4 Stars
One Liner: Informative

The book presents the history of Indian politics and the role of Hinduism from the medieval era to the current day. It talks about different ideologies while focusing on Hinduism and how it continues to shape the country’s politics, as well as socio-economic growth.
It starts with an introduction where the author says the book would look at political Hinduism over the centuries without taking sides or passing judgment. It is more like a compilation of speeches, writing, and extracts. The book follows a timeline, starting before the independence and up to the current date. It ends with the author’s summation of how to overcome the obstacles and strengthen Indian politics, preferably with interference from vested foreign ‘activists’.

Sharing a few quotes (in italics) from the book (my copy is an ARC, so the quotes may have been edited in the final version).
Ananda Math by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay first used the word Hindutva in 1882. At the core of Bankim’s thinking in this regard was the concept of the Eternal Code, or Sanatana dharma.
The BJP and the RSS do not define themselves based on US themes, and even though in the West they are termed right-wing, many of their ideas are, in fact, left-wing, especially on economics…
Something the Hindu American groups have been trying to explain for a while. We would be much obliged if the US stopped superimposing its politics on other countries. Each country has its own history, different from what happened in the US. Trying to create non-existing parallels will only lead to distortion.
The author highlights our history books have since long glorified invaders and put down the native leaders. For example, ‘…that Ghazni and his looting of Somnath are well known but his defeat at the hands of Sangamaraja is hardly mentioned is something that political Hinduism seeks to correct…’ according to Savarkar.
‘…but the story of the courageous king of Travancore, Marthanda Varma, who prevented the imperialistic expansion of the Dutch East India Company in India is increasingly held up as a forgotten but vital example of India fighting back and winning in the colonial era…’
Countless leaders and intellectuals like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Rabindranath Tagore, Jadunath Sarkar, Jyotirao Phule, Savarkar, and even Nehru used Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s name to inspire the desire for freedom from British rule.
Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar wrote, “The first Semitic religion was Judaism, an intolerant faith. It was this intolerance that nailed Christ on the Cross. Then came Christianity, the child of the former. That, too, was equally intolerant. Doubtless, Christ was a great saint. But later, what went on in the name of Christ had nothing to do with him. It was no Christianity but only ‘Churchianity.’ The saying ‘There was but one true Christian, and he died on the Cross’ is true to the letter. The Christians committed all sorts of atrocities on the Jews by giving them the label ‘Killers of Christ.’ …Then came Islam—a long story of ‘Sword and Koran’ written in the tears and blood of millions of innocent human beings…. The fear that Hindu Rashtra will imperil the existence of other religious groups arises by applying the above Semitic yardstick to it and imagining that the concept of Hindu Rashtra is analogous to that of the Semitic states notorious for their religious bigotry and persecutions.”
Shyam Prasad Mookerjee said, “…There is an important difference in the approach to the problem of minorities in India and Pakistan. The vast majority of Muslims in India wanted the partition of the country on a communal basis, although, I gladly recognize that there has been a small section of patriotic Muslims who consistently have identified themselves with national interests and suffered for it. The Hindus, on the other hand, were almost to a man definitely opposed to partition. . . . If anyone analyses the course of events in Pakistan since its creation, it will be manifest that there is no honorable place for Hindus within that State.”
I’m yet to see a single global activist raise their voice for the minority Hindus and Christians in Pakistan and Bangladesh, even when young girls get kidnapped, raped, and married to men thrice their age. The courts give verdicts in favor of the kidnappers or send the girls to ‘care homes’ from which they are kidnapped in less than 24 hours.
Decades ago, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya said, “…Borrowing any ‘ism’ and pasting it onto Indian conditions is not particularly useful…”
He also said, “The concept of ‘Swadeshi’ is ridiculed as old fashioned and reactionary. We proudly use foreign articles and concepts... We shall forget our individuality and become virtual slaves once again.”
As the author continues to talk about the politics and changing governments, scams, assassinations, the Emergency period, etc., there’s one thing that stands out. I can’t help but notice how Congress won elections despite a disastrous performance by somehow having its important leaders assassinated or murdered. This happened more than once. Sympathy waves rose high!

To summarize, Soul and Sword is a solid introduction to the vast topic of political Hinduism. Contrary to Western opinion, we Hindus have always been a part of the political landscape in the country. It’s not a new phenomenon. What’s new is that a greater % of the common public is now refusing to bow down to others and ask for their approval.
Thank you, NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #SoulandSword