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| The Hindu Phenomenon |
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HINDU NATIONALISM : THE FIRST PHASE |
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| Hindus
in sufficient numbers were ready to accept the British, as is
evident from the demand for Western style education with English as
the medium in Bengal. The Hindu College in Calcutta, it may be
recalled, was established before the Anglicists won against the
Orientalists and Macaulay wrote his famous minute. But the process
of modernization would have been devastating in its consequences if
it was not accompanied by a new awareness of, and pride in, our
cultural heritage. As it happened, British officials-scholars were
busy discovering India's past. The discovery amply justified that
pride.
The dual reality about Hindu society is not recognized sufficiently and widely enough in our public discourse. Thus it remains fashionable to speak of Raja Rammohan Roy as the `father of modern India' and to ignore the contribution of Ramakrishna Parmahansa, though the latter and even more significantly, his disciple, Swami Vivekanand, helped restore self-respect and self confidence among the Bengali Bhadralok without which they could not have played the role they did in bringing about what is called the Bengal renaissance, precursor of a similar ferment in the rest of the country.
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| About Hindu Nationalism: The First Phase |
