“The Media Magnifies Ruptures Of Everyday Pluralism”

A professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard Uni­versity, Diana L. Eck is an eminent name in her field. She has been a frequent visitor to India since the 1960s and is the author of the much-acc­laimed Banaras, City of Light. Her new book, India: A Sacred Geography, has also received critical acclaim. In this interview with Pranay Sharma, she responds to various asp­ects of her latest book, the importance of pilgrimage in India and what Hindu religious symbols mean for this multi-cultural and pluralistic country. Excerpts:

Is Hindu mythology the most effective way of defining the geography of India?

India is too complex to be “defined” in any one way. Centuries of history and its multi-religious reality mean that there are many ways of seeing what “India” means, depending upon one’s point of view.

What is so sacred about India’s geography that distinguishes it from other countries?

For many centuries, Hindus have seen the lore of the gods and heroes in the landscape itself. Every myth and narrative “takes place” in the land that we know. So there is a sense of living geography—rivers that descend from heaven, like the Ganga and Godavari, power-points where Shiva’s jyotirlinga appeared, and places where Devi slew the bull-demon Mahi­sha. I grew up in the Rocky Mountain landscape of the US, but if one went to the headwaters of America’s rivers, one would not find a shrine or temple. India is unique in taking these places not only as worth visiting, but as holy.

What role does Hindu mythology play in strengthening India’s open-ended, secular fabric?

The multitude of stories and gods gesture toward a way of seeing that cannot be defined by any one perspective. That is a good thing for “secular” India, in the sense that there is not one national religion or perspective. As scholar Triloki­nath Madan has often said, India’s secularism really is its pluralism.

If its geography is largely defined by Hindu mythology, what role do the mythologies of other groups in a country like India play?

Different groups have different imagined geographies that matter to them. The dargahs or tombs of Muslim saints and martyrs compose their own sacred geography, as pilgrims from many different religious backgrounds seek out these places. For Catholics, the shrine of Velankanni has a vast catchment area of pilgrims of all faiths.

Do you believe that the everyday pluralism of India is increasingly becoming fragile?

I don’t know. I think that the ruptures of everyday pluralism are magnified by the media. The everyday pluralism of neighbours, Hindu and Muslim, secular and religious, is not a great news story, so we don’t know as much about it. The Pluralism Project I began at Harvard investigates this everyday pluralism in the US—the interfaith networks and initiatives that are increasingly important. Per­haps a Pluralism Project India would attract young student researchers who could answer your question.

How is Hinduism different from Hindutva?

This is a question of definition. Whose Hindutva?

Hindutva as defi­ned by the Sangh parivar?

Hinduism is a word to describe the whole complex of Hindu faith and civilisation. It’s not a “Hindu” word really but is a word ascribed by outsiders to describe the “ism” of Hindu India. The word “Hinduism” is a vast umbrella that is raised over countless ways of being religious as a Hindu person. Hindutva, on the other hand, as defined by Savarkar in his eponymous treatise, meant the acc­eptance of India as fatherland and holy land. This is too restrictive and was Savarkar’s idiosyncratic Hindu nati­onalist view. Some of this has been adop­ted by the Sangh parivar. This is not helpful for the spirit of contemporary India. Hinduism and Hindutva are not interchangeable words. This is especially the case for those who want to define Hin­dutva in a way that is supposed to be “inclusive” of all faiths in India, as long as they’re grounded in and loyal to the land and nation. There are, of course, many ways of being an Indian citizen. Hindutva doesn’t include all these ways.