Sunday, July 13, 2003		Books

A cultural movement needed to counter communalism
D.R. Chaudhry

An Agenda for Cultural Action and Other Essays.
by K.N. Panikar. Three Essays Press, New Delhi. Pages XII+104. Rs. 250.

K. N. Panikar, a leading historian and social activist known for taking a bold stand on important social issues in this book analyses the socio-cultural and political scenario prevailing in India marked by the twin dangers of communalism and globalisation. As a consequence, the nature of public discourse in India has changed.

The pluralistic and tolerant spirit of the Indian civilisation is being threatened by religious bigotry and irrational impulses. Bestowing national status to regional issues and creating emotional upsurge by manipulating religious symbols create a communal divide. Ganesh festivals and the Ram Janambhoomi issue are apt examples.

The author ascribes the emergence of the phenomenon to the poverty of secular politics, the problems of economic development and the cultural crisis of the middle class. However, the contribution of the Sangh Parivar deserves mention. In the modern complex world it is not possible to advance any kind of meaningful political ideology without coming to terms with culture. In India if there is any organisation that has fully grasped this reality, it is the RSS. It was the sustained work put in by more than five dozen frontal organisations spawned by the RSS that eventually catapulted the BJP into power. What is common to all these outfits is the use of culture as a tool to advance a particular agenda. The strategy of using culture in the political context was developed by V.D. Savarkar and M.S. Golwalker and is being continually refashioned by the ideologues of the Sangh Parivar to suit the socio-political exigencies of any given point of time.

This is not to suggest that those opposed to the Sangh Parivar do not have similar organisations, though their number may be comparatively small. However, they are generally busy in routine work and the input of culture in their functioning is minimal. The author rightly says that this blunts the thrust of secular action.

Globalisation has exercised a powerful influence on culture. The forces of globalisation are making their presence felt through mass media, popular entertainment, food, and dresses etc. It fosters consumerism as a way of life. This breeds atomised, misjointed and alienated individuals. The modernity fostered by it is fake and superficial. All this prepares the ground for deepening the communal consciousness that has already struck roots in society.

Education, especially the teaching of history is the most important tool in the hands of the communal forces. India’s past is portrayed as a Hindu past, characterising non-Hindus as outsiders, rather enemies, as they are supposed to have adversely affected the progress of Indian civilisation. There is blind glorification of the past. There is also an emphasis on the uninterrupted existence of the Hindu nation despite numerous external incursions. Reinterpretation of history is a part of a larger political project aimed at drawing legitimacy from the past for the redefinition of India as a Hindu state.

There are two world views. One supports the concept of the Indian nation as primarily a Hindu nation and the other of India as a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural entity. The first view is represented by V.D. Savarkar in his monograph on Hidutava and the second by Jawaharlal Nehru in his book Discovery of India. India emerged as a land of cultural synthesis through migrations, invasions, conquests and settlements. Besides the Aryans who migrated in 2 BC., India had Greeks, Sakas, Kushans, Huns, Zoroastrians, Jews, Arabs, Turks, Mongols and the Europeans. All except Europeans settled in India. There is a blatant denial of this historical fact. The attempt does not stop at a distortion of facts; much worse, there is religious interpretation of the past, which confers the right of the nation on the Hindus. Obscurantism is promoted by the introduction of courses like Karamkanda and Jyotir Vigyan in the universities.

There is an urgent need of a counter-cultural movement to counter both communalism and globalisation in every field of social life. This is necessary to transform social consciousness. Rejection resistance and opposition are necessary but not enough. Constructive attempts are needed to alter the existing public discourse generated by the ideologues of communalism and globalisation.

K.N. Panikar’s book is a valuable and valiant attempt to underscore the importance of culture in the fight against forces of communalism and globalisation. More of such exercises are needed, keeping in view the potential threat to the secular fabric of Indian society and polity.