The Whirlwind

Category: Coding of Hindutva

  • Introduction: Defining and Conceptualizing Hindutva in the Context of Identity

    Introduction: Defining and Conceptualizing Hindutva in the Context of Identity

    Savarkar’s Coding of Hindutva Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was the first to use the term Hindutva (literally “Hindu-ness”, the “quality of being Hindu”) in a comprehensive manner in his book Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?, published in 1923. Savarkar (1999:72) defined Hindus as all inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent who met three criteria: These three elements—Rashtra…