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| The Hindu Phenomenon |
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HINDU NATIONALISM : THE FIRST PHASE |
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the original edition of the novel Sitaram, the Fakir says: "Son,
I hear that you have come to found a Hindu dominion; but if you be a
slave to popular prejudices you will fail to achieve your aim. If
you don't consider Hindus and Muslims as equals, then in this land
inhabited by both Hindus and Muslims you will fail to keep your
kingdom intact. Your projected Dharmarajya will degenerate into a
realm of sin."17
Finally, in the epilogue to Rajsinha, Bankim writes, "...this novel was written not to differentiate between Hindus and Muslims... In statesmanship Muslims undoubtedly were better than contemporary Hindus... One who possesses, among other virtues, dharma, no matter if he be a Hindu or a Muslim, is the best..."18 Poddar cites reasons, specific to Bengal, as to why Muslims did not figure in Bankim's vision of the future. First, as occupants of the lower rungs of the caste hierarchy, they simply did not count. But more important, Bankim was born a Hindu. "His intellectual quests, through a critical scrutiny of current European philosophies, reinforced his faith in Hinduism as the most rational and elaborate religion. If he sought to establish, in intellectual terms, the superiority of Hinduism to both Christianity and Islam, he thereby did not earn the right to be called a communalist."19
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| About Hindu Nationalism: The First Phase |
