MoC: Hindu Nationalism /on the wall
| << Pamphlets showcasing the engagement of students with Hindu nationalism. This specific selection grapples with the debates surrounding the Ayodhya dispute following the destruction of Babri mosque. This material is exhibited on a wall panel as part of the Memories of Change exhibition. |
Hindu nationalism is a structuring force in campus spaces. In a directive way, it is championed by the branches of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In a semi-organised fashion, it is permeated by various student-led outfits of the Sangh Parivar such as Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Bajrang Dal. While aspirations for Ram rajya and Hindu rashtra in universities have diverse fortunes, Hindu-first desires and anti-Muslim sentiments visible on the national stage infuse university spaces widely. Created after independence to bypass the ban on the RSS in the aftermath of Gandhi’s assassination, and to counter communist influence in universities, the ABVP became effectively an all-India organisation in the mid-1970s, incarnating the main electoral force of Hindu nationalism in campuses since then. Attached to a ‘patriotic’ agenda, vitriolic against Pakistan and China, the ABVP speaks the voice of the victimised majority, who suffered displacement (Kashmiri pandits), religious conversion, and insults to their Hindu faith. It considers Muslim a suspicious community pampered by ‘pseudo-seculars’ and ‘minority appeasement’ parties. Increasingly attracted by the electoral successes of the Bharatiya Janata Party, it ethnicises Muslims as a reified, bigot and untrustworthy community responsible for both India’s partition and the destruction of Hindu temples during the Mughal era. In its everyday interventions, ABVP often focuses on student welfare and seva (service) rather than on ideological contributions.
Centre for Historical Studies cover page of a booklet on the religious dispute in Ayodhya. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 1990.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad pamphlet welcoming the ‘findings’ of the Archaeological Survey of India’s report stating that the Ram temple was originally located in Ayodhya. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2003.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad pamphlet incriminating the killers of Hindu nationalist workers in Godhra, which triggered communal riots across Gujarat. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2002.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad pamphlet on the aftermath of a militant attack in Ayodhya. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2005.
Pamphlet issued in the name of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, supporting the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2002.
A clarification regarding a pamphlet issued the previous day by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh without a clearance from the ‘central level’. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2002.
Students’ Federation of India collage denouncing the irruption of Vishva Hindu Parishad leaders in the disputed religious site in Ayodhya. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2000.
A pamphlet issued by concerned students of Jawaharlal Nehru University. It draws a parallel between the demolition of Babri Masjid by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bamiyan Buddhas carved statues by Taliban in Afghanistan. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2001.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad pamphlet on the eve of the verdict of Allahabad High court regarding the Ayodhya land dispute. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2010.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad pamphlet on the eve of the verdict of Allahabad High court regarding the Ayodhya land dispute. Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2010.