Rajaram unrepentent!

[Steve Farmer]

I wrote, re Rajaram's historical mythology:

> All this would be simply crackpot fun if Rajaram's writings
> didn't have a nasty fascist edge to it, and weren't meant to
> mobilize the Indian masses.

Arun Gupta responded:

>  I have zero sympathy for Dr. Rajaram. But I disagree with your
> characterization (of him, of Hindutva) as fascist.
>
> It may be that fascist is a swear-word with no objective meaning.

In the case of Rajaram, the use of "fascist" is not an empty
swear-word. As Wittgenstein had it, the closest any word gets to
having "objective meaning" involves its association with wider
families of ideas. There are obvious commonalities linking the
families of ideas expoused by European fascists in the 30s (or
modern ones in the Balkans) and Rajaram's version of Hindutva. A
few of these commonalities involve ultranationalism (aka
"fascism") combined with a spiritualization and mythologizing of
national history; a hatred for minorities who supposedly
contaminate the body politic (in the case of Rajaram, Christians,
Muslims, secular thinkers, etc.); a demonization of
internationalistic ideas backed by socialists or secular
humanists; an embracement of class divisions as natural to the
order of things; concepts of national pride coupled with a
hysterical sense of enemies knocking at the gates; glorification
of armed struggle (Rajaram views the mob destruction of Babri
Mosque as symbol of the resurgence of Mother India); propagation
through mass media of "big lies" to enhance nation building (do
you really think that Rajaram *believes* in his own "horse seal"
and "decipherment" bull?); and a strong element of
anti-intellectualism and contempt for the intelligence of the
masses in general. This complex of ideas characterizes the
Hindutva/corporatism movement exemplified by Rajaram no less than
the views in the 20s and 30s of Mussolini, etc.

Insofar as Rajaram's propaganda has an audience, he is dangerous
- not simply a crackpot. It is tedious to do so, but all
legitimate researchers have a moral obligation to engage figures
like Rajaram in intellectual battle. I don't think, deep down,
that the masses are as stupid as Rajaram and his Hindutva buddies
think. Most people whom I know can be moved by evidence - if the
truth is what they are after.

Steve Farmer