The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India

by Thomas Blom Hansen

Book Overview

The rise of strong nationalist and religious movements in postcolonial and newly democratic countries alarms many Western observers. In The Saffron Wave, Thomas Hansen turns our attention to recent events in the world's largest democracy, India. Here he analyzes Indian receptivity to the right-wing Hindu nationalist party and its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which claims to create a polity based on "ancient" Hindu culture...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691006717
• ISBN13: 9780691006710
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Landmark Work

This is a landmark work on a subject that the rest of the world should become aware of, but unfourtunately not enough is written about it. The Author has clear insights into the hindu nationalist movement and his writing keeps you interested throughout the book. A previous poster said that the percentage of minorities in Pakistan was 40% in 1947 when in fact it was only 15 percent. 40% is actually the percentage of muslims that were in British India before partition. I am not sure where he is getting his numbers but they are not correct. I am quoting my numbers from the South Asian Analysis group.

Sound Scholarship Based on Extensive Research

Hansen's "Saffron Wave" is among the best of the recent spate of publications on the rise of the BJP and transformation of the Indian political landscape that has accompanied it. Based on a comprehensive incorporation of previous scholarship as well as a great deal of field-work primarily in Maharashtra state, Hansen is in absolute control of his material. Indeed, though the introduction is a bit clogged with "theoretical" ruminations, even the Lacanianism is put to good use. Thus, what seems at first gratuitous and extraneous to the argument, is well integrated over the course of the text and enables some Hansen's richest insights into the sort of mentality that is responsible for, among many things besides, the sort of indecent ranting seen in the review above.

Response to previous "Reader"

Not only does "A reader" go on and on at inordinate length for an online review, but he/she also cannot punctuate. Seriously, a review such as this is typical of the present situation whereby any attempt to analyze and criticize present-day Hindu nationalists is countered not by argument but by the assertion of the radically community specific truth. It should be stated from the first that the "we" of his review has no definite reference but is itself a coercive move to define who is and who is not a member of the nation and of Hinduism. Does the review tell one anything about the book? Does it question its facts and sources? Does it begin to engage its argument? No. Rather, the shrillness of the invocation of Darwin with its overtones of brute survivalism sets the tone for another tirade in what has of late become all too familiar a vein. This is why these online reviews are so often useless. Among other things, it precludes others, such as myself, from doing anything more than parrying the grossest puerility. The problem of the book is precisely its inability to grapple fully with the eviseration of considered public discourse in South Asia, as most everywhere else, in the present. Nevertheless, it is a very solid beginning in a literature still finding its bearings.

A one sided review of Hindu nationalism

The author has failed to look at the root cause of the rise of hindu nationalism The world is Darwinian. The rise of Hindu nationalism is an evolutionary adaptation as the result of having to cope with predatory Islam In 1947, the non-muslim population in Pakistan was 30%. Today it is 3%. In 1947, the non-muslim population in Bangladesh was 30%. Today it is 15%.The muslim population in residual India has risen from 8% in 1947 to 15% today. Excessive Muslim population growth is a reality, not a myth. Indian mullahs give prize money for women who produce too many children.You also trivialised the "foreign infiltration" issue. It is not a question of a few thousand, but rather tens of millions of muslim illegal aliens India today has 20 million Illegal muslim aliens from bangladesh. Bangladesh has defacto annexed 10 districts of Assam, 6 districts of West Bengal and 4 districts of North East Bihar.These bangladeshi illegal aliens have started an islamic separatist insurgency in Assam and are trying to carve out an islamic state from the north-east flanks of India We have another Kashmir on our hands. The so called 'secular' parties welcome these bangladeshi muslims as a vote bank. These illegal aliens have even formed a political party in Assam - United Minorities Front and have managed to get a few illegal aliens elected to Indian ParliamentOnly the BJP and Shiv Sena ( both hindu nationalist ) oppose bangladeshi infiltrationThe psuedo-secular congress and communists use these bangladeshis as a vote bankThe situation in Assam is similar to Kosovo wherein unchecked muslim illegal immigration is turning the natives into a minority in their own homeland.The kashmir problem is again caused by the 'secular parties'. Non-kashmiris are forbidden to buy property in kashmir under article 370. This ensures that muslims will be a permanent majority in kashmir and this means that India will be fighting pan-islamists in kashmir forever.Some more instances of muslim pampering 120000 muslims are sent on subsidized Haj trips every year.BJP wanted to recognise Israel in 1948 thanks to muslim vote-bankism, Israel was not recognised until 1993.You also trivialised BJP allegations of extra-territorial loyalty of Indian muslims Last year over 20000 Indian muslims were arrested for spying for pakistan , explosives, fake currency, etc. This included Indian Muslim Army and Police officers.Within India, SIMI an islamic fundamentalist organisation with links to Saudis, is openly calling for 'liberation of Indian muslims' The implications of this is genocide for non-muslims. Last week an Indian muslim legislator Abu Azmi, gave a public speech ( attended by thousands of muslims ), wherein he called for the destruction and splintering of India. For vote-bankism, no action has been taken against himFor short term vote-bankism, Indian 'secular' politicians are risking the future of Indian non-muslims.The savage Afghan Taliban follow