Sunday, November 10, 2002		Books

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On Gandhi, Gujarat and politico-religious equations
Randeep Wadehra

Religion and Politics in India
by Anupama Arya. K.K. Publications, Delhi. Pages: x+286. Rs. 495.

THERE was a time when religion and statecraft were inseparable. In the West, clash of interests between the Church and the State led to the separation of religion from politics. This trend was strengthened by the appearance of secular and socialist thought processes with the advent of modern times. In India there was little consciousness of religious-nationalist identity among the masses till the dawn of the British rule.

When the nationalist movement began, initially leaders like Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo Ghosh, B.C. Pal et al used religious idiom to enthuse the populace. Another trend was revivalism, which saw Muslims and Sikhs as well as other minorities assert their respective identities, thus communalising a nascent and evolving sub-continental polity. Despite Gandhi’s efforts, and socialist thought, class-consciousness could not replace religious mindfulness, consequently failing to prevent the birth of Pakistan. Against such background Arya examines the Arya Samaj’s role in national politics with particular reference to Punjab and Haryana. She has systematically traced the various historical trends in a lucid manner, and has not overlooked anything during her investigation of the subject. For example here’s a nugget, "The Arya Samajist leaders of the Punjabi and the Haryanvi regions also joined hands as they had done at the time of Hyderabad Satyagraha for launching an agitation against the Muslim Nawab of Loharu … as the Muslim Nawab persecuted the Arya Samajists. But the Punjabi Arya Samajists extended only moral support…"

A well-researched tome and a valuable buy for those interested in history.

Gandhi, Freedom and Self-Rule
edited by Anthony J. Parel. Vistaar Publications, New Delhi. Pages: x+164. Rs 190.

Gandhi never ceases to interest intellectuals of various hues — both at home and abroad. The literature on this extraordinary man continues to grow. According to Anthony J. Parel Swaraj is a basic concept of Gandhi’s political philosophy — more fundamental than even non-violence — a creed intricately associated with him. According to him the Mahatma’s concept of Swaraj was a complex one, used in different senses and contexts, broadly grouped under four headings, viz., national independence, political freedom of the individual, economic freedom of the individual, and spiritual freedom of the individual. Antony Copley calls Gandhi a man of action rather than a political theorist and says, "Not only is the concept ‘liberty’ a notoriously slippery one to define, Gandhi could be equally elusive. He did not see consistency as a virtue and all ideas were to be tested on the anvil of experience." Ronald J. Terchek avers that Gandhi combines aspects of both civic republicanism and liberalism in his theory of autonomy in which he weaves together commitments to equality, non-domination and personal responsibility.

Dennis Dalton dwells upon Gandhi’s originality, Judith M. Brown elucidates the politician-saint’s relationship with human rights, Fred Dallmayr expounds on Swaraj-related lessons while Sudarshan Kapur examines Gandhi’s equation with Hindutava even as Stephen Hay asserts that the great man’s precepts can be a guide to a better future for humanity. This collection of essays is the product of erudite minds’ exertions and yet the language is so simple and alluring that the volume is unputdownable.

If you don’t believe me read it yourself!

Gujarat Holocaust: Communalism in the land of Gandhi
by R.N. Sharma. Shubhi Publications, N. Delhi. Pages: 344. Rs 795.

An evolving polity has to undergo several tests that are complex and severe, leading to a feeling that perhaps its very existence is being jeopardised. Today India is facing one such trial. Large-scale communal disturbance and social turmoil are asking for a heavy price not only in terms of human lives but also of values. The most recent blow has been Godhra and its aftermath — the Akshardham bloodbath is but the latest manifestation of the same. While it is true that our neighbour is fishing in the troubled waters, we cannot avoid introspection.

Sharma has documented the events triggered off by the Sabarmati Express carnage on February 27, 2002. He narrates how the VHP wouldn’t budge from its stand on the Ayodhya Temple, from where the Ram Sewaks were returning on that fateful day. He has not only taken into account the various media reports and analysis but also the reactions of common people. For example, Sanjay Joshi, a chemist in Ahmedabad, asserts that it wasn’t a communal flare-up but a politically motivated tragedy. He was running a medical shop in partnership with Zahiruddin, his friend of fifteen years. But "as the Finance Minister read out the budget on February 28, their shop was being pelted with stones. A few hours later, the mob, now almost 10,000 strong and led by a local politician, set it ablaze after looting it. Their loss: Rs 5 lakh in stocks besides the store. But the greater loss was the shattering of their faith that a Hindu-Muslim partnership could stand as a bulwark against politically incited communal mistrust."

A handy book for reference.