Singing, for unity or division
This article explores how political parties in India, specifically the BJP, are reinterpreting national songs and rituals to shape their vision of nation-building. It contrasts the founders' inclusive approach to religious diversity with the current regime's efforts to modify these shared cultural symbols.
Why it matters
Cultural symbols and national songs are central to the debate over secularism and national identity in contemporary Indian politics.
(This is the latest edition of the Political Line newsletter curated by Varghese K. George. The Political Line newsletter is India’s political landscape explained every week. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox every Friday.)
The founders of the Indian nation added into the hymn Raghupati Raghav Rajaram and edited Vande Mataram to expand the community; the BJP seeks to edit the first and reverse the editing in the second
Shared rituals are part of nation-building. Imaginative leaders frame and propagate slogans, songs, and joint community activities with the aim of expanding the participation of people in politics. When shared rituals become more widely shared across broader segments of society, the nation, the community becomes stronger and bigger. Whether or not they are formally adopted as a national song or slogan, the principle holds.
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