Globalization in India

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Globalizing Hinduism, Hinduizing India: The Paradoxical Purposes of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad

Tapan Basu

In recent years, the Hindu nationalist movement in India has been assiduously attempting to obtain for itself a global reach beyond its Indian roots. The climax of this phase of the so-called Hindutva or Hinduness enterprise was arrived at nine months after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which translates into the World Hindu Council, successfully demolished the Babri Masjid (Mosque) in Ayodhya. The mosque was constructed, according to the VHP, on the birth-spot of the Hindu god, Lord Ram. In September 1993 the VHP in America held the conference Global Vision 2000 in Washington D.C. The conference was ostensibly organized to commemorate ...