Tuhin Sinha
To understand the significance of December 13, 2021, in India's history, one will have to travel back 2-3 decades. Through the 1990s and 2000s, we have witnessed a growing young population that seemed increasingly dispassionate and ignorant of our religious and cultural legacy. The reasons were many. One, it was unfashionable for the political leadership of the country to talk about or ignite interest in our ancient cultural legacy; two, the left-liberal historians had ensured that our history books decorated Mughal invaders; three, India was witnessing first-generation nuclear families, where the parents were too busy making ends meet, to be able to find time to indulge their children with religion, culture or history. The result was obvious: an increasing number of atheists and an equally increasing number of dispassionate, unaware followers who tried to keep age old traditions alive with reduced fervour.
In the last seven years, though, things have changed miraculously. And at the core of this change lies the unapologetic, proud espousal of Hindu cultural identity by PM Modi. The best manifestation of this sea change was visible in PM Modi's inauguration of the renovated Kashi Vishwanath Mandir complex and corridor to the Ganga on Monday morning.
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Kashi is a microcosm not only of the country but of the entire cosmos itself. Modi's makeover of the Mandir, the third in history after Rani Ahilyabai Holkar in 1780 and Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1835, is by far the grandest, expanding a less than 3,000 sq ft temple into a 5.5 lakh sq ft complex, which can accommodate up to 1,00,000 pilgrims at a time. That this humungous project was completed in record time of less than three years and involves no legal dispute sets a new benchmark. The entire process has led to 43 smaller temples being retrieved and restored. For a country that has witnessed the destruction of 40,000 temples by invaders, the restoration of 43 in one day is no small feat.
Apart from the inauguration of the renovated Kashi Vishwanath Mandir complex, it was the deft political messaging by PM Modi in his speech that should equally be etched in India's political memory.
VIRASAT AND VIKAS CAN CO-EXIST
In other words, Hindutva and development are not mutually exclusive; rather they complement each other. It is, in fact, our cultural ethos that fuels our governance ethics. Right through the pandemic, the Modi government has set a new pace of infrastructure creation, led the global fight against Covid, while also ensuring that India is the world's fastest-growing large economy. The pandemic also witnessed the completion of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, renovation of Kedarnath Dham and an expeditious start to the Ramjanmbhoomi temple in Ayodhya. A friend of mine messaged me yesterday: Every year haj and umra brings usd12-15bn to Saudi. Can we target at least this much for Kashi?
That is the idea. Eventually a day should come where a mammoth pan-India corridor connects all 12 jyotirlings and India is the hub of global cultural tourism. Our cultural prowess would then be an equal ally along with our emerging economic might, in elevating us to being a true vishwaguru.
‘FOR EVERY AURANGZEB, THIS SOIL PRODUCES SHIVAJIS'
This was a decisive and well-thought-of proclamation by PM Modi. After all, on a day of reclamation and restoration, it is only apt to call out the destroyer. It is a recorded fact that the worst desecration of Hindu pride was unleashed in the years of Aurangzeb (1658-1707), Kashi having witnessed the carnage in 1669. “Secular” PMs in the past have embraced unexplained burden of being respectful to invaders. Clearly, PM Modi feels no such obligation.
A day before PM's speech, Rahul Gandhi had demonised Hindutva, harping ad nauseam on his imagined differences between being a Hindu and a Hindutvawadi. Immediately after the PM's speech, Akhilesh Yadav virtually wished death upon him. No points for guessing thus, who are the contemporary Aurangzebs and Shivaji.
This obvious and well-manifested distinction between Shivaji and Aurangzeb, in our present political context, will rightly influence our choices as a nation, in the years ahead. The cultural revivalism has equally led to the younger generation developing new interest in mythology and reading up the Vedas and other religious books.
(This article is authored by Tuhin A Sinha, an author and BJP spokesperson. All views are personal)
