Is Indian abroad a Hindutva Bigot? Prime minister Modi has emboldened Hindu upper-caste NRIs to turn India into a nation of theirs only.
By Ashok Swain ASHOK SWAIN @ashoswai
Indian diaspora is consid- ered as a "model" diaspora group in the West. Many large companies like Microsoft, Nokia and PepsiCo are being run by Indian-origin CEOs. As the Indian community in the West comes of age both in terms of numbers and financial capabili- ties, financial remittances have started flowing to India in a big way. Last year, India received 70 bil- lion dollars as remittances from its diaspora. Not only has India been encouraging financial remittance from its diaspora, but also taking its regular help to promote its interest in foreign capitals. India is home to a vast variety of castes, tribes, communities, reli- gions and languages. Thus, the Indian diaspora is a diverse com- munity representing different regions, languages, cultures and faiths. To mobilise them as a group, increasingly, the role of religion is defining the notion of the Indian diaspora. Not all Indians are Hindus, but almost all Hindus are Indians. So, unlike other world religions, Hinduism is an ethnic religion due to the strong sense of its origin and rootedness in India. Indian diaspora is primarily taking the shape of Hindu diaspo- ra, because most Hindus, no matter where they live, possess a deep, symbolic, special relationship to a spiritual homeland. There are many religious
minorities within overseas Indian communities, but due to the sheer size, a cultural form of Hinduism is being used to describe the Indian diaspora. This identity formation has not been limited to being cul- tural only, it has also been coloured with the political ideology of Hindutva. Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has been directly involved in mobilising Indian dias- pora in different parts of the world. The RSS demands unflinching patriotism and preservation of Hindu culture and its branches outside India are known as Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh. Its chapters in Europe and North America,
PM Narendra Modi meets Indian diaspora in USA Many of these diaspora associ- ations in the West have been rais- ing money to support RSS and its affiliate organisations to wage vio- lence against religious minorities in India. To avoid suspicion, some of them hide themselves as "devel- opment" organisations and use their hostland's aid money to sup- port sectarian programs in India. In spite of Hindus having huge numerical strength and control of political and economic power in India, diaspora groups have developed a myth of Hindus being an oppressed majority in a "secular" state. By playing the "victim" card that Hinduism is in danger from the "secular" forces in India, the diaspora is influenc- ing the homeland politics to pro- mote an aggressive form of Hindu nationalism. Minister Narendra Modi is travelling around the world and publicly addressing large gatherings of Hindu diaspora and extolling them to be an ambassador of the home state. He has been urging them to contribute money, time and techni- cal expertise for his signature pro- grams, particularly the ones with high "Hindu" cultural significance, like "Namami Gange" project. Indian embassies are being encouraged to support and pro- mote activities organised by dias- pora organisers with Hindutva India's Prime
whose mission is to promote Hindu culture, are active in recruit- ing support in various Hindu tem- ples, which have been mushroom- ing in these parts of the world.
66 indiaparentmagazine.org
November 2017
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