4 "Presenting" the Past
and practices.^2 Another part of the structure is crude jingoism with ludi-
crous concepts such as Akhand Bharat (Greater India) that outrightly dis-
misses the socio-economic-political aspirations and achievements of not
just Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and other independent countries, but also
the internal diversities within India itself. In a country of more than a bil-
lion people, with all the major religions, several hundred languages and
dialects, and quite a few racial and ethnic groups of considerable popu-
lation, the Hindutva forces try to implement a Hindu-Hindi-Hindustan
program. This Hindutva program is epitomized in the catchy slogan of
V. D. Savarkar:
Ek dev, Ek desk, Ek bhasha,
Ekjaati, Ekjeeva, Ek ashal(One God, One Nation, One Language,
One Race, One Form, One Hope!)Yet another part of this structure is the psychedelic preoccupation with
the somatic. Perceiving the Indian cultural strengths, such as diversity, tol-
erance, coexistence, nonviolence, and nonkilling heritage, as weaknesses,
the Hindutva forces blame this heritage for all their failings and see them-
selves as victims. They argue that Hindus have been invaded and violated
by Muslims, Christians, and others for centuries because of these alleged
cultural inadequacies and somatic deficiencies. This gives rise to an urgent
need to replace these ignominies, traumas, and debilitating resentment
with feel-good and make-believe fantasies, fables, and fabrications. So
Hindutva symbolizes the deliberate creation of a communal identity that
strives frantically to discharge its role in creating a new, valiant Hindu his-
tory. This infatuation with a communal understanding of Indian history
becomes another important part of the structure of domination. When the
BJP came to power in four northern states in 1991, rewriting the past and
revising history textbooks became top-priority projects. The BJP-led coali-
tion government in New Delhi also made controversial changes in the his-
tory textbooks, historical research institutes, and so on.
The central and most important part of this scary structure, however, is
the relentless shaping of young and impressionable minds and the indoc-
trination of gullible adults through multifarious socialization agents and
processes. Although many people do not undergo the schooling process
in India, the Sangh Parivar always catches up with them through temple-
building campaigns, rathyatras (processions), karsevas (religious voluntary
service), hate speeches, and videotapes. The converted are kept in the loop
through umpteen numbers of magazines, Web sites, and other inexpen-
sive or free books and pamphlets. The Sangh Parivar desperately social-
izes the young and the old with their anxious history to accomplish their
ancient future, the indomitable Hindu Rashtra.