. (2009). Modern Indian Political Thought. New Delhi: Sage

Publications India.

 Roy, Himanshu and M P Singh. (2017). Indian Political Thought –

Themes and Thinkers. Noida: Pearson.

181
BLOCK I  Thomas Pantham & K L Deutsch (ed.) (1986). Political Thought in
Introduction to Modern India. New Delhi: Sage.
Modern Indian
Political Thought
 Sharma, Urmila & Sharma, S K. (1996). Indian Political Thought. New
Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors.

 Suratha Kumar Malik and Ankit Tomar (ed.). (2022). Revisiting Modern
Indian Thought – Themes and Perspectives. New Delhi: Sage.

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