<<The>> truths and lies of nationalism as narrated by Charvak

Written in the voice of the mythical atheist, naysayer, and general all-purpose heretic of Indian philosophy, The Truths and Lies of Nationalism as Narrated by Charvak presents a completely new way of telling the history of Indian nationalism. This book is intended for a general readership and is utterly free of academic jargon. It is meant to be read by anyone wanting to understand what “nationalism” and “democracy” mean in the Indian context. It is essential reading for everyone worried about India’s future. Partha Chatterjee has translated and edited a manuscript of mysterious origin which presents a completely new way of telling the history of Indian nationalism. Resolutely criticising the doctrines of Hindutva as well as pluralist secularism, the book examines ongoing debates over Indian civilisation. Making new connections, it provides a detailed and account of how the present borders of India were defined by British colonial policy, the Partition of 1947, and the integration of the princely states as well as the French and Portuguese territories. What is emphasised is not so much a state machinery inherited from colonial times but the moral foundation of a new republic based on the solidarity of different but equal formations of the people. After a trenchant analysis of current conflicts over religion, caste, class, gender, language, and region in India, the book proposes a new politics of revitalised federalism. Contents 6 Editor’s Preface 8 Introduction: Charvak Speaks 14 1 All Nations are Modern 18 An Ancient People? 20 An Ancient Hindu Nation? 24 The Evidence from Genetic Science 33 2 All National Borders are Accidental 39 The Chinese Border in the East 40 The Chinese Border in the West 43 Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim 47 The Hill States of the Northeast 50 The Punjab Border 54 The Bengal Border 58 Plebiscites 62 Enclaves 64 Islands in the Sea 66 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands 68 French and Portuguese Territories 74 3 Princes Have No Place in a Republic 80 The Princely States on the Eve of Independence 81 Unions of States 85 States in the New Constitutional Order 89 A Little State Called Junagadh 92 Hyderabad 94 The Kashmir Tangle 104 4 India is Not a Hindu Rashtra 114 Hindutva and Hindu Rashtra 114 The Hindu in History 117 Defining the Hindu 122 Defining Hindutva 125 Hindutva and Citizenship 132 The Hindu Rashtra 138 5 India is Not a Pluralist Secular Democracy 145 Pluralist Religious Society 145 The Philosophy of Pluralism 151 Pluralism in History 155 The Rise of Communalism 160 The Rise of Secularism 166 The Troubles of Secularism 173 The Decline of Secularism 185 The Fall of Secularism 186 6 India is a People’s Federation 192 A Federation in Crisis 192 Language and Nationalism 198 In Praise of the Motherland 200 Celebrating Fatherland 207 Language as Mother 212 The Ignored Northeast 217 A Just Federation of Peoples 231 7 People’s Alliances Strengthen the Nation 244 Educating the Nation 244 The Citizen as an Obedient Subject 251 The Persistence of Caste 257 What About Language Disputes? 270 The Oppression of Women 279 8 The Nation Belongs to the Entire People 287 The Changing Middle Class 287 Changes in Political Power 293 All-India Power Groups 296 Regional Power Groups 300 Relations Between the All-India and Regional Levels 302 Centralisation of Power 305 The Problem with Centralised Power 307 More Power to the States 312 A National People’s Federation 321 What You Can Do 326 Index 334 Written in the voice of the mythical atheist, naysayer, and general all-purpose heretic of Indian philosophy, The Truths and Lies of Nationalism as Narrated by Charvak presents a completely new way of telling the history of Indian nationalism. Severely criticizing the doctrines of both Hindu nationalism and pluralist secularism, it examines the ongoing debates over Indian civilization and recounts in detail how the present borders of India were defined by British colonial policy, the partition of 1947, and the integration of the princely states and the French and Portuguese territories. The emphasis is not so much on the state machinery inherited from colonial times but on the moral foundation of a new republic based on the solidarity of different but equal formations of the people. After a trenchant critique of the present-day conflicts over religion, caste, class, gender, language, and region in India, the book proposes a new politics of revitalized federalism. Intended for a general readership, and eschewing academic jargon, this book will be of interest to anyone concerned about the future of India. Rejects Hindu nationalism and pluralist secularism in favor of a revitalized politics of Indian federalism