Rise of Bharat and Sanatani revivalism

Anirban Choudhury

(anirbanchoudhury2000@yahoo.com)

A land of Dharma since ancient times, Bharat’s fate has always been determined by Dharma. Whenever Sanatan Dharma, aka Hinduism—along with Buddhism and Jainism—had thrived on the land, so had Bharat, and vice versa. History is testimony to the fact that whenever the country tried to adopt or its rulers foisted alien concepts and philosophies on the people, the results were disastrous. Conversely, as long as the rulers and the people followed the ancient Dharmic culture and traditions, the country flourished.

The Gupta period (from 320 to 550 CE), commonly referred to as the ‘Golden Age’, witnessed huge achievements in the fields of arts, culture, science, and literature. World-renowned universities like Nalanda were set up, which attracted students from all corners of the globe. Prior to that, centres of higher learning such as the universities of Taxila and Vikramshila were established, all of which cemented Bharat’s place in the world as a land of knowledge and enlightenment. On the other hand, empires like the Mauryas and Cholas expanded Bharat’s footprints across the Asian continent, influencing local art and culture still visible in Southeast Asia and parts of Central Asia. Now, all this was possible because Dharmic culture and traditions were thriving then, with both the rulers and subjects following and applying them diligently in their daily lives.

However, subsequently, when Dharma came under attack from Islamic invaders, who foisted an alien but dogmatic faith and philosophy on the people, Bharat suffered irreparable damage. As the invaders resorted to extensive destruction, looting, and plundering of ancient sites of learning, faith, culture, etc., the country lost its rich repertoire of art, architecture, culture, literature, etc. that had been nurtured over thousands of years. The land lost its preeminence as a land of learning and wisdom, with the destruction of the famed Nalanda University standing as a mute testimony to the wanton death and destruction brought upon this great country by the marauders. As the foreign invaders introduced their new religion, along with new styles of art, culture, literature, architecture, etc., Bharat lost its vast ancient treasures forever, not to mention the untold miseries brought upon the followers of Dharmic traditions by the new rulers. And Bharat’s slow contraction on the global map began.

After about 600 years of Muslim rule, when the British took over the reins of the land, things turned even worse. While introducing the country to new advancements in the contemporary scientific world, Britain also started injecting new concepts into the minds of people that were not only totally alien to this land, but also an antithesis to the country’s age-old ethos of inclusivity, pluralism, liberalism, non-sectarianism, etc., best epitomised by the ancient philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family). They started new socio-political narratives to target ancient Dharmic culture, traditions, and institutions, particularly Sanatan Dharma. To forever colonise the minds of the people, English education was introduced at the cost of the Sanskrit language. This led to the English-educated class in the country beginning to despise their own culture and traditions, which forever changed the socio-economic and political dynamics in the country. Besides, there was the loot of resources that fuelled Britain’s growth. All of these had a telltale impact on the country and its people—while the West progressed materially, Bharat was pushed into abject poverty, both intellectual and economic.

Unfortunately, post-Independence, the state perpetuated the British legacy of treating Sanatan Dharma condescendingly for about 70 years, as evident in certain disparaging remarks by the country’s first Prime Minister. The government systematically removed traces of Dharmic influences from public life, society, and, more importantly, the academic world. Concepts like “secularism” were imported from outside and imposed on the country. In this ancient land of Dharma, secularism (the separation of the church from the state) never found a place since the state did not follow a single faith or discriminate against anyone on the basis of it. For the uninitiated, unlike religion, which is an unquestionable organised dogma, Dharma is about one’s duties and responsibilities and is universal and beyond time. Through its thousands of years of civilizational history, Bharat was never bigoted or parochial; hence, the concept of religion never existed, nor did secularism. But, post-1947, the state constantly attempted to deliver a body blow to the basic tenets of Sanatan Dharma by equating it with other organised religions. Dharmic traditions began to be mocked and despised. In fact, an entire ecosystem was created to denigrate Sanatani values and civilizational ethos. Things came to such a pass that even the Sanatanis, aka Hindus themselves, started belittling their own rich legacy. No wonder Bharat never climbed up the development ladder despite attempts, with experts mockingly describing its slow growth as a “Hindu growth rate.”

However, things started looking up post-2014 after Modi Inc. rode to power riding high on popular disenchantment against the prevailing state policies. While unleashing the country’s growth potential in the past 10 years, the government also mainstreamed Sanatan Dharma. Unlike in the past, the incumbent never shied away from embracing or flaunting the country’s rich Dharmic lineage. The government has shown the world that Dharmic traditions and institutions can coexist with, if not spur, progress. It’s no coincidence that Bharat’s socio-economic development indices have started looking up, along with new advancements in the realms of science and technology. The country’s per capita has doubled from Rs 86,000 in 2014 to Rs 1,72,000 now; it accounts for nearly 46% of the world’s digital transactions (as per 2022 data, with February 2024 alone witnessing UPI transactions worth Rs 18.2 lakh crore); 95% of railway tracks have been electrified (it’s only 1% in the US and 38% in the UK); and its successful space missions have propelled it to the big league of space powers. Further, Bharatiyas are now being sought after the world over for their intellectual prowess.

No doubt, Narendra Modi’s predecessors through the 1990s and early 2000s had set the stage, but it was the incumbent that set the country on a new growth trajectory. And as Modi Inc. is leaving no stone unturned to firmly establish Bharat as a Vishvaguru, the country is already reckoned as one of the fastest-growing economies, having already become the world’s fifth largest and on the way to becoming the third largest. But unlike other global powers that chiefly rely on military might, Bharat has successfully projected itself as a global soft power—llooked at by the Global South for leadership and by the Global North for partnership. A prosperous Bharat is confidently leading a new world order and charting its own destiny.

Within the country, the centuries-old public astha in Dharmic traditions seems to have also revived, as manifested in the surge in domestic spiritual tourism. As per the latest Make My Trip India Travel Trends Report, searches for spiritual tourism surged by 97% in 2023 compared to 2021, with searches for Ayodhya soaring by a whopping 585%. This is helping fuel growth in no small measure. Bottomline: Bharat is once again on an ascendency, commensurate with Sanatani, aka Hindu revivalism.