P Saunders avenged Rai s death caused by a police lathi charge and was hanged for it Lajpat Rai is also remembered for his fervent opposition to British rule In recent decades however historians have converged with the Hindu Right in rediscovering Lajpat Rai as an ideological ancestor of Hindutva But what then explains Rai s wholehearted approval of Congress Muslim League cooperation and attempt to endow Hindus and Muslims with bonds of common belonging Why did he reinterpret India s medieval history to highlight peaceful coexistence between Hindus and Muslims Have our hasty conclusions about Lajpat Rai s nationalist thought concealed its complexities and distorted our understanding of nationalism in general Meticulously researched and eloquently written Being Hindu Being Indian offers the first comprehensive examination of Lajpat Rai s nationalist thought By revealing the complexities of Rai s thinking it provokes us to think deeply about broader questions relevant to present day Are all expressions of Hindu nationalism the same as Hindutva What are the similarities and differences between Hindu and Indian nationalism Can communalism and secularism be expressed together How should we understand fluidity in politics This book invites readers to treat Lajpat Rai s ideas as a gateway to think deeply about history politics religious identity and nationhood Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood
A Sliver of the Past Review of Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood Being Hindi Being Indian by Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav explores the ideas and ideology of Lala Lajpat Rai and their confluence with Hindu right She writes that In popular imagination Lajpat Rai one of the giants of the anti colonial struggle is always linked to Bhagat Singh It was to avenge his death that Bhagat Singh assassinated Saunders an act for which he was hanged Lajpat Rai in the mind of the public is almost always remembered as a great leader who sacrificed his life for the nation falling victim as he did to a brutal assault by lathi wielding agents of the British colonial state. The author writes that she hopes to not only tell the story of the ideas of Lajpat Rai but also convey some sense of how complex history can be It is not about determining who the hero was and who the villain Events have not only one person or community to blame they do not have one cause but many As a working rule the complex the explanation or story the you may trust it History teaches that we may need to acknowledge that those we admire can be deeply flawed and that even those we thoroughly dislike may have once done some good. Part 1 highlights the nationalist narratives articulated by Lajpat Rai in the first two decades of his political life the 1880s through the 1890s Part 2 unveils the nationalist narratives elaborated by Lajpat Rai between 1900 and 1915 Part 3 follows Lajpat Rai s discourse on the nation between 1915 and 1922 Part 4 focuses on the post Khilafat period that saw galloping mistrust between Hindu and Muslim leaders and the eruption of violent riots at the popular level Do read it if you want your history accessible and interesting Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood The book was truly unable to choose between being academic and being popular It often tends to be too detailed with its basics for an academic work and also too abstract in parts for a popular appeal It is very critical at times but sometimes unnecessarily sparing And somewhere the book seems to believe in some degree of exceptionality for Lajpat Rai Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood Explores Lala Lajpat Rai s complex nationalist ideology influenced by his relationship with Bhagat Singh and the Hindu Right Reveals the complexities of Rai s worldview prompting readers to reevaluate their views on Hinduism and Indian nationalism Deviates from standard narratives portraying Rai as a character with views beyond easy categorization Explores Rai s support for Congress Muslim League cooperation and his rewriting of India s medieval history to emphasize Hindu Muslim unity Encourages readers to analyze the fluidity and growth of political ideas in early twentieth century India Highlights Rai s intellectual and political accomplishments providing a relevant study of his continued importance in current debate Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood
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A Sliver of the Past Review of Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood Being Hindi Being Indian by Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav explores the ideas and ideology of Lala Lajpat Rai and their confluence with Hindu right She writes that In popular imagination Lajpat Rai one of the giants of the anti colonial struggle is always linked to Bhagat Singh It was to avenge his death that Bhagat Singh assassinated Saunders an act for which he was hanged Lajpat Rai in the mind of the public is almost always remembered as a great leader who sacrificed his life for the nation falling victim as he did to a brutal assault by lathi wielding agents of the British colonial state. The author writes that she hopes to not only tell the story of the ideas of Lajpat Rai but also convey some sense of how complex history can be It is not about determining who the hero was and who the villain Events have not only one person or community to blame they do not have one cause but many As a working rule the complex the explanation or story the you may trust it History teaches that we may need to acknowledge that those we admire can be deeply flawed and that even those we thoroughly dislike may have once done some good. Part 1 highlights the nationalist narratives articulated by Lajpat Rai in the first two decades of his political life the 1880s through the 1890s Part 2 unveils the nationalist narratives elaborated by Lajpat Rai between 1900 and 1915 Part 3 follows Lajpat Rai s discourse on the nation between 1915 and 1922 Part 4 focuses on the post Khilafat period that saw galloping mistrust between Hindu and Muslim leaders and the eruption of violent riots at the popular level Do read it if you want your history accessible and interesting Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood The book was truly unable to choose between being academic and being popular It often tends to be too detailed with its basics for an academic work and also too abstract in parts for a popular appeal It is very critical at times but sometimes unnecessarily sparing And somewhere the book seems to believe in some degree of exceptionality for Lajpat Rai Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood Explores Lala Lajpat Rai s complex nationalist ideology influenced by his relationship with Bhagat Singh and the Hindu Right Reveals the complexities of Rai s worldview prompting readers to reevaluate their views on Hinduism and Indian nationalism Deviates from standard narratives portraying Rai as a character with views beyond easy categorization Explores Rai s support for Congress Muslim League cooperation and his rewriting of India s medieval history to emphasize Hindu Muslim unity Encourages readers to analyze the fluidity and growth of political ideas in early twentieth century India Highlights Rai s intellectual and political accomplishments providing a relevant study of his continued importance in current debate Being Hindu Being Indian Lala Lajpat Rai s Ideas of Nationhood | Being Hindu, Being Indian: Lala Lajpat Rai’s Ideas of Nationhood By Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav |
| 9357085831 |
| 9789357085830 |
| English |
| 925 |
| Kindle Edition |
In popular imagination Lala Lajpat Rai is frequently associated with Bhagat Singh who by assassinating J: Each of the book s four parts cover the nationalist narratives that Lajpat Rai articulated in four distinguishable phases of his intellectual life