THE author visualises a civil war in India—a war that has been “simmering as an undercurrent of the caste-based cultural system that Hinduism has constructed and nurtured for centuries.” The author feels that the Hindu cultural system is slowly unveiling its “self-destructive contradictions”, creating tensions in every layer of the caste-based society.
There may be some truth in his saying that the spiritual and political aspirations of historically deprived castes and communities are increasing conversions to Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. Thus, the hunger of Dalit-Bahujan castes for power—be it spiritual, political or social—“has set the stage for a war of power, of nerves, and also of weapons”, according to the author. He is convinced that these processes have created a degree of tension that might explode into a civil war at the slightest provocation.
Highlighting the contradictions within the caste layers and to map the future course of the Indian nation, the author tries to show how the Hindu religion, which is one of the world’s four major religions, is on the course of self-annihilation because of these processes. “It is a demise that would reposition the cultures of the world in a major way. It would be impossible to predict how the post-Hindu India would shape up.”
The author’s intent is to establish Hindu as a ‘backward’ religion that suppresses the latest scientific and political development of the Dalit-Bahujan communities. He criticises the idea of spiritual justice or varna dharma used to justify the caste system as rooted in spiritual inequality.
This is a book which shows the author’s agenda to defame Hinduism without understanding the modernising, changing, renewing and rejuvenating character of Hindu spirit. It tries to justify conversion, divisions and foreign-funded subversive activities in the name of caste system in Hindu society. It completely ignores the great evolutionary movements and reforms the Hindu society has undergone and how it empowered the so-called weaker sections of the society. It is a highly prejudicial and subjective work with sinister ideas.
(Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd,
B1/1-1, Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area, Mathura Road, New Delhi-110 044.)
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