Soul and Sword - by Hindol Sengupta (Hardcover)

About the Book

This is the first comprehensive history of political Hinduism from its inception to the present day. Booklist says, "Sengupta has written an in-depth study of the development of political Hinduism in India.... Readers of history, religion, and politics and with interest in Ind...

Book Synopsis

This is the first comprehensive history of political Hinduism from its inception to the present day. Booklist says, "Sengupta has written an in-depth study of the development of political Hinduism in India.... Readers of history, religion, and politics and with interest in India and its role in the world will find this detailed work appealing."

Review Quotes

Given the inherently polarizing nature of this topic, Soul and Sword is a refreshingly even-handed account of a complex movement, made up of many ideological strands. Perhaps this book's most important contribution is its account of the widespread popularity of this movement in India today.

Hindol Sengupta has authored a long overdue book. By situating political Hinduism in its long intellectual history he offers invaluable perspective and historical context. It will be welcomed by even those who disagree with his narrative on a controversial topic. It highlights changes with deep roots, which cannot be dismissed as transient.

Sengupta has written an in-depth study of the development of political Hinduism in India. Looking at India's history, he shows how Hindus resisted the Mughals and British and argues convincingly that it was in the early nineteenth century that several Hindu thinkers started developing political Hinduism as a spiritual, political, cultural, and economic force. He surveys the development of this movement by its major leaders such as Vivekananda, Savarkar, and Mookerjee and discusses the concept of Hindutva. He also considers how the movement used Hindu sources such as its scriptures, epics, and Sanskrit to reestablish Indian identity. He traces developments in India up to the present with the rise of PM Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the concept of India as a civilizational state with the goal of being a world teacher. He also indicates that political Hinduism is seen as a third way between the globalization of the West and communism, both of which are viewed as materialistic. Readers of history, religion, and politics and with interest in India and its role in the world will find this detailed work appealing.

The book Soul and Sword: The Endless Battle over Political Hinduism is a riveting, soul-searching narrative of India's journey toward self-discovery. Hindol Sengupta makes an exceptional contribution to countering colonial misconceptions of India through masterful analysis of twentieth-century Indian thinkers, Vivekananda, Aurobindo, and more. Hindol Sengupta brings the necessary clarity to the subject of political Hinduism which had been distorted through partisan speculation. Political Hinduism also referred to as Hindutva occupies contemporary political discussions which frequently devolve into name-calling using the word Hindutva, as a pejorative. Dispelling misconceptions on Hindutva Hindol demonstrates the cultural and social aspects of political Hinduism, which is not merely political in nature, but deeply entrenched within the history of India. The Soul and Sword is a refreshing new work on modern India combining captivating narration with deep analysis that is a must-read for everyone.

The terrain of political Hinduism is so vast that it requires a skilled researcher and writer like Hindol Sengupta to sift and produce a coherent narrative. Written in a very engaging style, the book teases out various strands and weaves them together, resulting in a compelling and readable book.

About the Author

Hindol Sengupta is an award-winning author of ten books. He won the Wilbur Award in 2018 for Being Hindu: Understanding a Peaceful Path in a Violent World, the first book on Hinduism to win the prestigious prize given by The Religion Communicators Council of America. In India, he has wonthe Valley of Words prize for The Man Who Saved India, the Kalinga Literature Festival award for Sing, Dance and Pray, and the PSF prize for public service through writing. He has been shortlisted for the Hayek Prize given by the Manhattan Institute in memory of the Nobel laureate economist F. A. Hayek for Recasting India. He has been a Chevening Scholar at the University of Oxford, a Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and has a doctorate from the Geneva School of Diplomacy. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. He has been a senior journalist at the Indian edition of Fortune magazine, Bloomberg TV, CNBC and CNN. This is his 11th book.