They have made present-day India, and Hinduism even more so, out to be a zoo - an agglomeration of assorted, disparate specimens. No such thing as 'India', just a geographical expression, just a construct of the British; no such thing as Hinduism, just a word used by Arabs to describe the assortment they encountered, just an invention of the communalists to impose a uniformity - that has been their stance. For this they have blackened the Hindu period of our history, and, as we shall see, strained to whitewash the Islamic period.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Some historians treat Indian identity as a British or Arab invention rather than an organic development.
- In plain terms
- Critics claim India and Hinduism are modern constructs, not ancient realities.
- What can you take from it?
- Identity is often contested by scholars and historians.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is national identity invented or discovered?
- How do you define India?
Another view
Ancient India was indeed diverse and not uniformly unified.
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