Hindutva Ideology: A Challenge to Stay Relevant in 2024

OutlookIndia

The ideology of Hindutva, once a dominant force in 'New India', is now facing a critical challenge. This ideology, deeply rooted in the cultural and political landscape of India, has been instrumental in shaping the nation's identity. However, as we approach 2024, questions arise about its relevance and survival. Hindutva, which once signified the 'end of ideology', now appears more exhausted than exhaustive, more authoritarian than authoritative, and more aggressive than authentic. The ideology, which successfully connected to a civilisational sub-conscious and brought a sense of continuity and memory of pride and historical injury together, is now grappling with a faltering economy and reinforced prejudices. The ideology's success was in its ability to match the 'cultural turn' rather than project itself as an exclusive political force. However, it now seems to have hit a dead-end at both ends of the spectrum. Its economic programme is not providing the promised mobility, and its cultural agenda is coming across as commonality without solidarity. As we move closer to the general elections of 2024, the future of Hindutva hangs in the balance. Will it survive? Will it reinvent itself? Or will it become more civil in India and paradoxically get a fresh breath of life? These are the questions that will be relevant in 2024, irrespective of the electoral outcome.  Read the article: https://www.outlookindia.com/national/will-hindutva-survive-after-2024  #Hindutava #LokSabhaElections #Ideology  Follow Us Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/ X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia

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00:00 Outlook brings to you excerpts from its latest issue titled Cinema Politico.

00:06 The issue explores politics and cinema and the ever-blurring lines between the two.

00:12 Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a slew of propaganda movies have hit the big screen and OTT platforms amid much criticism and approach,

00:22 while many more films are slated to release in the coming weeks, stirring even a bigger debate.

00:28 The latest issue of Outlook looks at the genre of nationalist and propaganda films in the Indian context

00:35 and also continues with the exploration of the ideology question in the context of upcoming general elections.

00:42 Both themes are contextual and linked in many ways.

00:47 Ideology by Dilip Simian, a public intellectual and scholar of history of labour.

00:53 He explores how public opinion will never be devoid of ideology by recalling certain historical events,

01:01 locating the presence of ideology in them and in the way they are understood.

01:06 Waiting. Are we in a post-ideological age? No, we are submerged in it.

01:14 The term post-truth is merely an example of the impact of ideology on our speech habits.

01:21 What does it mean? We can approach the meaning of the term ideology by recalling certain historical events,

01:28 locating the presence of ideology in them and in the way they are understood.

01:34 But we need to be cautious. The self-image and justifications of rulers across the world are certainly weakening.

01:43 Their proclamations carry less conviction.

01:46 We could call this ideological implosion, a phenomenon indicated by names such as the USSR, Brexit, Zionism and MAGA.

01:57 Establishments are grappling with self-made crisis.

02:02 This does not signify the end of ideology.

02:05 It shows us that faced with political disintegration, rulers are ramping up hateful and militarist propaganda.

02:14 Now, ideologies which celebrate violence can unleash a reckless momentum that can be very dangerous.

02:22 I call this tendency nihilist because the term has the same root as annihilation.

02:29 Turning points. On 20th June 1791, France's monarchs attempted to flee from Paris towards the German border.

02:38 They were recognized and arrested at the village of Venice, not far from their destination.

02:45 The crucial factor was the slow movement of their coach, heavy with the Queen's possessions.

02:52 Their arrest ended the chances of a limited monarchy and strengthened the proponents of republicanism.

02:59 It also led eventually to their execution.

03:03 On November 7, 1917, the Bolshevik Party seized power in Russia in the name of the working class.

03:12 Soon after, 44 million Russians voted for a Constituent Assembly, a long-awaited milestone for Russian democracy.

03:21 But the results did not give Lenin's party a dominant position.

03:26 When it met on January 5, 1918, the members refused Lenin's demand that they limit their own power.

03:34 On January 6, the Assembly was forcibly dissolved, thus ending the possibilities of a moderate turn in Russian history and igniting a bloody civil war.

03:47 The whole affair was an ideological contest about the legitimate representation of Russian workers and the Russian people.

03:55 people.

03:56 For this and more, read the latest issue of Outlook.

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