Overview
In popular imagination, Lala Lajpat Rai is frequently associated with Bhagat Singh, who, by assassinating J.P. Saunders, avenged Raiā s death, caused by a police lathi charge, and was hanged for it. Lajpat Rai is also remembered for his fervent opposition to British rule.
In recent decades, however, historians have converged with the Hindu Right in rediscovering Lajpat Rai as an ideological ancestor of Hindutva. But what then explains Raiā s wholehearted approval of the Congressā Muslim League cooperation, and attempt to endow Hindus and Muslims with bonds of common belonging? Why did he reinterpret Indiaā s medieval history to highlight peaceful coexistence between Hindus and Muslims? Have our hasty conclusions about Lajpat Raiā s nationalist thought concealed its complexities and distorted our understanding of nationalism in general?
Meticulously researched and eloquently written, Being Hindu, Being Indian offers the first comprehensive examination of Lajpat Raiā s nationalist thought. By revealing the complexities of Raiā s thinking, it provokes us to think more deeply about broader questions relevant to present-day politics: Are all expressions of ā Hindu nationalismā the same as Hindutva? What are the similarities and differences between ā Hinduā and ā Indianā nationalism? Can communalism and secularism be expressed together? How should we understand fluidity in politics? This book invites readers to treat Lajpat Raiā s ideas as a gateway to think more deeply about history, politics, religious identity and nationhood.
This book title, Being Hindu, Being Indian (Lala Lajpat Rai's Ideas of Nationhood), ISBN: 9780670094073, by Vanya Vaidehi Bhargava, published by Penguin Random House India Pvt. Ltd (June 17, 2024) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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