An American Hindutva
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The HMEC: An American Hindutva James McCallum Wiker A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Arts in International Studies: South Asia University of Washington 2012 Committee Dr. Sunila Kale Dr. Sareeta Amrute Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Jackson School of International Studies: South Asia THE HMEC: AN AMERICAN HINDUTVA ©Copyright 2012 James McCallum Wiker TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 3 METHODOLOGY: ................................................................................................................................... 10 LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................................... 15 THE AMERICAN HINDU – HISTORIES AND DEMOGRAPHICS .......................................................................... 16 HINDUTVA – THE SANGH PARIVAR A GLOBAL FAMILY .................................................................................. 20 The Sangh ................................................................................................................................................................ 20 Hindutva – Hindu-ness, the Hindu Nation, and Ethno-Nationalism ............................................. 24 Global Hindutva .................................................................................................................................................... 27 Digression and Distance .................................................................................................................................... 30 Diaspora ................................................................................................................................................................... 32 American Hinduism in Diaspora ................................................................................................................... 36 Multiculturalism ................................................................................................................................................... 40 THE HMEC - AN AMERICAN HINDUTVA......................................................................................... 44 The HMEC – A History and Outline .............................................................................................................. 46 Growth: ...................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Guiding principles ................................................................................................................................................ 51 Format ....................................................................................................................................................................... 52 HMEC INITIATIVES ............................................................................................................................................. 54 Health Care: ............................................................................................................................................................ 55 Gita Distribution: .................................................................................................................................................. 55 Education: ................................................................................................................................................................ 56 THE HMEC AND HINDUISM IN HISTORY ....................................................................................... 57 V.D. Savarkar – The Historical Hindu ......................................................................................................... 58 NCERT and Contemporary Hindutva Historiography ......................................................................... 60 The California Textbook Controversy ......................................................................................................... 62 The HMEC and The Textbook Debate ......................................................................................................... 65 THE HISTORY LESSONS ........................................................................................................................................ 66 Indus-Saraswati Civilization ........................................................................................................................... 73 The Aryan Invasion Theory .............................................................................................................................. 75 Women ...................................................................................................................................................................... 77 Monotheism ............................................................................................................................................................. 79 Dalits .......................................................................................................................................................................... 82 Hindu Golden Age and Muslim Rule ............................................................................................................. 86 AGENDA STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES .......................................................................................................... 90 THE SAMSKARAS ................................................................................................................................... 97 Antyeshti Samskar: ........................................................................................................................................... 100 The Vivaha Samskara ...................................................................................................................................... 103 CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 111 AMERICAN HINDUTVA ’S FUTURE : A POTENTIAL FOR GOOD ?.................................................................... 111 AMERICAN HINDUTVA : TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES ................................................................................. 114 THE ACADEMY UNDER FIRE ............................................................................................................................. 116 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................... 118 SECONDARY SOURCES ........................................................................................................................................ 118 THE HMEC: AN AMERICAN HINDUTVA PRIMARY SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................. 120 THE HMEC: AN AMERICAN HINDUTVA LIST OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ABVP Akihl Bharatiya Vidyarhi Parishad BAPS Boshasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha BJP Bharatiya Janata Party RSS Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh HEF Hindu Educational Foundation HMEC Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference HSC Hindu Student Council HSS Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Sangh Parivar Sangh VF Vedic Foundation VHP Vishwa Hindu Parishad VHPA Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America VHPUK Vishwa Hindu Parishad of the United Kingdom - 1 - THE HMEC: AN AMERICAN HINDUTVA GLOSSARY Ayodhya City in Uttar Pradesh, India. Site of the contested Babri Masjid and object of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement Babri Masjid Mosque razed to the ground on 12/6/92 by kar sevaks , supposedly built on the site of a destroyed Ram temple Dalit Designation commonly used in lieu of ‘untouchables’ Deva God Devanagri Written script used for Sanskrit and Hindi Devi Goddess Ganesh Elephant headed god, son of Siva , remover of obstacles Harappan Ancient civilization discovered in what is now modern Pakistan Hindu Rashtra The Hindu nation Kar Sevak A volunteer who took part in the Ram temple movement Mandir Temple Masjid Mosque Pandit A learned Brahmin, sometimes also used to refer to temple priests Pracharak Full time worker and recruiter for the RSS Ramjanmbhoomi The movement to build a Ram temple at the contested location of the Babri Masjid Ram Shila Pujan The practice of blessing bricks for the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. It was also a means of significant fund raising. Samskara From Hindi, any of various sentential sanctifying or purifactory rites (as the first taking of solid food, investiture with the sacred thread, marriage and funeral rites). 1 Saratswati Goddess of art, education, and music Satyaghraha “truth force” refers to Gandhi’s non-violence movement during the Indian independence movement Shakha Literal translation is ‘branch’ but refers to a local RSS cell Shila Brick consecrated for the building of a new Ram temple at the contested site in Ayodhya Swayamesevak A RSS volunteer Sadhu Hindu holy man, often a renunciant Vedas A large body of texts often argued to be the oldest layer of Hindu scripture Vedic Having to do with the Vedas 1 Oxford Hindi English Dictionary R.S.