Liberation and History
This essay, originally written on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Indian Independence, outlines a significant picture of the problems faced by the new state in the second half of the twentieth century, that is, the need of preserving the legacy of a glorious past together with the call f...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Morcelliana
2014
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| In: |
Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni
Year: 2014, Volume: 80, Issue: 2, Pages: 467-486 |
| Further subjects: | B
Hinduism; History
B Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948 B History of India B Storia B Ambedkar, B. R., 1891-1956 B Hinduism B Buddhism; History B Christianity B sarva-mukti B History B induismo B Contemporary India B Buddhism B History of political autonomy B buddhismo B India contemporanea |
| Summary: | This essay, originally written on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Indian Independence, outlines a significant picture of the problems faced by the new state in the second half of the twentieth century, that is, the need of preserving the legacy of a glorious past together with the call for the innovation required by the modern world. The debate over the national language (Hindī) to establish, together with the recognition of old languages such as Bengali, Tamil, Marāhī, amongst the others, and the vast circulation of English especially amongst the ruling classes, is examined. At the same time, the literary panorama, with special attention to the literature in English by new Indian generations of writers living abroad, is considered. And so are the new mass media, such as the cinema and the television, whose impact on the new society, together with the old means, such as the radio and newspapers, is weighed up. As for the religious domain, new religious and political movements within Hinduism, like the Āryasamāj and the Hindutva, are taken into account; they originate from the ancient and venerated Vedic tradition, but are also the result of later historical developments, as happens for everything which is created and is transformed within Hinduism. On the other hand, the complementary phenomenon of Hindu universalism, consisting in the dissemination outside India of a spiritual tradition that seemed to be the exclusive prerogative of those who are born Hindus and of their descendants, is taken into account. The new advent of Buddhism, owing to the work of Ambedkar, is also examined; and similarities as well as differences between the teachings of the Buddha and the essentials of Hinduism, variously interpreted by renowned Indologists and charismatic leaders as Gandhi, are analyzed. Finally, a new concept of liberation from the chains of sasāra (the circle of successive deaths and rebirths) is illustrated; that is, the sarvamukti, an ideal of religious liberation practically unknown to the ancient Hindu tradition - this as well a historical product, come to light through the influence of Christianity. In conclusion, a relation between liberation and history which may give us an idea of something that today is typically Indian, the voice both old and new, but most certainly peculiar to India, with which it participates in the world discourse of cultures. (English) |
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| ISSN: | 2611-8742 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni
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