Hindutva facts for kids

Hindutva is a big idea in India. It is a type of nationalism, which means a strong feeling of pride and loyalty to one's country. The word "Hindutva" became well-known in 1923 because of a writer named Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Many groups in India believe in Hindutva. These include the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Sangh Parivar. People who follow Hindutva often believe that Hinduism and Hindu culture are very important and special. Because of this, some people see Hindutva as a very strong and traditional way of thinking. Others describe it as a form of conservatism.

What Scholars Say About Hindutva

Many experts have studied Hindutva. They share different ideas about where it came from and what it means.

Origins of Hindutva Ideas

A political scientist named Christophe Jaffrelot says that Hindutva ideas grew from old Indian stories and writings. These stories were used to help create a strong sense of Hindu identity. He also notes that Hindutva borrowed some political ideas from Western countries, especially Germany.

Savarkar's Book and Hindu Culture

Anthony Parel, a historian, points to V. D. Savarkar's book, Hindutva, Who is a Hindu? (1923), as a key text for this idea. Savarkar wrote that Hindu culture is complete on its own. He believed it did not need ideas from other cultures. However, Parel thinks this view of India's past is not fully accurate.

Hindutva as Nationalism

Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, a scholar of politics and religion, explains that Hindutva is a type of nationalism. He says that people who support it and those who oppose it see it differently. According to Savarkar, Hindutva is based on ideas about geography, race, and culture.

See also

In Spanish: Hindutva para niños