Author Description

Religious revivalism or Hindutva as it is known - has the dimensions of s sustained movement with ambitions of political and cultural reform. Its rheotric of Hindu supremacy, virulent with the demonization of minorities and exaggerated threats to national identity, resonates among many memebrs of the conservative upper and middle classes. This growing grassroots support has emboldened the movement and placed its ideologies into public office, from local government to Parliament.Most nationalists are organized into political, cultural and social organizations. The first Hindutva organisation formed was the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, founded in 1925. A prominent Indian political party, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is closely associated with a group of organisations that advocate Hindutva. They collectively refer to themselves as the "Sangh Parivar" or family of associations, and include the Rashriya Swayamsevak angh (RSS), Bajrang Dal and the Vishva Hindu Parishad.