Donning a hand-made ‘Chola Dora’ gifted by women from
Himachal’s Chamba for Kedareshwar darshan besides keeping up the promise of
wearing it in a cold region, Prime Minister Modi forged a ‘special connect’
with the pahadis of Uttarakhand during his two-day visit to the region. Etched
with fine embroidery work of swastika and mor pankh on the back,
the symbols had a special message to signify. Of late, Western intellectuals
have deceitfully abused swastika as the Hakenfrauz, the hooked
cross of Nazi Germany. Hindus in America fought tooth and nail against the
criminalization of the most auspicious swastika. By proudly flaunting a swastika,
Modi has paralyzed the orchestrated campaign of its portrayal as a hate symbol.
The global ‘Hinduphobia’ is rearing its ugly fangs offering
cover to targeted attacks against Hindus using the faux distinction between
Hinduism and Hindutva. Several states in the US -California, Texas, Florida,
New Jersey, Ohio, and Massachusetts declared October as “Hindu Heritage Month”
recognising the great contributions of Hinduism. New York schools have
announced a holiday for Diwali. Concomitantly, the blatant anti-Hindu Teaneck
Democrats Resolution pandering to Muslims warns of the burgeoning rise of
‘Hinduphobia’.
Amid these threats, the Indian government’s inadequate
holding up has caused some valid disappointment. Indeed, even Hindus in India, the supposed
numerical majority share similar frustration with the current dispensation
cliched as “Hindu Nationalist government”. This displeasure is exacerbated by
the government’s inability in bringing out concrete legislation that safeguards
their rights, temples and institutions. Instead of constitutional remedies,
Prime Minister Modi is going all guns blazing by pushing the idea of a ‘New India’.
Rooting this idea by internationalising Yoga as an Indian Knowledge
System, Modi has laid the ground in the first term. Swiftly changing gears, in
the second term, the Modi government began making an accelerated push for
cultural revivalism.
Modi kickstarted cultural rejuvenation by laying the
foundation stone of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Vistarikaran and Soudaryakaran
Yojana on March 19th, 2019 and stated “this project will
become a model for similar projects elsewhere, and would give a new global
identity to Kashi”1. Inaugurating the renovated temple
corridor over two years later, Modi highlighted, “the new complex of
Vishwanath Dham is not just a grand building. It is a symbol of the Sanatana
culture of India. It is a symbol of our spiritual soul. This is a symbol of
India’s antiquity, traditions, energy and dynamism. At the Vishwanath Dham
complex, we can see a glimpse of how antiquity and novelty are coming alive
together, how the inspirations of the ancient are giving directions to the
future”2.
The underlying spirit and yearning desire for bringing about
cultural revivalism were pregnant in Modi’s address. In fact, he reiterated a
similar thought at the propitious Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya
in August 2020. Expressing delight over the Ram Janma Bhoomi becoming
free “from centuries old-chain of destruction and resurrection”, he
said, the temple “will symbolise our eternal hope. It will epitomise our
national feeling. The temple will be the emblem of the collective willpower of
millions of people. This shrine would inspire hope, devotion, and determination
in the minds of future generations”3.
In fact, while each of these events certainly made a mark in
terms of the optics and yielding political currency, the consistent attempts,
and a conviction to restore past glory to these places of immense spiritual and
religious significance were undeniable. Unveiling the statue of Adi Shankara
Statue at Kedarnath in 2021, Modi who always took a special interest in
building back Kedarnath, post devastating 2013 floods, remarked, “people who
used to come here used to say that will this, our Kedar Dham, stand up again?
But my inner voice was saying that it will stand with more pride than ever
before”4.
By installing the statue of Adi Shankaracharya who steered the
renaissance of Sanatana Dharma, Modi not only resurrected the tradition but
attempted to restore the glory of the Jyotirling. His spiritual voyage to
Kedarnath Dham and overnight stay in the meditation cave has solidified his
legacy as an “unapologetic Hindu”.
While political analysts would dismiss these as optics and
Modi baiters brand it as symbolism, inexorably, through a slew of reclamation
and renovation projects of temples, Modi is slowly pushing the idea of an India
that is keen on asserting its identity in toto while aspiring to reach the
pinnacles of economic development and modernity. Replete with leaders who were
averse to flaunting their Sanatana identity, by wearing religion on his
sleeves, Modi stood out for embracing religiosity in its entirety.
In June, Modi unfurled a flag on the refurbished Kali Mata
temple in Gujarat’s Pavagada. The temple fell into disrepair as the dargah
stood atop of the temple for the past 500 years. By amicably shifting the
dargah to a different place, the temple was restored to full glory. Hoisting
the flag Modi said, “you can imagine that the flag was not hoisted on the
summit of Maa Kali till after five centuries and even after 75 years of Independence.
Today the flag is once again hoisted on the summit of the Pavagadh temple after
centuries. It is also a symbol of the fact that centuries change, eras change,
but the peak of faith remains eternal”5.
Modi government’s genuine interest, enthusiasm, and conviction
towards the revival and refurbishment of temple corridors are in stark contrast
to the episodic temple run of seasonal politicians. Undoubtedly, while PM Modi
must have accrued ample political mileage with his temple visits, there is an
iota of truth when he said, temples suffered neglect, “due to the
selfishness of the previous governments”.
Modi’s fronting of temples has another important facet to
it. Inaugurating the first phase of the Mahakal Lok Complex, of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling,
Ujjain, Modi rightly recalled the importance of the ancient town of Avantika (present-day
Ujjain) saying, “Ujjain has led India’s wealth and prosperity, knowledge,
and dignity, civilization and literature of thousands of years”. Traditionally,
Ujjain is among the most sacred seven cities or Sapta Puri – Avantika,
Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kanchi, Kashi, and Dwarka of India. Astronomically,
Ujjain is the centre of India and the abode of Mahakaleshwar, the
personification of time. He added, “the cultural splendour of a nation
becomes vast only when the flag of its success flutters on the world map. And,
to reach the pinnacle of success, it is also necessary that the nation touches
its cultural heights and should stand proudly with its identity”.
In more than seven decades of India’s independence,
political dispensations never took pride in openly celebrating, revering, and honoring
the legacy of India and seldom prided in its glory. Ensnared by a narrative
that belittled anything indigenous, the country had disowned its legacy at its
own peril. Indian civilisation thrived for thousands of years due to the
continuity of its tradition, values, culture, and above all spiritual
confidence. India’s identity is its civilisational values. A pride in this
identity can be restored through a cultural resurrection.
Exhorting India to “liberate from the mentality of
slavery”, Modi added, “I believe that this development of our
Jyotirlings is the development of India’s spiritual light, the development of
India’s knowledge and philosophy. This cultural philosophy of India is again
reaching the summit and getting ready to guide the world”6.
From the ramparts of Red Fort, Modi pronounced “panch
prans” in the “Amrit Kaal of Independence”. Liberation from the colonial
mindset is among them. Modi’s vision for cultural resurrection and revamp of
civilizational ethos is part of this larger vision. Amalgamating the larger
project of redevelopment of temples as a sure shot to accelerate religious
tourism, the Modi government is adeptly creating a churn in the Indian society,
that is levitating them to reclaim their identity.
Under the Parvatamala yojana, the Modi government has
consolidated the temple revival plans with infrastructure development as in the
case of Chardham connectivity projects. Unequivocally enunciating that,
“pride in our heritage and all possible effort for development are the two
major pillars for the developed India of the 21st Century”, Modi
on his recent visit to Badrinath and Kedarnath, to lay the foundation stone for
the Kedarnath and Hemkund ropeway construction said, “the dilapidated
condition of these shrines was a clear sign of the slavery mentality”7.
Modi’s energetic participation in deepotsav at
Ayodhya, commemorating Deepavali is in sharp contrast to previous leaderships
that shunned all kinds of religious and cultural symbolisms. The plethora of
reclamation and redevelopment efforts are assuming enormous significance in
terms of awakening the Sanatani cultural spirit crushed by centuries of
invasions, slavery, and despotism. Analysts label this new shift in the course
as “cultural nationalism”, in fact, this cultural resurrection has been a
cornerstone of Modi’s diplomacy and outreach.
Invoking cultural, religious and historical connections and
strengthening religious identity, Modi made temple darshans an integral part of
his itinerary during State visits. His sojourns to Nepal, Sri Lanka on the eve
of Buddha Jayanti celebrations, huge public addresses commemorating Diwali eve,
and the unmissable interactions with the religious heads of various faiths
during foreign visits, largely herald Modi’s sagacious wisdom of investing in
India’s cultural heritage to resurrect its pride and identity. In the process,
he aspires to inculcate a new spirit of respect towards Indian civilisation,
infuse confidence and usher the nation towards self-reliance.
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