Hindu Nationalism – book review

A  Critique of Tho. Paramasivan’s Hindu Nationalism

Tho. Paramasivan’s இந்து தேசியம், translated into English ( Hindu Nationalism), claims to critique Indian nationalism but instead delivers a venomous, one-sided assault on Brahmins, the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, and Hinduism itself. This isn’t scholarship—it’s a thinly veiled vendetta, dripping with sectarian hate and intellectual laziness.

Obsessive Brahmin-Bashing

The book’s core isn’t nationalism; it’s an unhinged attack on Brahmins, painted as cartoonish villains who’ve orchestrated every societal ill for centuries. Paramasivan offers no nuance, no mention of reformist Brahmins, no acknowledgment of their diversity or ordinary lives. It’s a grotesque caricature: Brahmins are the root of all evil, and their influence must be obliterated. If this level of venom targeted any other group, it’d be branded hate speech without hesitation.

Paramasivan singles out Tamil Nadu’s ‘smartha’ Brahmins for special contempt, while tossing Vaishnavite Brahmins a lighter jab—hardly a redeeming trait. He fixates on the Cheranmadevi Gurukula incident, blaming Brahminism for social discord. Yet, he ignores Dravida Maayai by Subbu, which dismantles his narrative with contemporary evidence and R.A. Padmanabhan’s work. Paramasivan’s failure to engage with this—or any serious research—exposes his shoddy scholarship.

Smearing the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt

The Kanchi Mutt faces Paramasivan’s full wrath, accused without evidence of crushing Tamil culture, hijacking temples, and pushing a Sanskritic Hinduism to oppress Tamils. This isn’t critique; it’s slander. The Mutt’s history of spiritual depth, cultural preservation, and inclusivity—embraced by devotees across castes—directly contradicts his claims. Paramasivan cites three books to question the Mutt’s antiquity but conveniently sidesteps a wealth of scholarly work affirming it. This isn’t oversight; it’s deliberate distortion.

Hinduism in the Crosshairs

Under the guise of opposing Hindutva, Paramasivan wages war on Hinduism itself. Temples, rituals, deities, scriptures, and festivals are dismissed as tools of oppression. The millions of Tamil Hindus—mostly non-Brahmin—who cherish these traditions are either dupes or collaborators in his eyes. He makes no effort to separate faith from fanaticism or religion from political exploitation, reducing a vibrant civilization to a monolith of domination. This isn’t analysis; it’s cultural vandalism.

Historical Negligence and Intellectual Fraud

The book’s historical rigor is nonexistent. Sweeping claims lack citations, nationalist contradictions are ignored, and complex figures like Gandhi, Ambedkar, Tilak, M.C.Rajah and Aurobindo are either erased or twisted to fit Paramasivan’s narrative. He clings to the debunked ‘Aryan Invasion’ theory, long discredited even by its Western proponents, revealing his refusal to engage with reality. His one-sided take on the Poona Pact and vitriol toward Gandhi and Bharathiyar—for daring to value the Vedas—lay bare his agenda.

This isn’t history; it’s ideological propaganda, cherry-picking facts to fuel a predetermined vendetta.

A Divisive, Hateful Screed

Paramasivan’s work doesn’t foster dialogue—it foments division. It paints Indian culture as a Brahmin conspiracy and Hindu practices as colonial garbage, offering no path to unity or reform, only cultural destruction. It replaces reason with resentment, poisoning discourse and deepening divides.

This book doesn’t illuminate nationalism; it’s a hateful rant that substitutes bigotry for insight.