Mita Nath Bora
(mitanathbora7@gmail.com)
Anyone wise, having good knowledge of the word 'Hindutva' will never use the term dismantling with it. Dismantling means to take apart or pull apart, break up, demolish, destroy, wreck a physical structure or a machine. And Hindutva is not a physical object, a structure or the presence of any group or body. It has nothing to do with any physical form of anything existing or has ever been. Hindutva is a way of life of every being of the holy land of Hindustan.
In simple form, anyone who is a resident of Hindustan is part of the Hindutva culture, of its divinity, spirituality, humanity, brotherhood, land, people, surroundings sans community, caste, creed, language, sect, region and religion, one belongs to or may have belonged to. So this entire aspect of 'Hindutva' is conscious belongingness to Hindustan expressed through our daily way of life. It is a natural process that cannot be taught or tutored, it takes roots the moment one is born on this land and evolves through the entire phase of life to death. One can also feel 'Hindutva' in our alignment with Dharma and Karma that each citizen of India proudly believes in and practises. And what do Dharma and Karma mean? Dharma is about doing good and KARMA is about facing the result of action done. So how one leads one's life, positively (good ways) or negatively (evil ways), will determine whether she/he attracts goodness or bad fate, blessing or omen as many call.
The essence of Hindutva is the omnipresent living soul of Hindustan.
So the use of the word dismantling, itself shows hollow knowledge of the meaning of 'Hindutva'.
Now coming to the next question
Can Hindutva ever be dismantled, even if the word is wrongly used?
No never. Imagining it is itself living in Fool's Paradise. Since at the end of it, Hindutva is a way of life that instils to do good and practise goodness in day-to-day activities, as inculcating a good way of living life is the only way to attract a destiny of peace, positivity and prosperity, than by any other means. It is hence rooted in the very emotion of action that each Indian will unfailingly practise, protect, preserve and promote. Generations can come and go, centuries may expire and ages may get dusted but the essence of Hindutva will continue forever. Since, also, its presence in consciousness and not having a physical identity makes it impossible to dismantle ever.
Unfortunately, the event of dismantling global Hindutva (DGH) falls apart in this context. If only universities, academicians, the event workers would have foresight enough to ensure money is rightfully used for the right good deeds at the right time, at least saving some human lives. Examples are many – saving the lives of the helpless normal citizens from the torture of the Taliban in Afghanistan; saving the newborn babies from being snatched from their mothers' womb; the young innocent girls being forcibly taken away, dragged from their parents embrace to be made sex slaves; the working women being stoned to death; the brave smart educated school-going girls gunned down and their schools bombed and burned.
Can Hindutva ever be dismantled?
The 7th century invading Arabs failed.
The Tartars failed, Afghans failed, Mongols failed.
The 600 years of barbaric Muslim rule failed.
The 235 years of brutal torturous Mughal rule failed.
Armed with modern guns colonial British failed and even their 200 years of rule failed.
What are 45 academic universities?
All of them tried destroying the Hindus, Hindu culture and Hindu religion (excerpts shared below) but none could destroy Hindutva. Because temples, a physical structure can be demolished, kingdoms can be taken over, idols can be broken into pieces but the 'way of living life' can never be touched or changed. It's like the knowledge, wisdom, intellect of a person. One can take over a body, save it, kill it, cut it, burn it, bleed it but cannot destroy, steal, finish or crush the wisdom, the knowledge, the intellect that body possessed.
(Excerpts from the history of attempts to destroy)
These Muslim invasions were not undertaken merely out of lust for loot or conquest. There was another object behind them. There is no doubt that striking a blow at the idolatry and polytheism of Hindus and establishing Islam in India was also one of the aims of this expedition. In one of his dispatches to Hajjaj, Mahommed bin Qasim is quoted to have said:
"The nephew of Raja Dahir, his warriors and principal officers have been dispatched, and the infidels converted to Islam or destroyed. Instead of idol temples, mosques and other places of worship have been created, the Kutbah is read, the call to prayers is raised, so that devotions are performed at stated hours. The Takbir and praise to the Almighty God are offered every morning and evening."
After receiving the above dispatch, which had been forwarded with the head of the Raja, Hajjaj sent the following reply to his general:
"Except that you give protection to all, great and small alike, make no difference between enemy and friend. God says, 'Give no quarter to infidels but cut their throats.' Then know that this is the command of the great God. You shall not be too ready to grant protection, because it will prolong your work. After this give no quarter to any enemy except those who are of rank."
Muhammad of Ghazni also looked upon his numerous invasions of India as the waging of a holy war. Al' Utbi, the historian of Muhammad, describing his raids writes:
"He demolished idol temples and established Islam. He captured…cities, killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolaters, and gratifying Muslims. He then returned home and promulgated accounts of the victories obtained for Islam…and vowed that every year he would undertake a holy war against Hind."
Taimur has in his Memoir explained what led him to invade India. He says:
"My object in the invasions of Hindustan is to lead a campaign against the infidels, to convert them to the true faith according to the command of Muhammad (on whom and his family be the blessing and peace of God), to purify the land from the defilement of misbelief and polytheism, and overthrow the temples and idols, whereby we shall be Ghazis and Mujahids, companions and soldiers of the faith before God.")
These invasions of India by Muslims were by the Tartars, Afghans and Mongols. Muhammad of Ghazni was a Tartar, Mahommed of Ghori was an Afghan, Taimur was a Mongol, Babar was a Tartar, while Nadirshah and Ahmadshah Abdalli were Afghans. They were all united by one common objective and that was to destroy the Hindu faith.
Have they been able to destroy Hindutva– NO. They may have ruled India for some time but Hindutva in spirit and soul stayed alive.
They conquered Hindustan to take over the Hindus, change their faith, their religion, in which they succeed to some extent. But what each of these bloodthirsty killing invaders and later rulers failed to pay attention to was the essence of Hindutva, the omnipresent living soul of the Hindustan.
Now, what is also funny.
What is funnily surprising is that academic institutions that are supposed to be the seat of learning, of guiding youths towards being better citizens with human values, knowledgeable and wise enough to distinguish between right and wrong and build a future that would help towards building a better society and better world; is today skewed towards destruction and dismantling everything good, truthful and honest. Universities especially are used as a ground for brainwashing young students towards communalism and hatred, for political sloganeering and agitation rather than academic pursuits, rather than spreading love and brotherhood, rather than bettering the lives of humankind on this earth.
Meanwhile, Hindustan from where Hindutva comes, that faced enough bloodshed, brutal killings, forceful conversion by innumerable invaders over more than 800 years with so much destroyed, from human lives to history, from wealth and riches, from blood to boundaries; yet stands strong even today, strongest would be the right word. It is the only living example of the most beautiful and divine culture in the present world symbolizing that good over evil always persists and wins.
Hindutva is not a religion that can be curbed, crushed and killed. It's all-encompassing omnipresent way of life that has to be lived to understand and value its essence.
It's time the world tried experimenting with integrating and uniting rather than dismantling. That would be closer to Hindutva.