Deconstructing the Weaponization of Faith and Nationalism with A Special Reference to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Anandamath

Abstract

The increasing politicization of faith and nationalism is a potential menace confronting the major democracies today. The fragile peace and increasing violence are the immediate outcomes. We see today a systematic weaponization of belief systems and patriotism to assert supremacy, capture power and hegemonise people different in faith. What we witness today in India in terms of religious bigotry, demonization of minorities and Hinduisation of the state institutions and public spaces is not a sudden development but the culmination of continuous interruptions in the cultural life of people. The previous studies trace this confluence of faith and nationalism to the works of Hindutva ideologues in the early years of 2oth century. However, this study traces it to 19th century Hindu reform movements and illustrates how this ideology threatens India’s democratic existence today. The study uses qualitative method for description and analysis, treats the text as a primary source, and places it within the changing paradigms of the current nationalistic politics in India. It demonstrates how Bankim Chandra’s Anandamath, often thought of as the foundational text of Hindu nationalism, imagines a Hindu state, demonizes Muslims, asserts a schism between the two faiths, iconizes the nation as a mother and calls India a land of Hindus alone. The study, moreover, shows how this text played a fundamental role in promoting the structured Hindu nationalistic politics which shapes the contemporary discourse in today’s India.