Rating: 5/5
I do not hesitate for a second to say that this book tells the truth it sets out to tell. From the very first pages I felt the author was not holding back and was honest about his central claim. He insists that Hindutva is not just a short political slogan or a party line but a long civilizational process that needs to be understood on its own terms. This is the spine of the whole book and I embrace it completely.
What the book claims, in simple words
The author lays out a big idea: Hindutva is a historical and civilizational stream, not merely a modern political ideology. He traces how cultural, ritual, psychological and social threads over a very long time together form what people call Hindutva today. He does not limit the conversation to a few leaders or a century of politics. He reaches back and shows how this identity grows and changes across ages. I found that claim honest and necessary.
How the author makes his case
The method is not shallow. The book brings history, cultural thinking and even ideas about human evolution and religious psychology into the discussion. It explains why certain practices and symbols mattered and how they shaped group identity. The argument is built carefully, step by step, and that steady reasoning convinced me rather than leaving me with just slogans.
The scale and depth of the work
This is not a short pamphlet. It is a large, thoroughly researched book of nearly eight hundred pages, full of detail, references and cross connections. That size matters because the subject itself is huge. You cannot treat Hindutva as a tiny topic and expect to do it justice. I appreciated that the author gave the subject the space it deserves.
What moved me most
I loved the way the book ties ideas to lived culture. It does not leave Hindutva as an abstract label. The author shows how beliefs, rituals, language and public memory shape a people’s sense of themselves. Reading those parts felt like watching a long story being laid out with reasons and evidence. The writing kept me engaged, and the seriousness of the research made every claim feel weighty and believable.
Who should read this book
If you care about understanding India from the inside, if you want to go beyond headlines and soundbites, this is the book to read. It is for people who want a deep view, not a quick opinion. I think anyone who wants to know why Hindutva matters in our time will find this book essential reading. No soft answers, only hard thinking.
My closing thought
I finished the book feeling clearer and firmer about what Hindutva actually is. The author does not shy away from bold statements, and I do not shy away from saying I fully agree with the book’s fundamental claim. For me this is the kind of work that shifts how you look at a complex subject, and I am grateful for that clarity.
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