Soul and Sword The History of Political Hinduism

Political Hinduism was once considered a sort of fringe ideology, shadowy and even misunderstood. Its ideas and narratives seemed, in popular discourse, to lack analytical rigour and were easily dismissed.But history shows that political Hinduism as an intellectual idea was a pioneering theme in India's nationhood. In fact, it precedes the Indian republic and has been one of the most resilient political theories of India, which survived many bans, boycotts and decades out of power to become, in the twenty-first century, the predominant political force of India. The adherents of political Hinduism are as determined as its detractors―one complains about facing relentless prejudice; the other throws accusations of promoting continuous religious strife.