communalism in India

1. Review of:
Viking Penguin Books India, 1999

2. The Concerned Indian's Guide to Communalism, edited by K.N.
Panikkar, 1999
• The Concerned Indian's Guide to Communalism, edited by
K.N. Panikkar, is a collection of essays by six prominent
Indian scholars on the topic of communalism in India.
• The book was published in 1999, but it remains relevant
today, as communalism continues to be a major threat to
India's secular democracy.
• The essays in the book cover a wide range of topics related
to communalism, including its history, its political and
economic dimensions, its impact on marginalized groups,
and its representation in the media and popular culture.
• The authors provide insightful and critical analyses of
communalism, and they offer important insights into how it
can be combated.

3. reviews of the book:
• "A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the
complex phenomenon of communalism in India." - The
Hindu
• "An essential resource for anyone who is concerned
about the future of Indian democracy." - The Times of
India
• "A timely and important book that provides a valuable
contribution to our understanding of communalism in
India." - Economic and Political Weekly
• "A well-written and informative book that is essential
reading for anyone who wants to understand
communalism in India." - Choice

4. Contents
• Introduction: Defining the Nation as Hindu by
K N Panikkar-
• Romila Thapar, The Tyranny of Labels-
historical overview of communalism in India
• Rajeev Dhavan, The Road to Xanadu; India’s
Quest for Secualrism- legal underpinnings of
the secular identity that is propounded in
India's Constitution
• Sumit Sarkar, Hindutva and the Question of
Conversions- issue of conversions

5. Contents…………
• Jayati Ghosh, Perceptions of Difference: The Economic
Underpinnings- studies the destructive effects of
communal agendas on the liberalized economy
• Tanika Sarkar, The Gender Predicament of the Hindu
Right- twin issues of gender and communalism to show
how all marginalized sections are rendered equally
vulnerable by the spread of communalism.
• Siddharth Varadarajan, The Ink Link: Media,
Communalism and the Evasion of politics- relationship
between communal thought and its representations in
the media and popular culture.
• Afterword by K N Panikkar

6. Why this Book
• A comparative analysis of past and present of
communalism
• Problematize about the communal, sectarian and
segregationist tendencies which are threat to secular
character
• Continuity or changes?
• It addresses a critical issue: Communalism.
• Provides insights into historical context and
contemporary challenges?
• it's essential to discuss and understand communalism
in the context of right wing political appropriation for a
more inclusive society.

7. Introduction: Defining the Nation as Hindu by K
N Panikkar, June 1999
• Divided in to six sections followed by an introductory
note.
• In the introduction, K.N. Panikkar provides an overview
of the book and its key themes. He argues that
communalism is a complex phenomenon with a long
history in India, and that it is important to understand
its various dimensions in order to effectively combat it.
• The introductory note begins with “ for more than fifty
years democratic values have managed to survive in
India as the guiding principle of its political discourse,
despite certain aberrations and inadequacies in their
practice”, now its 77 years, what changes from 50 years
to 75 years happened.

8. The Tyranny of Labels- Romila Thapar
• Romila Thapar provides a historical overview of communalism in India. She traces
the roots of communalism to the colonial period, and she shows how it has been
exploited by various political and social groups since then. Thapar also discusses
the different forms that communalism has taken over time, and she highlights
the dangers that it poses to Indian society.
• In a scintillating essay on the attempts by communalists to use history, Romilla
Thapar critiques the viewing of Indian history in terms of two monolithic
communities identified by religion. Historical works before the 19th century,
including those in Sanskrit and local languages, used a variety of terms like
Turushka, Tajika, Yavana, Shaka and mleccha to refer to those who today would
be referred to by the blanket term of Muslims.
• It was in the 19th century that the two communities were described as not only
monolithic but were also projected as static over many centuries. That people in
India have multiple identities (like those of caste, language, religion etc) was
completely ignored. This well served the British colonial interests.
• She finds that there has been a shift in the role of the women’s organizations
linked to the Parivar. These have now been relegated into the background after
the attainment of state power. Women’s issues per se had never been important
for these organizations, but now not only the membership has plummetted,
these organizations have withdrawn from active politics and even reduced their

9. The Road to Xanadu; India’s Quest for
Secualrism- Rajeev Dhavan
• Rajeev Dhavan examines the legal underpinnings of secularism in India. He
argues that the Constitution of India provides a strong framework for
combating communalism, but that this framework has been weakened by
the actions of successive governments. Dhavan also discusses the
challenges of interpreting and implementing the Constitution in the face
of growing communalism.
• Dhawan focuses not so much on communalism as on secularism with
respect to the Indian constitution. He points out that it will be near
impossible to come up with a document like this in our times. The
constitution adopted in 1950, even though in the immediate aftermath of
one of the bloodiest events in the sub- continent (the Partition) is full of
compromises and adjustments on part of all the parties.
• He points out, however, that a number of desirable progressive measures
were relegated to the Directive Principles instead of Fundamental Rights.
Overall, he feels that the Indian Constitution provides the bedrock for
Indian secularism, ambiguous though it is in many senses. He also points
out that communalism can no longer be attributed to the colonial
condition, it is also a condition of post- colonialism.

10. Hindutva and the Question of Conversions- Sumit Sarkar
• In this chapter, Sumit Sarkar examines the issue of religious conversion in India. He
argues that conversion is a complex phenomenon with a long history, and that it
cannot be reduced to a simple matter of coercion or manipulation. Sarkar also
discusses the political and economic factors that contribute to conversion, and he
highlights the dangers of using conversion as a pretext for communal violence.
• Sumit Sarkar provides a historical backdrop to the attacks on the Christian community
and points out that conversions are generally not a one step jump. Historically, these
have often taken long periods of interaction between communities before conversions
actually take place. There are different reasons for conversions, including the advocacy
of social and economic demands of the people by missionaries.
• During the Indigo revolt in the last century in Bengal, Christian missionaries took up
demands of Hindu planters and even went to jail. This particular event, interestingly,
has been well recorded in a Bengali folk song that recounts the efforts of a Rev Long
during the revolt.
• He also points out the close association of the Church with Liberation Theology during
the last few decades especially in the Third World countries where the Church has
identified itself with the aspirations of the downtrodden. That the Hindutva attacks on
Christians have been concentrated in Orissa and Gujrat, where the Christian
population consists primarily of tribals and the poor, is indicative of the Sangh Parivar’s
real intentions.

11. Perceptions of Difference: The Economic
Underpinnings- jayanti Ghosh
• In this chapter, Jayati Ghosh examines the relationship between communalism and
the economy. She argues that communalism can have a negative impact on the
economy by disrupting trade and investment, and by creating a climate of fear and
uncertainty. Ghosh also discusses the ways in which economic policies can be used
to promote communalism, and she suggests ways to counter this.
• Jayati Ghosh looks at the global economic situation and links the current social
unrest to the changes in the distribution of economic growth that are increasingly
loaded against those who are already poor and deprived. Between 1960 and 1991,
the income share of 85 percent of the world’s population actually fell, as the
income share of the richest 20 percent rose from 70 percent to 85 percent, while
that of the poorest 20 percent fell from 2.3 percent to 1.4 percent.
• In India, from 1993-94 to 1997, the percent share of the population below the
poverty line increased from 37.3 percent to 38.5 percent in the rural sector and
32.4 to 34 percent in the urban sector. Employment in the total organized sector
increased by less than 1 percent between 1990-97.
• These increasing disparities provide the objective conditions for the growth of
ethnic and religion based unrest. Why and how such movements originate,
however, are specific to the history and political conditions in each country.

12. The Gender Predicament of the Hindu Right-
Tanika Sarkar
• In this chapter, Tanika Sarkar examines the intersection of communalism and
gender. She argues that communalism often targets women and other
marginalized groups, and that it can lead to increased violence and discrimination
against these groups. Sarkar also discusses the ways in which women and other
marginalized groups have resisted communalism, and she suggests ways to
strengthen their struggles.
• Sarkar points out that while mainstream Left movement has been either stagnant
or declining, Leftist women’s organizations have continued to grow and have
strongly implanted bases among working class and poor sections. These have a
combined strength of over 50 lakhs, while the Sangh related organizations have
barely crossed thousands, besides having been confined to the upper class, upper
caste sections.
• The anti- Babri Masjid movement in the eighties threw up a host of women leaders
like Uma Bharati and Ritambra. This was really surprising since the RSS,
fountainhead of the Parivar, has been a typically patriarchal organization known
for its conservatism. Tanika Sarkar has written earlier on the gender dimension of
the movement. The essay included in this volume updates her studies on the same
theme in the late nineties.

13. The Ink Link: Media, Communalism and the
Evasion of politics- Siddharth Vardarajan
• Siddharth Vardarajan, senior editor with a Delhi newspaper, writes on the
use of the media in general and that of the newspapers in particular in
propagating communalism. Modern media have contributed in fostering
communal hysteria and the construction of the “Other” in the enemy
image (the Sikhs in the eighties, then Muslims and finally the Christians in
the last one year). He points out that most of the media is controlled by
large businesses. Most of the editorial staff comes from the same social
base that has also been at the forefront of Hindu communalism. The
Sangh Parivar has proved to be an expert in handling “pseudo- events” in
the media and raking up emotive non- issues.
• In this chapter, Siddharth Vardarajan examines the role of the media in
promoting and combating communalism. He argues that the media can
play a positive role by educating the public about communalism and by
giving voice to marginalized groups. However, Vardarajan also argues that
the media can also play a negative role by sensationalizing communal
incidents and by providing a platform for hate speech.

14. last
• it was written well before the Gujrat riot.
how true and visionary were the writers of the
book.
• It seeks to understand and rebut the communal
offensive that has taken a new dimension after
the installation of the BJP government in 1998. It
seeks to understand and rebut the communal
offensive that has taken a new dimension after
the installation of the BJP government last year.

15. • The title of the book is well thought of, and so are Ram
Rehman’s photographs on the cover. The work comes
as a most welcome addition to existing literature on
the one of the most acute problems of our times, and
one which is going to be around for a long time to
come. The incisive academic analysis of the
contributors, buttressed with their deep social concern
is evident in each of the essays. That is an assurance
against the prophets of doom as well as ammunition in
the intellectual armoury against communalism.
• 10 August 1999
Published: The Tribune 22 Aug 1999

16. • In the conclusion, K.N. Panikkar summarizes the key themes of the book
and he offers some suggestions for combating communalism in India. He
argues that it is important to build a broad coalition of secular and
democratic forces to resist communalism, and to promote a culture of
tolerance and understanding.
• Overall, The Concerned Indian's Guide to Communalism is a valuable
resource for anyone who wants to understand communalism in India. It is
a must-read for anyone who is interested in this topic, or who is
concerned about the future of Indian democracy.
• In addition to the above, I would like to add that the book is well-written
and informative. The essays are well-argued and they provide a
comprehensive overview of the different dimensions of communalism.
The authors also offer important insights into how communalism can be
combated.
• I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about
communalism in India. It is an essential read for anyone who is interested
in this topic, or who is concerned about the future of Indian democracy.