He is a person who is fiercely passionate about India-the land, its people and its culture. He grew up in the Southern part of India and is an academic by profession.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
A. I am not a professional writer. I write because it is my passion. I am a full-time professional in a field belonging to another faculty.
Q.2 When should we expect your next book? What will it be about?
A. I hope to complete another book within the next year. It will tell you how, at the beginning of the first millennium, Hindu influence stretched from Afghanistan in the West to the polities of Southeast Asia in the east and how Hinduism declined over the centuries to become restricted to only a portion of the sub-continent. It is ironic that today even its cradle of civilisation lies within the boundaries of a non-Hindu nation.
Q.3 What inspired you to write The Hindu Hurt: The Story of Hindutva, and what gap did you feel existed in the current discourse?
A. History is a great teacher. It cannot be suppressed or allowed to be distorted to suit one’s ideological agenda. It must be viewed in toto-warts and all. Not to wreak vengeance on people but to ensure that evil does not repeat itself.
The systematic effort to eradicate Hindu civilisation from the land of its birth was a story that had to be told to the present- day inhabitants of India who appear to be ignorant of what happened to their ancestors.
Q.4 Your book relies heavily on historical references. How did you approach verifying sources and navigating conflicting historical accounts?
A. My one rule when I write is to confirm my facts preferably from at least two different sources. In writing my current book, The Hindu Hurt, I was able to access the original sources like Tarikh Yamini, which chronicles the exploits of Mahmud of Ghazni and other such sources to verify my facts, albeit through English translations. The internet has made it very easy to do this.
Q.5 Many readers associate Hindutva primarily with politics. How do you distinguish between Hindutva as a cultural identity and Hindutva as a political movement?
A. Hindutva defies definition, especially in an alien language like English. In his monumental treatise, the Essentials of Hindutva, Savarkar defines Hindutva not as a word but a history of a people. Hindutva is all-encompassing: cultural, political and historical.
Q.4 Your book relies heavily on historical references. How did you approach verifying sources and navigating conflicting historical accounts?
A. My one rule when I write is to confirm my facts preferably from at least two different sources. In writing my current book, The Hindu Hurt, I was able to access the original sources like Tarikh Yamini, which chronicles the exploits of Mahmud of Ghazni and other such sources to verify my facts, albeit through English translations. The internet has made it very easy to do this.
Q.5 Many readers associate Hindutva primarily with politics. How do you distinguish between Hindutva as a cultural identity and Hindutva as a political movement?
A. Hindutva defies definition, especially in an alien language like English. In his monumental treatise, the Essentials of Hindutva, Savarkar defines Hindutva not as a word but a history of a people. Hindutva is all-encompassing: cultural, political and historical.
I have tried in my writings to give Hindutva a practical relevance to modern times. I call it the protective armour of Hinduism: a cry for justice and dignity of a people long suppressed and long tortured; a cry that embodies the agony of the past and a newfound confidence of the present which together hopes to ensure a secure future.
Q.6 The book discusses the role of collective memory in shaping communities. How important is historical memory in defining modern national identity?
A. History defines who we are and who we will become. If we ignore history, we will repeat our mistakes or fall prey in the future to the same elements that have tried to destroy us in the past.
Q.6 The book discusses the role of collective memory in shaping communities. How important is historical memory in defining modern national identity?
A. History defines who we are and who we will become. If we ignore history, we will repeat our mistakes or fall prey in the future to the same elements that have tried to destroy us in the past.
Post-independence, there was a concerted campaign to suppress or distort our history, the effect of which V. S. Naipaul points out in his book India: A Wounded Civilisation: 'The loss of the past meant the loss of that civilisation, the loss of a fundamental idea of India, and the loss therefore to a nationalist-minded man, of a motive for action. It was a part of the feeling of purposelessness of which many Indians spoke.'
Q.7 You challenge the interpretations of several prominent scholars and public intellectuals. What motivated you to engage directly with their arguments?
A. In all my writings, I have adhered to the code of intellectual honesty - a principle that all public intellectuals must follow; a tenet that I have found to be the greatest casualty in this partisan excoriation of Hindu Nationalism.
Q.7 You challenge the interpretations of several prominent scholars and public intellectuals. What motivated you to engage directly with their arguments?
A. In all my writings, I have adhered to the code of intellectual honesty - a principle that all public intellectuals must follow; a tenet that I have found to be the greatest casualty in this partisan excoriation of Hindu Nationalism.
I feel that intellectuals have a duty and certain responsibilities when they present their viewpoint to the lay public. There must be a sincerity of purpose: facts must be recalled accurately (I check my facts religiously and try to corroborate them with different sources to confirm their veracity), objective logic must dictate conclusions, and counterarguments must be allowed a space - failing which, debate does not remain a debate but a malicious slander at cross purposes with the salutary goal of intellectual discourse.
I felt that these intellectuals violated all these axioms and felt that I needed to call them out.
Q.8 Which chapter was the most difficult for you to research and write, and why?
A. The first part of the book, in which I detail how Hindus were killed, converted and enslaved and how they were subject to unfair taxes, was the most difficult to write.
Q.8 Which chapter was the most difficult for you to research and write, and why?
A. The first part of the book, in which I detail how Hindus were killed, converted and enslaved and how they were subject to unfair taxes, was the most difficult to write.
To make sure that I was writing the truth, I had to check and verify almost every line I wrote - sometimes I spent a full day, about 8 hours, to write one paragraph. It was also emotionally draining when I read about the brutalities, like how failure to pay Jizya sometimes resulted in one’s wife and children being confiscated and sold as slaves.
Would this be my plight if things changed, as it has happened with Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, I wondered. It was so disturbing that I had to stop. I could not read or write any further. A few days later, and with great effort, I started writing again.
Q.9 During your research, did you encounter any facts or perspectives that challenged your own assumptions?
A. Yes. The magnitude of these atrocities, like the number of Hindus who were killed, far surpassed what I had assumed. It was not in the hundreds but in the millions, based not on heresy but on logical conclusions made by respected historians.
Q.10 The book examines figures such as Savarkar, Golwalkar, and Deendayal Upadhyaya. What common thread connects their ideas in your view?
A. All three of them took great pains to emphasise that this ideology was not directed at others. It was an effort to safeguard the Hindus without being antagonistic to others.
Q.11 Why do you believe discussions around Hindutva continue to generate such strong reactions both within India and internationally?
A. Ignorance, Ignorance and Ignorance - both genuine and deliberate. When I say deliberate, I mean that there are intellectuals who I am sure are aware of the facts but distort them to suit their agenda. Because if the truth were faithfully recounted, they would have no stand.
Q.12 In your opinion, what are the most common misconceptions about Hindu nationalism today?
A. The greatest misconception is that it is a supremacist ideology. No. It seeks truth, justice and honour for all non-Hindus. That is why the majority of Hindus in India call for a Uniform Civil Code, not a Hindu system of law, in contrast to Shariat in Muslim countries.
Q.13 What role do you think educational institutions and textbooks play in shaping public understanding of Indian history?
A. A very big part. That is why history should be recounted sincerely and truthfully. You cannot hide facts, whatever your reasons.
Q.14 If you could have a conversation with one historian, philosopher, or political thinker featured in the book, who would it be and what would you ask them?
A. The person with whom I would like to have a conversation is Veer Savarkar.
The ideology that he espoused has, after nearly 100 years, become the driving force of modern India, but has it achieved its practical purpose?
Q.15 When did your journey as a writer begin?
A. I began to write at a very young age, around 15 years of age and have been writing for over 40 years continuously. I have suffered a lot of rejections along the way but never given up or stopped writing.
Q.16 What advice would you give aspiring writers tackling complex historical or political subjects?
A. One must adhere to the code of intellectual honesty: truth, logic and transparency. Facts must be doubly verified before you put them on paper. As a writer, many people are expected to read and believe what you write. You must be accountable and responsible.
Q.17 Did you have any rituals, habits, or routines that helped you write this book?
A. Yes, I usually get up in the morning around 5:30 am and write for an hour or two. I feel that my mind is fresh, creative and most productive at this time.
Q.18 What legacy or impact do you hope your book leaves behind?
A. I hope everyone, including people antagonistic to Hindutva, reads and tries to understand what I have written without rancour or bitterness so that all Indians can understand each other better to realise the potential of our great civilisation.
Q.19 Why did you choose to write under a pseudonym?
A. I feel content is the most important thing in any writing. It is what matters. This is what we should focus on. Who I am or what I am is irrelevant.
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far.
A. I initially started off writing letters to editors, progressed to writing columns for newspapers and eventually started writing books.
Q.9 During your research, did you encounter any facts or perspectives that challenged your own assumptions?
A. Yes. The magnitude of these atrocities, like the number of Hindus who were killed, far surpassed what I had assumed. It was not in the hundreds but in the millions, based not on heresy but on logical conclusions made by respected historians.
Q.10 The book examines figures such as Savarkar, Golwalkar, and Deendayal Upadhyaya. What common thread connects their ideas in your view?
A. All three of them took great pains to emphasise that this ideology was not directed at others. It was an effort to safeguard the Hindus without being antagonistic to others.
Q.11 Why do you believe discussions around Hindutva continue to generate such strong reactions both within India and internationally?
A. Ignorance, Ignorance and Ignorance - both genuine and deliberate. When I say deliberate, I mean that there are intellectuals who I am sure are aware of the facts but distort them to suit their agenda. Because if the truth were faithfully recounted, they would have no stand.
Q.12 In your opinion, what are the most common misconceptions about Hindu nationalism today?
A. The greatest misconception is that it is a supremacist ideology. No. It seeks truth, justice and honour for all non-Hindus. That is why the majority of Hindus in India call for a Uniform Civil Code, not a Hindu system of law, in contrast to Shariat in Muslim countries.
Q.13 What role do you think educational institutions and textbooks play in shaping public understanding of Indian history?
A. A very big part. That is why history should be recounted sincerely and truthfully. You cannot hide facts, whatever your reasons.
Q.14 If you could have a conversation with one historian, philosopher, or political thinker featured in the book, who would it be and what would you ask them?
A. The person with whom I would like to have a conversation is Veer Savarkar.
The ideology that he espoused has, after nearly 100 years, become the driving force of modern India, but has it achieved its practical purpose?
Q.15 When did your journey as a writer begin?
A. I began to write at a very young age, around 15 years of age and have been writing for over 40 years continuously. I have suffered a lot of rejections along the way but never given up or stopped writing.
Q.16 What advice would you give aspiring writers tackling complex historical or political subjects?
A. One must adhere to the code of intellectual honesty: truth, logic and transparency. Facts must be doubly verified before you put them on paper. As a writer, many people are expected to read and believe what you write. You must be accountable and responsible.
Q.17 Did you have any rituals, habits, or routines that helped you write this book?
A. Yes, I usually get up in the morning around 5:30 am and write for an hour or two. I feel that my mind is fresh, creative and most productive at this time.
Q.18 What legacy or impact do you hope your book leaves behind?
A. I hope everyone, including people antagonistic to Hindutva, reads and tries to understand what I have written without rancour or bitterness so that all Indians can understand each other better to realise the potential of our great civilisation.
Q.19 Why did you choose to write under a pseudonym?
A. I feel content is the most important thing in any writing. It is what matters. This is what we should focus on. Who I am or what I am is irrelevant.
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far.
A. I initially started off writing letters to editors, progressed to writing columns for newspapers and eventually started writing books.
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