Unpacking a shifting identity

A push towards rigidity

- DESE GOWDA

N recent years, amid ideological battles, historian Manu S Pillai steps back centuries to trace the formation of the modern Hindu identity in his new book Gods, Guns & Missionaries: The Making of The Modern Hindu Identity (Penguin India Allen Lane; ₹999).

Armed with rigorous research and fascinating anecdotes, Manu—who was on the jury for the recently-held Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman by The New Indian Express Group—delves into the diverse, and often mind-boggling tradition that was and continues to be Hinduism.

As Manu says, Hinduism defies easy definition. "Some things can only be understood as composites, as dynamic, layered processes, often with contradictions," he explains. "The quest to define—to sharply categorize and demarcate boundaries—is largely a modern preoccupation." His book unpacks how this fluid tradition evolved through history, adapting to challenges, pressures, and opportunities, particularly during India's encounter with colonialism and missionary activity.

A push towards rigidity

Hinduism, unlike the 'religions of the book,' did not revolve around fixed texts. "It was and remains a web, a network of beliefs and ideas, coexisting in a common framework," says Manu. However, this fluidity faced pressure during encounters with foreign powers around the turn of the first millennium CE. "The encounter with Islamic power triggered some defensive rigidity at first," he explains, adding, "And we find Hindus growing more aware of their distinctness as a group."