The volume reflects the inherent diversity in Indic thought and how it has been changing and adapting for centuries, by incorporating new ideas and reinterpreting old ones.
New Delhi: The edited volume, “Political Thought in Indic Civilization” by Prof Himanshu Roy is a very good effort in providing a balanced narrative on the most debatable areas relating to Indic civilisation. This very timely publication provides an in-depth understanding of how the unwarranted influence of western thoughts and ideas in the Indian academic discourse got percolated. Such an influence, the book argues, has been detrimental to the development of Indian-ness in scholarly discussions and writings. India’s perspective on pertinent important areas relating to Indic civilisation was always kept away from the main discourse. It must be emphasised here that scholars with extreme views without having any evidence debated and provided lopsided knowledge far from truth and realities. The rest of the world could not ascertain and validate the larger discourse on Indic civilisation.
It is high time that India portrayed and reflected its social, cultural and philosophical strengths. Prof Roy has attempted to address this by putting together the best minds and has come out with a research perspective on India’s philosophical roots and its inherent civilisational strengths. Through a collection of chapters from scholars and experts having inter-disciplinary intent, the volume offers diverse perspectives on some of the most significant themes relating to the historical and contemporary dimensions of Indian politics, philosophy and society. It is a novel attempt at weaving together interdisciplinary perspectives on the implications of not only external influence, but also over generalisation of the diversity that is inherent in Indic philosophy and way of life.
The volume reflects the inherent diversity in Indic thought and how it has been changing and adapting for centuries, by incorporating new ideas and reinterpreting old ones. Diversity of thoughts and inclusiveness have been the hallmark of Indic thought and practice. The impact that the arrival of political Islam and British colonialism had on the religious and social practices of Indic civilisation warrants the kind of research study that this volume endeavours to initiate. As the volume suggests, manuscripts on Indic thought and ideas need to be translated for greater public consumption and dissemination. Overall, the book brings together diverse and critical perspectives on a decolonised approach to understanding the relevance of Indic institutions, ideas, philosophy and history.
The chapter “Evolutionary Trajectory of Rashtra” by Balaji Ranganathan has attempted to track the plurality and diversity in the intellectual traditions of the Indic civilisation through the evolution of the concept and practice of Rashtra. The chapter comprehensively analyses the spatial and temporal aspects in the evolution of Rashtra and the political idea associated with it. Although in the present academic discourse, the influence of the treaty of Westphalia has led a distinction dichotomy between the idea of state and nation, the notion of Rashtra and its linkage to religion and ideology, that has evolved through time and space, warrants a more holistic outlook and study. Bhuwan Kumar Jha in “Hindu, Hinduism and Hindutva” explores the arguments surrounding the origins, meanings and political implications of the terms “Hindu, Hinduism and Hindutva”. The colonial understanding of the word “Hindu” failed to understand the diversity inherent in terms of the multiplicity of their beliefs, customs and rituals. Therefore, Jha has undertaken a comprehensive study of the historical context and evolution of the word “Hindu” and its association with the way of life of the people. The colonial tryst with Indic traditions, the chapter argues, has often taken the mistaken route of homogenization of the diverse and inclusive cultural ethos and history that define “Hindu”, “Hinduism” and “Hindutva”.
The chapter “Manusmriti and Social Marginals” by Nandini Bhattacharyya Panda contends that Manusmriti should be reread and reinterpreted through the prism of its relevance of those living in the margins of the Indic society. Panda engages in a critical assessment of the centrality of Manusmriti as a normative text of the spiritual, temporal, moral, ethical, social, economic and familial matters ranging from cosmogony to conjugality in Indian polity and society. A textual analysis of Manusmriti has been attempted not only to understand the place of marginal communities and women but also in terms of influence of colonial rulers and ideologues. Balaji Ranganathan’s “Jurisprudence in Pre-colonial India” is an attempt at analysing the formulation of laws and their implementation in pre-colonial India. While the coming of British colonialism and Western notion of jurisprudence overwhelmed the pre-existing system, the salient features of the law prevalent before the advent of colonialism in India warrants a serious study, and that is exactly what this chapter endeavours to do. The chapter engages in an extensive study of the effect that the coming of British colonialism and the extensive translations done of the Dharmasutras and Hanafi codes, had on the interpretation of these laws.
K. Srinivasulu in “Kingship in Medieval South India” examines the ideas of kingship in medieval Telugu speaking areas of South India, especially during the Kakatiya-Vijaynagara period and in the aftermath of the fall of the Vijaynagara empire. Throwing more light on the regional variations in statecraft, governance and social polity in medieval South India, the chapter explores the historical diversity that continues to echo contemporary relevance. Attempting to situate the distinct regional polity amid pan-Indian generalisations, the chapter dwells on the temporal and spatial variations in the concept and practice of kingship in India. “Democratic Traditions in Lingayat Movement” by Prakash Desai emphasises the salience of democratic ideas and institutions in India’s past as having great learning lessons for comparative politics. The focus of the chapter is in understanding how the democratic experiences in early India and in the medieval period, especially during the Lingayat movement of the 12th century South India has great relevance for future democratic experiments.
Bijayalaxmi Nanda’s “Interpreting Meerabai’s Bhakti” traces the centrality of Meerabai as a personality in the history of the Bhakti movement, and her contemporary relevance as a feminist inspiration. Meerabai’s contribution to the Indic tradition has been studied for its influence on society in general and women in particular. The choice of a life of freedom for Meerabai, that came from her spirit of renunciation continues to be an important account of study, which of course, is not without criticism particularly through Dalit feminism. “Indic Islam” by Himanshu Roy engages in a critical assessment of the rise of political Islam and the domination of Muslim elites who started to dominate the monarchy and ruling structure since 8th century AD. The chapter undertakes a comprehensive study of the impact of political Islam, cultural Islam and the social structure of Islam on the Indic way of life. How the changes were perceived formed a major part of the debate.
“Idea of Justice in Tribes of Manipur” by Vijayalakshmi Brara engages in a critical examination of the differences and similarities in the concept and practice of justice across time and space. Dwelling on the notion of distributive and corrective justice, the chapter undertakes an assessment of how the tribes of Manipur look at the concept of right and wrong. Administration of justice among these tribes, in the context of the growing influence of the modern nation state, is a major part of the discussion.
Kundan Singh in “Colonial Roots of Aryan Invasion Theory” contends that the rise of European colonial power over India shifted the idea of cradle of civilisation towards Europe and gave rise to the Aryan invasion theory (AIT) and its more politically correct version of the Aryan migration theory (AMT). Even after such a theory has been falsified with several archaeological findings, it has persisted in contemporary academic discourse. This colonial project of AIT or AMT, according to Singh, is an effort to historically deny Indians their own agency to conceive, foster, nurture and perpetuate a civilisation.
Neena Bansal in “Deconstructing the Colonial” looks at the rewriting of history from time to time not only because new facts are discovered but also because new perspectives emerge. How the interpretation and reinterpretation of India’s past has been influenced by Western Indology scholars to the detriment of an Indian perspective forms the focus of the chapter. Therefore, deconstruction of academic discourse through critical enquiry and research becomes even more imperative from India’s point of view.
Overall, the book undertakes a critical inquiry of the implications of colonial education and a Eurocentric focus on the realm of social sciences and literature in post-colonial India. In comparison to the popular praxis of Indian citizens and their non-bookish discourse, the Indian academic literature and discussions have been overtly influenced to an extent by Western influence where the results arrived at are often in contradiction to the realities in the Indian context. Therefore, the book calls for a holistic understanding and further research based on Indic thinking and the richness of historical past of Indic civilisation. The book brings together diverse perspectives and has added value undoubtedly to the existing understanding on these diverse areas among the members of India’s academic community as well as finding resonance with the intellectual traditions of the Indic civilisation.
Dr Arvind Kumar is Professor at School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.