Fwd: Democracy and Religion in India

[Sukla Sen]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Sukla Sen <sukl...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 31, 2024, 21:12
Subject: Democracy and Religion in India

Dear Professor Bhargava.

Thanks for the truly amazing talk [at <https://www.facebook.com/share/v/sDTMTL2ttLxAxFV1>.]

Very rightly underlined that in Indic traditions, the notion of "religion" was just not there for quite a while. To start with, "Dharma" was no synonym of "religion". (It used to mean either (i) the innate property of something or somebody or (ii) the righteous way. The antonym is "Adharma".)

(So, there was nothing like "Hindu religion" either.)

However, the mapping of the evolutionary track of religions, in the talk, is exclusively linked to the realms of "ideas" without any reference to the changes in the material conditions of life.

That is worth some serious relook?

And the (violent) conflicts between followers of different creeds has, arguably, much to do with formation of "identities" linked to specific creeds and just not the claims of monopoly rights over "truth".

The "identity" element -- the sense of belonging exclusively to a particular collective, again, is perhaps worth being more closely looked into.

The much trumpeted Indian/Hindu "pluralism" is perhaps essentially more "amorphousness" rather than plain and simple "pluralism".

(Here's a short (tentative and speculative) note on the emergence, growth and consolidation of the "Hindu" religion, in case one is interested: 'An Unscholarly Scribble on Hinduism and "Hindutva"' at <https://groups.google.com/g/greenyouth/c/YlXgTrRYHbs/m/9GQpluAqAgAJ>.)

Ashis Nandy too is pretty much known for his advocacy of recovering the "past" in order to fight "Hindutva".

Your comments would be highly appreciated.

Sukla Sen