A deeply researched, provocative, and comprehensive book that would provide a critical and holistic view of the historical, social, and scientific meaning of Hindutva. From a renowned thinker, writer, and co-author of the hugely successful bestseller Breaking India, Aravindan Neelakandan’s Hindutva: Origin, Evolution, and Future (Kali Imprint; BluOne Ink) is a must-read for understanding Hindutva not just as a political movement but as a cultural and social one. It has received tremendous appreciation from noted academicians, authors, and historians, including Dr. Vikram Sampath, Dr. Jeffrey D. Long, Dr. Makarand Paranjape, Harsh Gupta Madhusudan, and others.
‘’With this provocative and deeply researched work, Aravindan Neelakandan makes a case for Hindutva, not only as a political movement, but also as a cultural movement, and in his words, ‘a very relevant stream of consciousness…on this planet.’ Whether one is a supporter or a critic of Hindutva, Neelakandan’s work is essential for understanding its worldview and its historical and philosophical underpinnings,” said Dr Jeffery D. Long Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies and Dr Long, author of A Vision for Hinduism: Beyond Hindu Nationalism (2007), Historical Dictionary of Hinduism (2011) and Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds (2020).
‘’This book by Shri Aravindan Neelakandan lives up to what one has come to expect from him: probably the most comprehensive and erudite book on Hindutva specifically, perhaps since the one written by Veer Savarkar himself a hundred years ago. It goes into the psycho-social origins of Dharmic traditions in India, how they differ from homogenising worldviews, and how both interact with modernity. Finally, it covers all the important personalities, especially from the Sangh, who have contributed to this cause and also hints at a way forward. The void left behind by Ram Swarup has partially been filled by the author. May he write many more books,’’ said Harsh Gupta Madhusudan, Investor, Co-author, ‘A New Idea of India’ (2020)
Hindutva: Origin, Evolution, and Future Studies Hindutva in both critical and holistic terms—an approach that is often found missing in most studies on Hindutva, where a lot of critical knowledge has been left out either intentionally or out of ignorance. This omission has led to characterise Hindutva as a dangerous exclusivist majoritarian supremacist ideology. Hindutva is often studied like other extreme right-wing ideologies. However, the thesis presented in this book is built on the strong foundation that Hindutva is not an ideology but a historical-civilisational process. As such, it does not fit the expectations of any ideological framework.
Aravindan Neelakandan has authored books on sustainable agricultural technologies.
