Follow Us
Kuldip Singh Dhir
Increasing resurgence of religions has intertwined it with politics in recent years. Challenges and assertion of positions often make people dig in their heels and become defensive or combative. It, then, makes it imperative to explore new ways of relating to each other and to situate religions on the new playing ground. This book is an outcome of September 2010 conference organised by Max Weber Centre Erfurt, Germany, to analyse religious interactions in 18th- 20th century India.
It starts with Geeta Frick and Milinda Banerjee’s analysis of the nexus between religious deliberations of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and William Wilberforce to construct new model of Hinduism. Wilbeforce constructs it from the perspective of Protestant Christianity. Roy looks for truth shared by all forms of religion. Their efforts are indication of an inclusive and rational approach to religions which gained momentum with time.
Barbara Metcalf takes us to mid 19th century Bhopal. Sikandar Begum, the ruler of this state, practised a Protestant type of Islam without attempting to curb other’s freedom for denominational observances. Srilata Raman takes up the conflict within the Saiva tradition in 1860s of present day Tamil Nadu. It concerns Ramalinga Swamigal, self-styled Sidha and Arumuga Navalar, who insists on canonical texts laying down new lines of exclusion and inclusion. In spite of counter efforts, changes within the tradition gained force in 19th century.
John Cort focuses on the process of development of a Pan-Indian concept of being Jain. The issue at stake is belief of worship of icons of Jain prophets and its opponents. The diehard opponents become accommodative of each other by the end of the century. Vasudha Dalmia explores the strategies employed in the formative phase of modern Hinduism to deal with differences. The early mode of reformation denies the validity of other Hinduistic belief systems. The later mode is marked by overarching validity for a singular belief system by subsuming differences. This brings us to Sikhs. The tensions between individual and corporate control over gurdwaras was resolved with the Gurdwara Reform Act of 1925. Anne Murphy interprets the struggle as a catalyst for the emergence of a confident Sikh identity.
Catherine Ojha picks up Swami Shardanand’s welcome address at 1919 session of the Indian National Congress to underline the new trend of adapting religion to social and political challenges to irrigate political field with moral values. Kumkum Sangari brings Mahatma Gandhi to centre stage. He attempted to formulate a set of moral and metaphysical universals to devise non-sectarian Hinduism. Anna Bigelow perceives arati-katha-namaz conflict of Malerkotla as a competition for dominance in spiritual soundscape. Local Hindu and Muslim leaders ended it with an agreement in 1940 that neither of the two communities will interfere in the practices of the other.
George Oommen analyses the post-conversion experiences and struggles of Dalits who opted for Christianity in the early 20th century. The change meant an acknowledgement of individual dignity which leads ultimately to their affiliation with the communist movement. Gilmartin discusses elections of India and Burma in 1920s to conclude that it is difficult to draw a line between the misuse of religion and commitment to a religion. Martin Fuchs explicates Ambedkar’s deliberations on the relationship between religion and society. Ambedkar attacked religious base of the society in which graded inequality is engrained. For him universal humaneness is most sacred. This inviolable principle has to be actualised in our social interactions. Inclusiveness, flexibility, coexistence, pluralism and space for the other have been valued most in our tradition Divisive shenanigans and whipping up of communal passions is the last resort of political scoundrels and this is the most valuable take away from the book for contemporary India.
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