On May 14, 2008, at 9:52 AM, Doug Henwood wrote:
On May 14, 2008, at 9:31 AM, ravi wrote:
In India the formula is much the same as in the US: religion. I am
not sure what it will take for the left to gain power, but the
right seems to be able to cross the threshold only through appeal
to fear and other "baser" instincts.
I heard a very interesting presentation by Meera Nanda last year on
the new religiosity in India. She said it was the yuppies who are
the biggest adherents now, embracing some weird New Agey version of
Hinduism. That's not from fear and other base instincts, but maybe
some comfort in the midst of an "all that's solid melts into air"
class transformation?
I don't have a lot of respect for Nanda (search the PEN-L or LBO
archives for my criticisms(*)) so take my comments with that caution!
Sure there may be some yuppie attraction for Hinduism, though that
would be nothing new -- the soft spirituality and elasticity of
Hinduism keeps it well suited for all sorts of use and extension, and
the ongoing waves of Western adoption of Indian/Hindu/Vedic practices
and terminology helps increase Hinduism's appeal to Indian yuppies.
However, I do not see that this sort of yuppie following is of any
great use to the fundamendalist organisers, who have been working on
this effort for a 100 years or more, having pulled off the
assassination of Mahatma Gandhi as an early success. There is enough
FUD about Muslims among the general populace to keep them distracted,
etc.
In other words, what is the source of BJP's national popularity, or
the regional popularity of organisations like the VHP? IMHO, a solid
base of lower and mid middle class and the angry and disenfrachised
poor. The parallels with the US in this constituency and in the
rhetoric that is employed, are many. An Indian Bill O'Reilly spouting
venom about "The War on Hinduism" would be quite popular with some of
my middle class relatives who are no yuppies. Hell, the BJP (last I
checked) was even making inroads in to solidly DK(**)-offshoots
territory like Tamil Nadu. In a country where neo-liberalism is the
mantra of all the major parties (with whatever small concessions are
made to the Left for coalition purposes), what else is the
differentiator?
--ravi
(*) http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/2006/2006-October/019374.html
(**) Dravidar Kazhagam
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