Hindutva

Hindutva is a term used to describe a form of Hindu nationalist ideology in India that seeks to define Indian nationhood in terms of Hindu cultural identity. The concept was popularized by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923 through his pamphlet Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? In Savarkar’s formulation, Hindutva is not merely a religious denomination but a cultural and civilizational project that grounds Indian identity in a shared historical and geographical heritage centered on the Indian subcontinent and its Hindu past. He proposed criteria for belonging to the Indian nation that extend beyond religious practice to reference culture, landscape, and lineage.

The idea is closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. Over the decades, Hindutva has been advanced by allied groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and has influenced political discourse in India, notably shaping the platforms of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since the 1990s. Proponents often describe Hindutva as cultural nationalism that seeks to unify diverse Hindu communities and to reaffirm India’s historical and civilizational roots. Critics, however, view Hindutva as an exclusionary or majoritarian project that privileges Hindu identity and can marginalize religious minorities, challenging secular principles of the Indian constitution.

In public debate, Hindutva is interpreted and implemented in various ways, ranging from cultural and social reform initiatives to electoral and policy strategies. The term remains contentious in scholarship and political discourse, reflecting competing conceptions of Indian nationhood and secularism.