Hindutva: Violence Against Women in India

Hindutva

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Hindutva [Your Name]

Hindutva 2 Those unfamiliar with the tenets of Hinduism may think that women play a dominant, if not equal role to men. One of the most compelling aspects of Hindu mythology is that of the goddess Durga. The three main male gods (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) were unable to defeat the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. They combined their powers, and the result was Durga, who was more powerful than any of the individual gods. She is often depicted with many arms, each wielding a different weapon, and defeating the demon with a spear or trident (Bhaskarandanda 2002 pp. 178-181). The societal reality of Hinduism, however, departs markedly from this singular account of female power. An examination of various Hindu social and ethical texts reveals that women are considered to be inferior to men. The Laws of Manu are an ancient collection of laws found in a larger body of documents called the dharmashastras, which means “writings about laws” (Kinnard 2011 p. 14). The Laws of Manu make it quite clear that an unmarried woman is completely subservient to her father, and that a married woman is completely subservient to her husband. Other texts lay out prohibitions against women hearing the vedas (the oldest Hindu scriptures), engaging in certain poojas (religious rituals) and holding all but the most menial leadership positions in Hinduism (ibid., p. 27). The rise of what might be called “Hindu nationalism” in India predates Indian independence. In 1923, a pamphlet entitled “Who is a Hindu?” appeared, which sought to encompass of all of Indian society under the aegis of Hinduism (Savakar 1997 p. 4). This pamphlet has become part of the manifesto of the Hindu-centric Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which seeks to establish Hinduism as dominant religion of India and Hindi (which is

Hindutva 3 closely associated with Hinduism) as the nation’s dominant language. Despite large number of adherents of other religions (e.g., Islam) and speakers of...