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78-579: It was initially founded in 1974 to organize the International Vegetarian Union 's 1975 World Vegetarian Congress in Orono, Maine , which has been called the most significant event of the vegetarian movement in the United States in the 20th century. In 1977, the organization started an annual event, World Vegetarian Day . The following year the International Vegetarian Union joined in holding

156-678: A separatist ideology . Hindutva is championed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu Nationalist volunteer organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Sanatan Sanstha , the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), and other organisations in an ecosystem called the Sangh Parivar . In the first half of the 20th century, factions of Indian National Congress continued to be identified with "Hindu politics" and ideas of

234-614: A 'dead letter'. On 11 July 1949, the Government of India lifted the ban on the RSS by issuing a communique stating that the decision to lift the ban on the RSS had been taken in view of the RSS leader Golwalkar's undertaking to make the group's loyalty towards the Constitution of India and acceptance and respect towards the National Flag of India more explicit in the Constitution of the RSS, which

312-479: A Bengali scholar, Ram Mohan Roy in 1828. Ram Mohan Roy endeavoured to create from the ancient Upanishadic texts, a vision of rationalist 'modern' India. Socially, he criticized the ongoing superstitions, and believed in a monotheistic Vedic religion. His major emphasis was social reform. He fought against Caste discrimination and advocated equal rights for women . Although the Brahmos found favourable responses from

390-511: A British convoy aimed at British officer Kingsford. Both were arrested trying to flee. Aurobindo was also arrested on 2 May 1908 and sent to Alipore Jail . The report sent from Andrew Fraser , the then Lt Governor of Bengal to Lord Minto in England declared that although Sri Aurobindo came to Calcutta in 1906 as a Professor at the National College, "he has ever since been the principal advisor of

468-634: A Hindu nation. The word "Hindu", throughout history, had been used as an inclusive description that lacked a definition and was used to refer to the native traditions and people of India. It was only in the late 18th century that the word "Hindu" came to be used extensively with religious connotation, while still being used as a synecdoche describing the indigenous traditions. Hindu nationalist ideologies and political languages were very diverse both linguistically and socially. Since Hinduism does not represent an identifiable religious group, terms such as 'Hindu nationalism', and 'Hindu', are considered problematic in

546-447: A basis for questioning colonialism. These also inspired Indian nationalists during the independence movement based on armed struggle, coercive politics, and non-violent protests. They also influenced social reform movements and economic thinking in India. Today, Hindutva (meaning  ' Hinduness ' ) is a dominant form of Hindu nationalist politics in India. As a political ideology,

624-651: A college or university campus (often in Pennsylvania). In 199x the summer conference's name was changed to NAVS Vegetarian Summerfest (with all vegan meals). In 2019, the name was changed to NAVS Vegan Summerfest. During this now 5-day event, the inductee for the Vegan Hall of Fame is announced and celebrated. The most frequent Summerfest site is the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (UPJ) in Johnstown, Pennsylvania . In 1996,

702-412: A constitution was drafted for RSS, which, however, initially did not meet any of Patel's demands. After a failed attempt to agitate again, eventually the RSS's constitution was amended according to Patel's wishes except the procedure for selecting the head of the organisation and the enrolment of pre-adolescents. However, the organisation's internal democracy which was written into its constitution, remained

780-509: A life of renounciate, the Anushilan Samiti declined. One of the revolutionaries, Bagha Jatin , who managed to escape the trial started a group which would be called Jugantar . Jugantar continued with its armed struggle against the colonial government, but the arrests of its key members and subsequent trials weakened its influence. Many of its members were imprisoned for life in the notorious Andaman Cellular jail. A revolutionary movement

858-572: A major concept in Hindu nationalism. Madan Mohan Malviya , an educationist and a politician with the Indian National Congress was also a vociferous proponent of the philosophy of Bhagavad Gita (Bhagavad Gītā). He was the president of the Indian National Congress in the year 1909 and 1918. He was seen as a 'moderate' in the Congress and was also considered very close to Gandhi. He popularized

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936-544: A privileged status in the Nepalese capital and they were also given greater access to the authorities after these events. Subsequently, Hinduisation became the main policy of the Kingdom of Nepal . Prof. Harka Gurung speculates that the presence of Islamic Mughal rule and Christian British rule in India compelled the foundation of Hindu Nationalism in the Kingdom of Nepal , to build a haven for Hindus there. The policies of

1014-519: A religion is not universal, it cannot be eternal. A narrow religion, a sectarian religion, an exclusive religion can live only for a limited time and a limited purpose. This is the one religion that can triumph over materialism by including and anticipating the discoveries of science and the speculations of philosophy. In 1910, he withdrew from political life and spent his remaining life doing spiritual exercises and writing. But his works kept inspiring revolutionaries and struggles for independence, including

1092-473: A religious one. Historian Baij Nath Puri writes that the Vijayanagar empire (1336–1646) "was the result of the Hindu nationalist movement against Muslim intrusion and domination of the south". The empire was also administered based on Hindu dharmasastras , and Vedas were the major sources of the prevailing law. Shivaji with his quests is noted to have foun a firm footing for Hindu nationalism in with

1170-518: A single hierarchic civic code from the perspective of the Khas rulers. The Nepalese jati arrangement in terms of Hindu Varnashrama takes the Tagadhari to be the highest in the hierarchy. The ethnolinguistic group of people of Tamang , Sherpa and Tharu origin were tagged under the title Matwali ("Liquor Drinkers"), while those of Khas , Newari and Terai origin were termed Tagadhari ("Wearers of

1248-458: A state of servitude. He was part of the Anushilan Samiti , a revolutionary group working towards the goal of Indian independence In his brief political career spanning only four years, he led a delegation from Bengal to the Indian National Congress session of 1907 and contributed to the revolutionary newspaper Bande Mataram . In his famous Uttarpara Speech , he outlined the essence and

1326-404: A strict monotheism. This reinterpretation produced neo-Vedanta , in which Advaita Vedanta was combined with disciplines such as yoga and the concept of social service to attain perfection from the ascetic traditions in what Vivekananda called the "practical Vedanta". The practical side essentially included participation in social reform. He made Hindu spirituality, intellectually available to

1404-601: Is an international non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote vegetarianism. The IVU was founded in 1908 in Dresden , Germany. It is an umbrella organisation , which includes organisations from many countries and often organises World and Regional Vegetarian Congresses. These alternate in two-year cycles. In 1907, the British Vegetarian Society celebrated its diamond jubilee by inviting leaders from vegetarian societies to an international gathering. At

1482-539: Is the promotion of vegetarianism and the support of vegetarian living (e.g. EarthSave). The IVU Congress president from 1923 to 1926 was Ernest Bell . The 6th World Vegetarian Congress held in London in 1926 featured displays of vegetarian boots as well as furs, gloves, tennis rackets and violin strings all made without any animal substances. There was a unanimous decision to exclude membership from any society that allowed fish consumption. The 15th World Vegetarian Congress

1560-453: Is undoubtedly one of true democracy in which the meanest citizen could be sure of swift justice without an elaborate and costly procedure". He also emphasised that it meant respect for all religions: "My Hinduism teaches me to respect all religions. In this lies the secret of Ramarajya". While Gandhi had clarified that "by Ram Rajya I do not mean Hindu Raj. I mean by Ram Rajya, Divine Raj, the kingdom of God," his concept of "Rama Rajya" became

1638-531: The Bengal Presidency was divided into West Bengal and East Pakistan . After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse , the Sangh Parivar was plunged into distress when the RSS was accused of involvement in his murder. Along with the conspirators and the assassin, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was also arrested. The court acquitted Savarkar, and the RSS was found be to completely unlinked with

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1716-582: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh also grew into considerable prominence by the end of the decade. Another prominent development was the formation of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an organisation of Hindu religious leaders, supported by the RSS, to unite the various Hindu religious denominations and to usher a social reform. The first VHP meeting in Mumbai

1794-604: The British House of commons , or the soviet rule of Russia or the Fascist rule of Italy or the Nazi rule of Germany . They have systems suited to their genius. We must have ours suited to ours. What that can be is more than I can tell. I have described it as Ramarajya i.e., sovereignty of the people based on pure moral authority." Gandhi emphasised that "Rāma Rājya" to him meant peace and justice, adding that "the ancient ideal of Ramarajya

1872-498: The British government and Westernized Indians, they were largely isolated from the larger Hindu society due to their intellectual Vedantic and Unitarian views. However their efforts to systematise Hindu spirituality based on rational and logical interpretation of the ancient Indian texts would be carried forward by other movements in Bengal and across India. Arya Samaj is considered one of

1950-583: The Constitution of India , accept the Tricolor as the National Flag of India, define the power of the head of the organisation, make the organisation democratic by holding internal elections, authorisation of their parents before enrolling the pre-adolescents into the movement, and to renounce violence and secrecy. Golwalkar launched an agitation against this demand during which he was imprisoned again. Later,

2028-421: The Indian National Congress in 1886 and was also one of the key members of the revolutionary India House . Though Mahatma Gandhi never called himself a "Hindu nationalist"; he believed in and propagated concepts like Dharma and introduced the concept of the "Rāma Rājya" (Rule of Lord Rāma ) as part of his social and political philosophy. Gandhi said "By political independence I do not mean an imitation to

2106-515: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Babasaheb Apte 's lifelong pet sentence was "Vivekananda is like Gita for the RSS." Some historians have observed that this helped the nascent Independence movement with a distinct national identity and kept it from being the simple derivative function of European nationalism. Sri Aurobindo was a nationalist and one of the first to embrace the idea of complete political independence for India. He

2184-584: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh founded in 1925, and of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (the present-day ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ) under another euphemistic relabelling Bharatiyata (Indianness). " Lal-Bal-Pal " is the phrase that is used to refer to the three nationalist leaders Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal who held sway over the Indian Nationalist movement and

2262-640: The British colonial government banned military drills and the use of uniforms in non-official organizations, Golwalkar terminated the RSS military department. RSS had played no role in the Quit India Movement nor the naval revolt . The Bengali Hindu Homeland Movement refers to the movement of the Bengali Hindu people for the Partition of Bengal in 1947 to create a homeland for themselves within India, in

2340-669: The Christian missionaries as a body, with honorable exceptions, have actively supported a system which has impoverished, enervated and demoralized a people considered to be among the gentlest and most civilized on earth. The influence of the Hindu renaissance movements was such that by the turn of the 20th century, there was a confluence of ideas of Hindu cultural nationalism with the ideas of Indian nationalism . Both could be spoken synonymously even by tendencies that were seemingly opposed to sectarian communalism and Hindu majoritism. The Hindu renaissance movements held considerable influence over

2418-470: The Congress moved from the polite accusation that colonial rule was "un-British" to the forthright claim of Tilak that "Swaraj is my birthright and I will have it". Bipin Chandra Pal of Bengal was another prominent figure of the Indian nationalist movement, who is considered a modern Hindu reformer, who stood for Hindu cultural nationalism and was opposed to sectarian communalism and Hindu majoritism. He joined

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2496-421: The Indian expatriates in London. When Gandhi visited London in 1909, he shared a platform with the revolutionaries where both the parties politely agreed to disagree, on the question of adopting a violent struggle and whether Ramayana justified such violence. Gandhi, while admiring the "patriotism" of the young revolutionaries, had "dissented vociferously" from their "violent blueprints" for social change. In turn,

2574-780: The Netherlands Vegetarian Society and Gustav A. Selss, president of the German Vegetarian Association were elected members of the IVU provisional Committee. The ruling body from IVU is the International Council and the eight elected members who form it serve four year terms. Each council member must be vegetarian and hold a current position within a member organization. Member organizations may be continental groups (EVU, VUNA, NAVS, etc.), local or other regional vegetarian organizations whose primary purpose

2652-514: The Sacred Thread"). The Tagadhari castes could not be enslaved following any criminal punishment unless they had been expelled from the caste. The main broad caste categories in Nepal are Tagadharis (sacred thread bearers), Matwalis (liquor drinkers) and Dalits (or untouchables). Many Hindu reform movements originated in the nineteenth century. These movements led to fresh interpretations of

2730-696: The Sanskrit phrase " Satyameva Jayate " (Truth alone triumphs), from the Mundaka Upanishad , which today is the national motto of the Republic of India. He founded the Benaras Hindu University in 1919 and became its first Vice-Chancellor. Another leader of prime importance in the ascent of Hindu nationalism was Keshav Baliram Hedgewar of Nagpur . Hedgewar as a medical student in Calcutta had been part of

2808-641: The Westernized audience. His famous speech in the Parliament of the World's Religions at Chicago on 11 September 1893, followed a huge reception of his thought in the West and made him a well-known figure in the West and subsequently in India too. His influence can still be recognised in popular Western spirituality , such as nondualism , New Age and the veneration of Ramana Maharshi . A major element of Vivekananda's message

2886-779: The World Vegetarian Congress was held simultaneously with the NAVS Vegetarian Summerfest, in Johnstown. Three international vegetarian conferences have been held simultaneously with the NAVS Vegan Summerfests. This article related to a non-profit organization is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This veganism and vegetarianism -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . International Vegetarian Union The International Vegetarian Union ( IVU )

2964-463: The ancient scriptures of Upanishads and Vedanta and also emphasised on social reform. The marked feature of these movements was that they countered the notion of the superiority of Western culture during the colonial era. This led to the upsurge of patriotic ideas that formed the cultural and ideological basis for the independence movement in Colonial India. The Brahmo Samaj was started by

3042-499: The assassination, many prominent leaders of the RSS were arrested, and the RSS as an organisation was banned on 4 February 1948 by the then Home Minister Patel. During the court proceedings in relation to the assassination Godse began claiming that he had left the organisation in 1946. The then Indian Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Vallabhbhai Patel had remarked that the "RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhi's death". The charged RSS leaders were acquitted of

3120-400: The case of religious and nationalism discourse. As Hindus were identifiable as a homogeneous community, some individual Congress leaders were able to induce a symbolism with "Hindu" meaning inside the general stance of secular nationalism . The diversity of Indian cultural groups and moderate positions of Hindu nationalism have sometimes made it regarded as cultural nationalism rather than

3198-495: The centre for revolutionary ideas and was the college where revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh studied. While leading a procession against the Simon Commission , he was fatally injured in the lathi charge . His death led revolutionaries like Chandrashekar Azad and Bhagat Singh to assassinate the British police officer J. P. Saunders , who they believed was responsible for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. Bal Gangadhar Tilak

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3276-630: The conspiracy charge by the Supreme Court of India . Following his release in August 1948, Golwalkar wrote to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to lift the ban on RSS. After Nehru replied that the matter was the responsibility of the Home Minister, Golwalkar consulted Vallabhai Patel regarding the same. Patel then demanded an absolute pre-condition that the RSS adopt a formal written constitution and make it public, where Patel expected RSS to pledge its loyalty to

3354-460: The conspirators. The Hindu Mahasabha , of which Godse was a member, lost membership and popularity. The effects of public outrage had a permanent effect on the Hindu Mahasabha. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which was started in 1925, had grown by the end of British rule in India. In January 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse , a former member of the RSS. Following

3432-571: The country and also to pardon the offenders and grant their return to the country. The government in practicality was not an absolute monarchy due to the dominance of Nepalese political clans such as the Pande family and the Thapa family , making the Shah monarch a puppet ruler. These basic Hindu templates provide the evidence that Nepal was administered as a Hindu state. The Nepali civil code , Muluki Ain ,

3510-539: The death of Hedgewar in 1940, M. S. Golwalkar became head of the organization. RSS continued to avoid participation in anti-British activities, as Golwalkar did not want to give the British colonial administration any excuse to ban the RSS. After the Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution demanding a separate Pakistan, the RSS campaigned for a Hindu nation, but stayed away from the independence struggle. When

3588-519: The event. The event is celebrated October 1 of each year and kicks off a month-long event, Vegetarian Awareness Month, which ends November 1 with World Vegan Day . NAVS initiated the Vegetarian Hall of Fame (now the Vegan Hall of Fame) in 1990, which has enshrined 33 activists. Since 1974, the NAVS has run an annual vegetarian summer conference - originally for 9–10 days encompassing two full weekends, on

3666-448: The expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent . "Hindu nationalism" is a simplistic translation of Hindū Rāṣṭravād . It is better described as "Hindu polity". The native thought streams became highly relevant in Indian history when they helped form a distinctive identity about the Indian polity and provided

3744-467: The famous Chittagong Uprising . Both Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo are credited with having founded the basis for a vision of freedom and glory for India in the spirituality and heritage of Hinduism. In 1924, Mahatma Gandhi wrote: This [Christian] proselytization will mean no peace in the world. Conversions are harmful to India. If I had the power and could legislate I should certainly stop all proselytizing ... It pains me to have to say that

3822-527: The focal point of Hindu movements in Independent India. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh started by him became one of the most prominent Hindu organisation with its influence ranging in the social and political spheres of India. In 1930, when Mahatma Gandhi started Satyagraha movement against the British Government, Hedgewar participated in the movement in his capacity and did not let the RSS join

3900-541: The foundation of the Maratha Empire . Shivaji was also an inspiration for Hindu nationalist activists such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak . Vinayak Damodar Savarkar writes that Shivaji had 'electrified' minds of the Hindus all over Bharat by defeating the forces of Aurangzeb . Maharajadhiraja Prithvi Narayan Shah proclaimed the newly unified Kingdom of Nepal as Asal Hindustan ("Real Land of Hindus") because North India

3978-449: The freedom movement officially. The RSS portrayed itself as a social movement rather than a political party, and did not play a central role in any of the Indian independence movement . However, the RSS emphatically rejected the Congress policy of cooperation with the Muslims. Subsequently, in 1934, the Congress banned its members from joining RSS, Hindu Mahasabha or Muslim League. After

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4056-706: The gathering Dr. Danjou , vice-president of the French Vegetarian Society , proposed a new International Vegetarian Federation. Albert Broadbent , secretary of the Vegetarian Society, wrote to vegetarian societies around the world inviting them to meet in Dresden on August 18, 1908. The International Vegetarian Union (IVU) was founded in 1908 at the first World Vegetarian Congress in Dresden. German, British and Dutch Societies attended with support from 14 other countries. Albert Broadbent, Dr. Meyroos secretary of

4134-488: The goal of India's nationalist movement thus: I say no longer that nationalism is a creed, a religion, a faith; I say that it is the Sanatan Dharma which for us is nationalism. This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatan Dharma, with it, it moves and with it, it grows. When the Sanatan Dharma declines, then the nation declines, and if the Sanatan Dharma were capable of perishing, with the Sanatan Dharma it would perish. In

4212-561: The independence struggle in the early parts of twentieth century. Lala Lajpat Rai belonged to the northern province of Punjab. He was influenced greatly by the Arya Samaj and was part of the Hindu reform movement. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1888 and became a prominent figure in the Indian Independence Movement. He started numerous educational institutions. The National College at Lahore started by him became

4290-499: The most significant event of the vegetarian movement in the United States in the 20th century and led to the 1974 founding of the North American Vegetarian Society . In November 1999, the IVU role of president was abolished and was replaced by Chairman of the International Council. Marly Winckler is the current Chair of IVU. Hindu nationalism Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as

4368-412: The old Bharadari governments of the Gorkha Kingdom were derived from ancient Hindu texts such as the Dharmashastra The King was considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and was the chief authority over legislative, judiciary and executive functions. The judiciary functions were decided based on the principles of Hindu Dharma codes of conduct. The king had full rights to expel any person who offended

4446-413: The overarching Hindu renaissance movements of the late nineteenth century. Swami Dayananda , the founder of Arya Samaj, rejected idolatry, caste restriction and untouchability, child marriage and advocated equal status and opportunities for women. He opposed "Brahmanism" (which he believed had led to the corruption of the knowledge of Vedas) as much as he opposed Christianity and Islam. Although Arya Samaj

4524-444: The revolutionaries disliked his adherence to constitutionalism and his close contacts with moderate leaders of the Indian National Congress. Moreover, they considered his method of "passive resistance" effeminate and humiliating. The India House was soon to face closure following the assassination of William Hutt Curzon Wyllie by the revolutionary Madan Lal Dhingra , who was close to India House . Savarkar also faced charges and

4602-420: The revolutionary activities of the Hindu Mahasabha, Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar. He was charged with sedition in 1921 by the British Administration and served a year in prison. He was briefly a member of the Indian National Congress. In 1925, he left the Congress to form the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with the help of Hindu Mahasabha Leader B. S. Moonje , Bapuji Soni, Gatate Ji etc., which would become

4680-418: The revolutionary movements against British rule and formed the philosophical basis for the struggles and political movements that originated in the first decade of the twentieth century. Anushilan Samiti was one of the prominent revolutionary movements in India in the early part of the twentieth century. It was started as a cultural society in 1902, by Aurobindo and the followers of Bankim Chandra to propagate

4758-424: The revolutionary party. It is of utmost importance to arrest his potential for mischief, for he is the prime mover and can easily set tools, one to replace another". But charges against Aurobindo were never proved and he was acquitted. Many members of the group faced charges and were transported and imprisoned for life. Others went into hiding. In 1910, when, Aurobindo withdrew from political life and decided to live

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4836-417: The same speech, he also gave a comprehensive perspective of Hinduism, which is at variance with the geocentric view developed by the later day Hindu nationalist ideologues such as Veer Savarkar and Deendayal Upadhyay: But what is the Hindu religion? What is this religion which we call Sanatan, eternal? It is the Hindu religion only because the Hindu nation has kept it, after all, in this Peninsula it grew up in

4914-425: The seclusion of the sea and the Himalayas, because in this sacred and ancient land it was given as a charge to the Aryan race to preserve through the ages. But it is not circumscribed by the confines of a single country, it does not belong peculiarly and forever to a bounded part of the world. That which we call the Hindu religion is the eternal religion, because it is the universal religion which embraces all others. If

4992-447: The teachings of the Bhagavad Gita . But soon the Samiti had its goal to overthrow British colonial rule in India Various branches of the Samiti sprung across India in the guise of suburban fitness clubs but secretly imparted arms training to its members with the implicit aim of using them against the British colonial administration. On 30 April 1908 at Muzaffarpur , two revolutionaries, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki, threw bombs at

5070-441: The term Hindutva was articulated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. The Hindutva movement has been described as a variant of "right-wing extremism" and as "almost fascist in the classical sense", adhering to a concept of homogenised majority and cultural hegemony . Some analysts dispute the "fascist" label, and suggest Hindutva is an extreme form of " conservatism " or "ethnic absolutism". Some have also described Hindutva as

5148-471: The wake of Muslim League 's proposal and campaign to include the entire province of Bengal within Pakistan, which was to be a homeland for the Muslims of British India . The movement began in late 1946, especially after the Great Calcutta Killing and Noakhali genocide , gained significant momentum in April 1947 and in the end met with success on 20 June 1947 when the legislators from the Hindu majority areas returned their verdict in favour of Partition and

5226-399: Was a nationalist leader from the Central Indian province of Maharashtra. He has been widely acclaimed the "Father of Indian unrest" who used the press and Hindu occasions like Ganesh Chaturthi and symbols like the Cow to create unrest against the British administration in India. Tilak joined the Indian National Congress in 1890. Under the influence of such leaders, the political discourse of

5304-429: Was a priest in the temple of the goddess Kali in Calcutta and who was to become his guru. Under the influence of Orientalism , Perennialism and Universalism , Vivekananda re-interpreted Advaita Vedanta , presenting it as the essence of Hindu spirituality, and the development of human's religiosity. This project started with Ram Mohan Roy of Brahmo Samaj, who collaborated with the Unitarian Church , and propagated

5382-435: Was attended among others by all the Shankaracharyas, Jain leaders, Sikh leader Master Tara Singh Malhotra , the Dalai Lama and contemporary Hindu leaders like Swami Chinmayananda . From its initial years, the VHP led a concerted attack on the social evils of untouchability and casteism while launching social welfare programmes in the areas of education and health care, especially for the Scheduled Castes, backward classes, and

5460-427: Was commissioned by Jung Bahadur Rana after his European tour and enacted in 1854. It was rooted in traditional Hindu Law and codified social practices for several centuries in Nepal. The law also comprised Prāyaścitta (avoidance and removal of sin) and Ācāra (the customary law of different communities). It was an attempt to include the entire Hindu as well as the non-Hindu population of Nepal of that time into

5538-483: Was held in India, in 1957. It has been described by historians as bringing together Hindu nationalism and internationalism. The IVU also encourages regional and national organizations to run vegetarian festivals, such as the 43rd World VegFest in Sydney and Melbourne , Australia , on 25 October 2015 and the hundreds of currently organized vegetarian festivals on many continents. The organization's 1975 World Vegetarian Congress in Orono , Maine , has been called

5616-402: Was inspired by the writings of Swami Vivekananda and the novels of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay . He "based his claim for freedom for India on the inherent right to freedom, not on any charge of misgovernment or oppression". He believed that the primary requisite for national progress, national reform, is the free habit of free and healthy national thought and action and that it was impossible in

5694-406: Was nationalism. He saw his effort very much in terms of a revitalisation of the Hindu nation, which carried Hindu spirituality and which could counter Western materialism. The notions of the superiority of Western culture against the culture of India , were to be questioned based on Hindu spirituality. It also became a main inspiration for Hindu nationalism today. One of the most revered leaders of

5772-514: Was often considered as a social movement, many revolutionaries and political leaders of the Indian Independence movement like Ramprasad Bismil , Bhagat Singh , Shyamji Krishnavarma , Bhai Paramanand and Lala Lajpat Rai were inspired by it. Another 19th-century Hindu reformer was Swami Vivekananda . Vivekananda as a student was educated in contemporary Western thought . He joined Brahmo Samaj briefly before meeting Ramakrishna , who

5850-725: Was ruled by the Islamic Mughal rulers . The proclamation was made to enforce the Hindu social code Dharmaśāstra over his reign and refer to his country as being inhabitable for Hindus . He also referred to the rest of Northern India as Mughlan (Country of Mughals ) and called the region infiltrated by Muslim foreigners. After the Gorkhali conquest of the Kathmandu valley , King Prithvi Narayan Shah expelled Christian Capuchin missionaries from Patan and renamed Nepal as Asali Hindustan (the real land of Hindus ). The Tagadharis enjoyed

5928-405: Was started by Shyamji Krishnavarma , a Sanskritist and an Arya Samajist, in London, under the name of India House in 1905. The brain behind this movement was said to be V D Savarkar . Krishnaverma also published a monthly " Indian Sociologist ", where the idea of an armed struggle against the British colonial government was openly espoused. The movement had become well known for its activities in

6006-526: Was to be worked out in a democratically. After the ban was revoked RSS resumed its activities. The 1960s saw the volunteers of the RSS join the different social and political movements. Movements that saw a large presence of volunteers included the Bhoodan , a land reform movement led by prominent Gandhian Vinoba Bhave and the Sarvodaya led by another Gandhian Jayaprakash Narayan . RSS supported trade union,

6084-519: Was transported. Shyamji Krishna Varma fled to Paris. India House gave formative support to ideas that were later formulated by Savarkar in his book named ' Hindutva '. Hindutva was to gain relevance in the run-up to the Indian Independence and form the core ideology of the political party Hindu Mahasabha , of which Savarkar became president in 1937. It also formed the key ideology, under the euphemistic relabelling Rashtriyatva (nationalism), for

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