Saffron, Spice and Everything Nice?: A Study of Women in Hindutva

Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II Volume 14 Article 13 2009 Saffron, Spice and Everything Nice?: A Study of Women in Hindutva Deepti Shenoy Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Shenoy, Deepti (2009) "Saffron, Spice and Everything Nice?: A Study of Women in Hindutva," Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II: Vol. 14 , Article 13. Available at: http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives/vol14/iss1/13 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact . Shenoy: Saffron, Spice and Everything Nice? 134 Historical Perspectives June 2009 Saffron, Spice and Everything Nice? herding women into particular, limited, roles.2 At first glance, one may understandably wonder what would lead women to accept such an ideology. Feminist scholars have both documented the extensive participation of women in organizations that subscribe to Hindutva ideology and, in many cases, voiced their belief that this participation is not empowering for women. To quote Meera Sehgal, paramilitary training offered to women within the movement is “more effective in constructing an alarmist, besieged mentality rather than the self-confident and selfreliant one proclaimed by the Samiti’s discourse of empowerment.”3 Sehgal focused and based her conclusions on the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, a women’s wing of one particular Hindutva organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. When one examines the situation of women within Hindutva over time and across various organizations, however, it appears that they are more empowered by their participation in these organizations than one might imagine. A comprehensive examination of the role of women in the many disparate organizations that come under the saffron banner of Hindutva reveals two things. First, the definition of femininity and the role of women within the movement have, far from remaining static, evolved greatly over time. Second, the different roles played by women in different organizations demonstrate that the saffron women come in different hues. Rather than allowing themselves to be defined by any particular Saffron, Spice and Everything Nice?: A Study of Women in Hindutva Deepti Shenoy Introduction The Hindu Nationalist Movement, or Hindutva, a traditionally masculine bastion, has been subject to a quiet but significant assault on its core philosophy. Interestingly, this attack has come from within the movement, in the form of a near insurgency. Women have penetrated its ranks and carved unique niches for themselves and have started focusing on creating a more inclusive agenda. Women in Hindutva catapulted themselves into positions of power within the movement in the 1990s, and this has significantly changed the face of the movement. Though the transformation into a democratic and feminist Hindutva is far from complete, women have made their mark and helped to chart a positive course for its ideology. Hindutva begins with the belief that India has always been and should be a Hindu rashtra, or nation. It is firmly rooted in the conviction that citizens of India must accept a cultural, if not religious Hinduism. This explicitly religious affiliation has often led leaders of the Hindutva movement to adopt fundamentalist, or anti-feminist, stances on women’s issues.1 Scholars have underlined many instances of the movement 1 2 Ram Puniyani, “Degrading Women,” The Times of India, 9 September 1999. Published by Scholar Commons, 2009 135 Meera Sehgal, “Manufacturing a Feminized Siege Mentality: Hindu Nationalist Paramilitary Camps for Women in India,” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 36 (2007). 3 Sehgal, Manufacturing a Feminized Siege Mentality, 179. 1 Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II, Vol. 14 [2009], Art. 13 134 Historical Perspectives June 2009 Saffron, Spice and Everything Nice?: A Study of Women in Hindutva Deepti Shenoy Introduction The Hindu Nationalist Movement, or Hindutva, a traditionally masculine bastion, has been subject to a quiet but significant assault on its core philosophy. Interestingly, this attack has come from within the movement, in the form of a near insurgency. Women have penetrated its ranks and carved unique niches for themselves and have started focusing on creating a more inclusive agenda. Women in Hindutva catapulted themselves into positions of power within the movement in the 1990s, and this has significantly changed the face of the movement. Though the transformation into a democratic and feminist Hindutva is far from complete, women have made their mark and helped to chart a positive course for its ideology. Hindutva begins with the belief that India has always been and should be a Hindu rashtra, or nation. It is firmly rooted in the conviction that citizens of India must accept a cultural, if not religious Hinduism. This explicitly religious affiliation has often led leaders of the Hindutva movement to adopt fundamentalist, or anti-feminist, stances on women’s issues.1 Scholars have underlined many instances of the movement 1 Ram Puniyani, “Degrading Women,” The Times of India, 9 September 1999. Saffron, Spice and Everything Nice? 135 herding women into particular, limited, roles.2 At first glance, one may understandably wonder what would lead women to accept such an ideology. Feminist scholars have both documented the extensive participation of women in organizations that subscribe to Hindutva ideology and, in many cases, voiced their belief that this participation is not empowering for women. To quote Meera Sehgal, paramilitary training offered to women within the movement is “more effective in constructing an alarmist, besieged mentality rather than the self-confident and selfreliant one proclaimed by the Samiti’s discourse of empowerment.”3 Sehgal focused and based her conclusions on the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, a women’s wing of one particular Hindutva organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. When one examines the situation of women within Hindutva over time and across various organizations, however, it appears that they are more empowered by their participation in these organizations than one might imagine. A comprehensive examination of the role of women in the many disparate organizations that come under the saffron banner of Hindutva reveals two things. First, the definition of femininity and the role of women within the movement have, far from remaining static, evolved greatly over time. Second, the different roles played by women in different organization (...truncated)