The author gratefully acknowledges the editorial team of Garuda Prakashan for their useful suggestions for improvements to the original draft of the manuscript. The author also acknowledges the contributions of his wife Pushpa and son Gaurav by way of suggestions and ideas during the writing of this book, and for their patient proof reading of several drafts to make the final manuscript as error free as possible.
One of the enduring paradoxes post the Partition of India is this: After six centuries of oppressive Muslim rule and decades of Hindu-Muslim conflict leading to division of the motherland, the natural corollary would have been Hindu consolidation as a bulwark against history repeating itself. However, nothing of the sort happened. Despite losing a substantial portion of their ancient motherland in the Partition, Hindus moved on as if nothing extraordinary had occurred. Why? Several reasons may help explain this collective amnesia:
1. Effect of Slavery Itself
There is a term Stockholm Syndrome which is used to describe a psychological condition in which a captive develops a grudging admiration for their captor. At its core, it reflects a dynamic where the weak stand in awe of the powerful. What holds true for individuals can also apply to entire societies. After enduring six centuries of Muslim rule, followed by two centuries of British domination, it is hardly surprising that Hindu society internalized a deep sense of inferiority and powerlessness vis-à-vis the 'other.'
2. Self-Doubt About the Glory of Our Ancient Culture, Civilization, and Religion.
Most Hindus came to resemble the descendants of a once-great lineage, now fallen on hard times. There lingered a vague but persistent awareness that they hailed from an ancient civilization with a luminous past. Yet, the relentless traumas of the preceding 800 years had sown deep seeds of self-doubt: If we were truly so great, why were we unable to defend ourselves against foreign invaders? Some of our political leaders contributed to this sense of self doubt in no small measure. Chief among them was India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who made no secret of his disdain for what he dismissively termed 'Hindu revivalism.' Curiously, this aversion was never directed at the revivalism of other faiths. His selective secularism only deepened the disconnect between a newly independent nation and its civilizational roots.
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