HVK Archives: A strong Hindu response to historical humilation
A strong Hindu response to historical humilation - Afternoon (Excerpts from Los Angeles Times)
V. S. Naipaul
()
29 June 1996
Title : A strong Hindu response to historical humiliation
Author : V. S. Naipaul
Publication : Afternoon (Excerpts from Los Angeles Times)
Date : June 29, 1996
INDIA was trampled over, fought over.You had the
invasions and you had the absence of a response to them.
There was an absence even of the idea of a people, of a
nation defending itself. Only now are people beginning to
understand that there has been a great vandalizing of
India.
In pre-industrial India, people moved about in small
areas, unaware of the dimension of the country, without
any notion of nation. People seemed to say: We are all
right here. The rest of the world may be disastrous, but
we are not affected. Now, however things seem to be
changing. What is happening in India is a mighty,
creative process. Indian intellectuals, who want to be
secure in their liberal beliefs, may not understand what
is going on.
But every other Indian knows precisely what is
happening: Deep down he knows that a larger response is
emerging to their historical humiliation.
The new Hindu attitude, the new sens of history being
attained by Hindus, is not like Mohammedan
fundamentalism. Which is essentially a negative, last-
ditch effort to fight against a world it desperately
wishes to join.
The movement is now from below. It has to be dealt with.
It is not enough to abuse these youths or use that
fashionable word from Europe, 'fascism',
There is a big, historical development going on in India.
Wise men should understand it and ensure that it does not
remain in the hands of fanatics.
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