By Kayla Kim
On Sunday, the Asian American Alliance and the Muslim Students Association hosted a teach-in called Holi Against Hindutva. The talk featured Associate Professor of History Rishad Choudhury, OC ’07, who gave an introduction to Hindutva and its history, and Pranay Somayajula, the director of research for Hindus for Human Rights, a nonprofit that supports anti-casteism and opposes Hindutva.
Hindutva literally translates to “Hinduness,” and its definition is highly contested. Those more sympathetic to Hindutva often define it as the “idea and practice of living a life according to Hindu teachings or even just a descriptor of being Hindu,” according to the Hindu American Foundation. Other organizations, such as Hindus for Human Rights, who disagree with the ideology, argue that “Hindutva … is a modern political ideology that advocates for Hindu supremacy and seeks to transform India, constitutionally a secular state, into an ethno-religious nation known as the Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation).”
College second-year and MSA Co-Chair Juwayria Zahurullah noted the importance of the event given the political climate in India and the intersections that the belief can have with other ideologies.
“This talk was about the history and current state of Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, and its violent implications,” Zahurullah wrote in an email to the Review. “Especially with the current elections in India, we felt it was important to host this talk on campus because many people are unaware of the political climate and dominant political ideology in India, and the harmful anti-Muslim rhetoric it promotes.”
This story was originally published in oberlinreview.org. Read the full story here.