Why read The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions?

Book cover of The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions

Book description

This volume studies how a dominant strand of Hinduism in north India--the tradition which uses and misuses the slogan "Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan"--came into being in the late nineteenth century. It examines the life and writings of one major Hindi writer of the nineteenth century--the playwright, journalist, and polemicist Bharatendu Harishchandra (often called…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Charu Gupta

Author

I loved this book because it nuanced my understanding of how modern Hindu identity was manufactured through Hindi literature in the literary salons and polemics of nineteenth-century Banaras. Dalmia’s intricate study of the life and writings of Bharatendu Harischandra, a colorful and creative personality and often called the Father of Modern Hindi, impacted me strongly.

Here was a writer, playwright, publisher, and polemicist who played a critical role in the formation of Hindu modernity in North India. I also find the book interesting for its description of social history, rooted in the ancient city of Banaras.

From Charu's list on The best books on the construction of Hindu nationalism and print-public discourse in colonial India.