For most of the educated or elites of the world, “nationalism” is an ugly word. A word that immediately summons a specter of black and red swastikas or orange skin and blonde toupees. For them, nationalism means an identification with a racial supremacy that excludes and abuses minorities.

But India provides an alternative. A nationalism based on common roots but adorned with the flowers of diversity. Is it possible?

Of the Vedas

Ancient Sanskrit Verses Etched Into Stone

Ekam Sat Viprā Bahudhā Vadanti – Truth is one, the wise know it by many names.

— Rig Veda (1.164.46)

There it is. The source of thousands of years of Indian pluralism. And the biggest case against a monolithic “white nationalism” type of ideology in India.

Almost every single indigenous culture, philosophy, and ideology of the subcontinent can trace their origins or heavy influence to the Vedas first sung on the rivers of northern India. Multiple sages composed the Vedas signifying a beginning of thought diversity and compromise. As the message of the Vedas spread throughout India, different regions would sprout different interpretations, practices, and traditions surrounding these Vedas. Even new religions that rebelled against the Vedic priesthood such as Jainism and Buddhism would have instances where they would claim that they were speaking to the true meaning of the Vedas while the Brahmins had distorted them.

The Vedas would be followed with 13 Mukhya Upanishads, 18 Puranas, 2 Itihasic Epics – the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and hundreds of more scriptures, commentaries, and critiques. Not to mention the great traditions of Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism that can be traced to Vedic philosophy.

Challenge, difference, and reformation were integral to Indian thought. With these concepts, pluralism became a bedrock for Indian civilization, more than any other on the planet.

Saints and visionaries traveled the breadth of India spreading their views to diverse peoples and cultures. The most pivotal example of this would be the journey of Adi Shankara across the subcontinent, establishing 4 monasteries in the 4 corners of India. Reformations such as Vedanta and Bhakti were nurtured in South India, but jettisoned north to influence every single Indian.

Yet while philosophical differences were accepted, the ancients always recognized the integrity of the subcontinent, referring to it as Bhārata. What was south of the Himalayas and north of the Indian Ocean became an idea – a united India.

Models

All across ancient India, pillars were erected to signal the reign of Ashoka. These Ashokan pillars would become the national emblem of India thousands of years later. But near or on these pillars was something a bit more subtle yet interesting – written ideals of Ashoka. These Edicts of Ashoka were inscriptions extolling the virtues of Dharma, tolerance, pluralism, and nonviolence. They were written in Brahmi, Kharoshti, Greek, and Aramaic scripts, further solidifying the universality of Ashoka’s Indian ethos.

Rulers across India would freely give patronage and honor to Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains with disregard of sectarian differences. Buddhas would be seen in Hindu temples, Indra in Buddhist temples, and various gods and goddesses in Jain temples. Pluralism was being strengthened through sculpture. Minor squabbles of course came about but nothing to the scale of the Protestant-Catholic wars or Sunni-Shia conflicts.

India’s religious pluralism would soon be shocked by the stringent radical Islam carried by many Islamic invaders; but one should also recognize the immense tolerance shown by the Mughal, Akbar, in his later life, while Dara Shikoh went one step further writing a treatise, Majma-ul-Bahrain (The Mingling of Oceans) on the similarities of Hinduism and Islam. Dara realized the unmistakable parallels between Vedanta and Sufism, winning the hearts of millions of Indians with his pluralism. Unfortunately, Dara’s execution by his fanatical and usurping brother, Aurangzeb, would silence his devotion to India’s pluralism.

Statue of Shivaji with a Maratha Flag

With the rise of Aurangzeb’s darkness, Shivaji’s light came to meet it. Shivaji’s Maratha Empire would go on to devestate the Mughals as Shivaji dreamed of a Hind Swaraj – self rule by India’s indigenous Hindus and defeat of the foreign persecutors, the Mughals. However, Shivaji did not enact vengeance on Muslims for the centuries of oppression that the Mughals poured onto the Hindus. Shivaji saw Hinduism and Islam as 2 different strokes of paint on the canvas of God’s art. He invoked unity and kept Muslims as high commanders and saw them as equals. Indeed, it can be argued that Shivaji’s idea of Hind Swaraj is the direct predecessor for the free India of 1947.

One should also not forget the great Sikh Gurus and their Khalsa descendants who upheld the ancient Dharmic ideals of pluralism. Hindu Punjabi families would give their first born sons to became Sikhs and soldiers against the Mughal tyranny. Maharaja Ranjit Singh went so far as to repair and ornament Hindu temples such as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which is adorned with golden shikhars donated by Ranjit Singh.

When fanaticism swept India, pluralism always pushed back.

A Tryst With Destiny

In the 20th century, differing ideologies and peoples across the subcontinent converged on a single goal – India’s independence. Another fruition of the Vedas’ ancient maxim, Ekam Sat.

From Jawaharlal Nehru to Sardar Patel, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh, from Maulana Azad to Bhimrao Ambedkar could be arguably called nationalists. They differed in their individual ideologies greatly, contrasting socialism, capitalism, secularism, religiosity, etc… but all converged on Indian Nationalism.

But nationalism would fall out of fashion for decades in India, until blatant minority appeasement and blind eye to issues dear to Hindus exploded in the late 1980s. With the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and Ram Janmabhoomi movement, a resurgent Hindu nationalism took the center stage in India. It derived from the Hindutva ideologies based on various independence age leaders, but especially of Veer Savarkar, a contemporary of Gandhi who wrote down basic principles of Hindutva in his book, Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?

While a virulent form of Hindutva manifested at times since, an increasingly Ekam Sat version has been arising in recent years. With Vajpayee’s rise and vision as Prime Minister, the spark of this pluralistic nationalism was fanned once again. Manmohan Singh’s tenure increased its popularity even further as a large backlash against Sonia Gandhi’s interference, appeasement, and corruption would catapult Modi into power in 2014.

With the spread of the internet and social media, millions of Indians would move past much of the Marxist and colonial education they were taught; and they would soon discover a non-white washed version of Indian history, as past atrocities against Hindus were resurfaced. Social media broke the stranglehold of an increasingly compromised Indian media and spread the idea of nationalism across India.

But Hindutva has started to increasingly tilt to Indian rather than Hindu nationalism. Modi’s first term saw him constantly talk of inclusivity, admonish bigots and vigilantes, as well as use massive welfare initiatives to benefits India’s poorest and minorities. With an even bigger mandate in 2019, Modi decided not to aggressively gloat about a victory for Hindus but instead urged integration and trust building with minorities. It increasingly seems that Hindutva is about honoring a shared past, equality in law, and unity in pluralism rather than a violent saffron revolution that its adversaries paint its future as.

A New Hope

While many civilizations and nations have displayed pluralism in history, what is so profound about Indian pluralism is its consistency, geographic spread, and time tested demonstration. Whether this is due to the subcontinent’s terrain, abundance of resources, or simply its ancient values, India’s pluralism is a shining light in a world increasingly mired by the darkness of division.

India’s future must invoke this pluralism if its nationalism is going to survive. Diversity of language, culture, and beliefs should be respected as long as they demonstrate mutual respect back. This means that religious extremism, regionalism, casteism, and narrow mindedness should all be curtailed and admonished.

Ideologies come in many different shades of the same color. Saffron has been the holiest color in India’s ancient civilization. It must be clear that saffron is to be honored through ideals such as compassion, empathy, bravery, and pluralism rather than muddied by ugly attitudes such as fanaticism, discrimination, and supremacy. The only supremacy concerning saffron should be one to have supremacy over ego, attachment, hate, greed, etc… For that was the original idea of the saffron robes of the ancients.

Ideology in Action

India’s pluralistic nationalism, Hindutva, Indian nationalism, saffronization, or whatever you want to call it has a number of individuals to draw inspiration from. But the one we should look at the most is Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Vajpayee’s BJP nominated the humble, brilliant, and an epitome of pluralism in Abdul Kalam as president in 2002.

Kalam was a devout Tamil Muslim who had intense pride and appreciation for India. While Kalam prayed towards the sands of Mecca 5 times a day, he would remember the soil of India every time. He frequently participated in functions and rituals of all religions in India but never would compromise his Indianess for any religion. He was well versed in both the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita. He loved pan-Indian literature just as much as he loved his Tamil Classics. He was an avid poet as well as a brilliant scientist.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in 2008

Kalam melded India’s time honored tradition of spirituality and science. He was truly a modern day rishi. He was a pragmatic and foresighted proponent of India’s defense and space future as he oversaw India’s nuclear and space programs. His famous quote “strength respects strength” would echo across a nation where sometimes naive degrees of non-violence would be propagated, much to the detriment of a country in such a tough neighborhood.

Kalam could be described as a true nationalist, a secularist, a scientist, a spiritual master, a Dharmic, a Muslim, and indeed a true Indian.

His final book before his death would detail his spiritual journey and penultimate message to the world. Kalam would describe the beauty of Hinduism and Islam in a similar manner as Shivaji did hundreds of years ago. He revealed his deep reverence and spiritual awakening with his Hindu guru; someone he described as his ultimate teacher and who put him in a “God-synchronous orbit,” again true to his rishi like demeanor. Kalam’s departing gift to the world would be an ode to India’s spirituality, science, and unity.

In Kalam, we see a positive future for India’s majority and minorities. Kalam moved beyond a sometimes tense idea of “tolerance” to a loving idea of mutual respect. We see pluralism within nationalism in Kalam, something that all Indians should imbibe for a bright future ahead.