Seven-Day Online Conference – Hindu Dharma, Hindutva and Hindudvesha (H3)
Featuring panel discussions and lectures, and a galaxy of Hindu Intellectuals and Scholars
October 16 – November 6, 2021
“Dismantling Global Hindutva” is a new phrase that is designed to galvanize and unify the forces of Hindudvesha while gaslighting and confusing the Hindus worldwide. It is a clarion call for a sustained program of action with violent undertones, not just a forum for seemingly innocuous intellectual discussion. It is Hindudvesha in the raw, i.e., a settled and ideologically driven, institutionalized hatred for Hindu Dharma and the Hindu people, bold, unvarnished, and unembarrassed. As this phrase gains momentum through sheer repetition – it should be recognized as a call for violence, an ethnocide, i.e., a cultural erasure that has the potential for the legitimation of violence against the Hindus on a global scale.
What is the relationship between Hindu Dharma and Hindutva? Are they simply different names for one and the same phenomenon? When someone is seeking to ‘Dismantle Global Hindutva,’ are they merely problematizing a phenomenon called Hindutva that they define on their own terms – or are they really targeting Hindus as a whole in the guise of dismantling Hindutva? Are they naming some subsection of the Hindu community who are alleged ‘Hindutva,’ and seeking to divide the Hindu community into “Good Hindus” and “Bad Hindus,” or are they reserving the right to label any Hindu as ‘Hindutva’ at their own moment of choosing, with all the consequences thereof?
What is Hindutva anyway? Who owns the definition of the term ‘Hindutva’? Do the enemies of Hindu Dharma get to define what Hindutva is? Does it refer to the ‘essence of being’ a Hindu, i.e., the ‘Hindu Tattva’? Or does it refer to a specific historical movement that came into being in the 1920s in India to protect Hindu Dharma? Do we need a contemporary clarification of what this term ‘Hindutva’ really means – today – for our generation?
What is Hindudvesha? Is it the same as Hinduphobia or Hindumisia or a form of Hindu-baiting or Anti-Hindu rhetoric? Where does it emanate from, and to what purpose? Is it a new phenomenon, or has it been around for a long time? What are the characteristics of Hindudvesha? How should the Hindu community respond to this rising drumbeat of global Hindudvesha, wearing this garb of ‘dismantling Hindutva’? Is being silent an option? Does it not fulfill the very mission of Hindudvesha, i.e., to silence the Hindu voice? How do we protect, preserve, and transmit our Dharma for future generations without speaking up?
“Hindu Dharma, Hindutva, and Hindudvesha” is a virtual conference that will attempt to address many of these pressing questions that one billion Hindus around the world are facing today. This conference is intended to act as a platform for a variety of voices and perspectives. It will showcase the diversity of views within the Hindu world and feature friends of the Hindu community from other adjacent traditions. It will clarify, define, and hopefully set out a charter for unified action in the future.
Date/Session
Speaker(s)
Topic
Video/Transcript Link
October 16, 2021
Swami MItrananda and Swami Sarveshananda
Hindu Dharma and Hindutva: How are Hindu Dharma and Hindutva related? How do we best understand these two phenomenon and their inter-relationships?
Dr. Shreerang Godbole and Saumitra Gokhale
Understanding Hindutva: How was the term “Hindutava” originally conceived? How do we understand the term today? Does the term need a contemporary redefinition?
October 17, 2021
Drs. DK & Hema Hari and Dr. Ratan Sharda
Hinduism and the Hindutva Movement: What is the genealogy of Hinduism and Hindutva? Why is Hindutva portrayed so negatively by its detractors?
Jeffrey Armstrong and Pt. Satish Sharma
Christianity, Race, and the Hindu World: How have Christian Theology and Critical Race Theory colluded to essentialize and demonize the Hindu world?
October 23, 2021
Sanjay Dixit and J. Sai Deepak
Coloniality and Hindutva Movement: How do we understand the Hindutva movement within the context of Coloniality and the imperative of reclaiming indigeneity?
Padam Shri Prof. Kapil Kapoor and Prof. Madhu Kishwar
Post-Colonial Hindu Hangover: How has Colonialism impacted the Hindu intellectual condition? can this society recover its indigenous Hindu intellectual traditions?
October 24, 2021
Sushil Pandit
Hinduvesha and Islam: Have scholars dealt with the Islamic record in India honestly? What has been the impact of Islam on the Hindu culture and psyche?
Sudha Jagannathan and Tahir Gora
Challenges Faced by Hindus in Islamic Regions: What is the reason for Hindu ethnocide in Islamic regions, particularly in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan?
October 30, 2021
Dr. Sonal Mansingh and Vivek Agnihotri
Impact of Post-Colinal Hangover on Hindu Arts and Culture: How are the Hindu traditions affected by the ambient pressure towards Secularization and De-Hinduization?
Padam Shri Prof. Subhash Kak and Dr. David Frawley
Hindutva – When we let Others Define Us: How can we effectively counter the negative connotation built around Hindutva by the sustained and well-organized campaign by outsiders?
October 31, 2021
Dr. Peggy Shapiro
Aryan Race Theory, Antisemitism, and Hindudvesha: How has the Aryan Race Theory constructed and framed both Hinduism and Judaism as problems that need to be solved? How does threaten both communities?
Dr. Prakash Shah and Ms. Suhag Shukla
Caste as Anchor Point of Hindudvesha: How has the Varna-Jati system been recast into the caste system, a quintessential European construct? How has it been weaponized to castigate the Hindu social structure?
November 6, 2021
Gen. GD Bakshi and Pushpendra Kushrestha
Protecting Hindu Dharma: Why is the protection of Hindu Dharma a civilizational imperative – especially in a deeply hostile geopolitical environment?
Sponsors and Organizers
World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) is the oldest not-for-profit Hindu organization in the United States of America. Established in 1970 with the vision to achieve “a dynamic, vibrant Hindu Society inspired by the eternal values of Dharma and the lofty ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” it runs numerous programs, including education for youth to ensure inter-generational continuity of the eternal Hindu values, advocacy initiatives to protect the interests of Hindu Americans, dispel misconceptions about Hindu Dharma in the West, and humanitarian programs to help society at large.
Dharma Civilization Foundation (DCF) is a US-based nonprofit Hindu organization with the mission to “establish the systematic study of Dharma, its interpretations and application through the creation of academic and intellectual infrastructure and institutions.
Hindu University of America (HUA) was established in 1989 to provide students with a unique academic environment to explore the knowledge systems rooted in and emerging from Vedic thought, i.e., the philosophies, traditions, culture, and civilization that has come to be called Hinduism in the popular imagination.
