Table Of ContentAltered Destinations
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Altered Destinations
Self, Society, and Nation in India
MAKARAND R. PARANJAPE
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Anthem Press
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company
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This edition first published in UK and USA 2009
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Copyright © Makarand R.Paranjape 2009
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved.Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above,
no part of this publication may be reproduced,stored or introduced
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ISBN-13:978 1 84331 797 5 (Hbk)
ISBN-10:1 84331 797 4 (Hbk)
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
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For Rajiv Malhotra (Bhai-ji)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ix
1. Self,Society and Nation:Indian Notions of Responsibility 1
2. 1857:The Religious Roots of Indian Anti-Imperialism 17
3. Indian Alternations:Aurobindo,Ambedkar and After 29
4. Interrogating Indian Post-Nationalism:Culture,
Citizenship and Global Futures 55
5. Hindi Hain Hum:An Account of a Vibhashi’sRomance with the
National Language 79
6. The Case for Sanskrit as India’s National Language 91
7. National Education? Problems and Prospects 111
8. Regaining the Indian Eye 127
9. Secularism vs.Hindu Nationalism:Interrogating
the Terms of the Debate 137
10. Plurality,Tolerance and Religious Conflict in India 147
11. Towards a Common Future? An Indo-Pakistani Story 159
12. The Availability of Mahatma Gandhi:
Towards a Neo-Gandhian Praxis 173
Notes 187
Works Cited 193
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PREFACE
About one hundred years ago, in 1909, Mahatma Gandhi published Hind
Swaraj or Indian Home Rule.Not only was this the first book that he wrote,it was
also the only book of his that Gandhi himself translated into English.Written
originally in Gujarati between 13 and 22 November on board the Kildonan Castle
on his way from England to South Africa,it appeared in two installments in the
11 and 19 December issues of Indian Opinion, a journal Gandhi used to bring
out.In January 1910,it was published as an independent booklet by Gandhi’s
own International Printing Press from Phoenix Farm, Natal, with an English
version appearing two months later in March.
Hind Swaraj was an imaginary dialogue between a Reader and the Editor,the
latter presumably standing for Gandhi himself.This dialogue covers a range of
topics including the Congress Party and its officials, the state of India, the
reasons for India’s colonization,the meaning of svaraj(self-rule),the best means
to attain it, Gandhi’s vision of an ideal society, the definition and practice of
satyagraha (‘truth-force’),the qualities required to be a satyagrahi,Hindu-Muslim
unity,railways,lawyers and doctors,and English education in India.The book
became notorious for its attack on machinery and modern,Western civilization.
Yet,more than that,it contained the earliest,most comprehensive,exposition of
Gandhi’s philosophy. Extremely influential politically, Hind Swaraj was soon
banned in India.However,it was reissued many times during Gandhi’s life and
remained close to his heart; though his own thinking changed with time, he
never disowned its key tenets. It still remains one of the most important
documents of India’s freedom struggle and the discourse of decolonization the
world over,besides being the handbook of nonviolent revolution.
I begin with this bringing to mind of Gandhi’s book not only because we
have begun nation-wide celebrations and commemorations of Hind Swaraj’s
100th anniversary, but because the Gandhian project is central to my own
concerns in this book.The title of my book is Altered Destinations;the manner
in which it is presented orthographically certainly foregrounds the idea of the
nation. A nation, I suggest, is also a destination, a goal, an objective and an
ultimate aim. Many forget what the destination of India is. They think it is
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x ALTERED DESTINATIONS
economic or social advancement, freedom, democracy, justice and so on.
These words,while being indicative of the directive principles set forth in the
Preamble of the Constitution still do not express the underlying purpose for
which this nation was imagined into being.
For several years, I, too, was somewhat unclear if not confused about the
meaning of India. In many seminars and conferences, so much time is spent
trying to understand what we mean by ‘nation’. Is India a nation? Or is it a
civilization? Or is it both? A civilization-state? If India is a nation,are Pakistan
and Bangladesh nations,too? If Bangladesh is a nation are the Bengalis a nation?
Are the Tamils a nation? So are we a nation of nations? What is the difference
between the Indian nation and the Indian state? Is the former an abstraction,an
idea, while the latter the actual institutional apparatus? How does Indian
nationalism differ from Western nationalisms? Is communalism different from
nationalism or a type of nationalism? Is Indian nationalism actually a
camouflage for Hindu nationalism? Is Hindutva a form of ethnic nationalism or
is it a religious ideology? How is cultural nationalism different from Hindutva? Is
pan-Islamism also a type of nationalism or is it a politics of identity? Are
subnationalisms antinational or are they also legitimate expressions of
nationalism? Of the competing Indian nationalisms,which are more authentic
and how can we distinguish one from the other? Does the nation-state that is
India have a stable or successful future? Will it survive in its present shape and
form? Or would the splitting of India into many smaller states be desirable? Is
nationalism a flawed and outdated ideology? Are all nationalisms parochial,even
murderous,or are some nationalisms better than others?
These and a bewildering array of similar questions assail us when we attend
to the issue of the Indian nation. That is why I have found it much better to
focus on an indigenous word such as svarajinstead of the nation.This came to
me in a flash in a seminar at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
a few years ago. While several learned speakers held forth on the idea of the
nation and its pitfalls,almost none bothered to think of something much more
vital and immediate—svaraj.Surely,all talk of the nation is futile if it does not,
in some way,lead to svaraj.Our svaraj,the country’s svaraj,the svaraj of millions,
and ultimately, the svaraj of non-Indians as much as Indians—surely, all these
are interconnected. While words like ‘the nation’ may confuse us, svaraj is
immediate and crystal clear.It concerns our autonomy,empowerment,dignity
and selfhood; not just our rights, but our responsibilities and commitments to
one another and to our highest selves.How is the nation doing? This question
may be confusing,but if we ask,‘Do we have svaraj?’the answer will be much
clearer. Do all Indians have svaraj? Is our society organized to maximize the
svaraj of all or does it favour the few, the rich, and the powerful? What should
we do to reinstall svaraj as a principle of governance if not as a national ideal?
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