Gandhi, Ambedkar, Sarvarkar Hindu, Hinduism and Hindutva

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About the Author Prof. Prem Anand Mishra teaches at Faculty of Gandhian Studies, Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad. He is the author of Hind Swaraj: A Deconstructive Reading (2012), Peace Research: Issues and Application (2015), Gandhian Humanism in the Twenty first Century (2015), Position: Gandhi's Intervention in Contemporary Discourse (2017), and Co-author of Debating Nationalism (2018). He has also contributed to the renowned Journal Gandhi Marg, Journal of Gandhian Studies and The Indian Journal of Political Science.

Introduction In the political and social discourses of India, there is currently a debate of Hinduism and Hindutva. This debate begins with the Indian freedom struggle which was more than overthrowing British colonial power. It was a time of looking back as well. Looking back meant examining our own religion and culture in order to come up with a new vision for India. Looking back challenged several deep-rooted principles, beliefs, and practice prevalent in India's social and cultural life. The intellectuals - leaders and activists of that time re-assessed and re-framed the history, culture, and religion of India. One of the significant aspects of such assessment and reframing was to examine the major religion of India - Hinduism.

The book examines the ways in which Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Savarkar viewed and interpreted Hinduism. Based on their autobiographical accounts and biographical narratives, first, it traces the origin and development of their ideas about Hinduism. Second, reading through the original writings of these three geniuses, it attempts to reconstruct their interpretations of Hinduism. It argues that these three geniuses offer three different worldviews on Hinduism that are non- negotiable.

Gandhi saw Hinduism through an Advaita perspective while Ambedkar saw it through a pragmatic perspective. Hinduism, for Gandhi, represents the highest expression of ahimsa, and whatever problems it may face today can be reformed within Hinduism itself. Ambedkar on the other hand rejected Hinduism completely, not only because it has a history of discriminating practice, but because the fundamental philosophical structure of Hinduism is based on inequality. With a distinct perspective, Savarkar attempted to give Hinduism a political meaning. Noting that Hindus need to organize themselves, he developed the concept of Hindutva to accomplish this goal. These three prominent thinkers-activists offer three different modes of interpretation of Hinduism-moral, social, and political. This book is divided into seven chapters.

**Contents and Sample