How India, a land of diverse ethnicities, religions, and languages, has managed to maintain its social cohesion and harmony for thousands of years? How has it managed the forces of social stratification, social exclusion, social stagnation, and social emancipation? Are the institutions of caste and untouchability, jathi and varna peculiar to India? Or is there some other deeper coda to Indian society that sustains it through millennia?

This book explores these questions by tracing the origin and evolution of India’s social systems from the ancient Harappan civilization to the present day. It reveals the underlying principles, values, and worldviews that shaped India’s social dynamics and enabled it to adapt and thrive in changing times. It also highlights the role of Indian spiritual values, especially the concepts of yajna and bhakti, in fostering social inclusion and emancipation. Drawing on historical data from various Hindu traditions and biographical data of civilizational-spiritual seers, the book challenges the common perception of these seers as mere rebels or social reformers. Instead, it shows how they were agents of self-realisation who also energised the society to achieve social transformation.

This book is not only a comprehensive and insightful account of India’s social history but also a valuable source of inspiration and guidance for anyone who seeks to create a more peaceful, harmonious, and prosperous world.

Being Hindu adopts a longue durée view of history and attempts to contextualize the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its progenitor, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), as political phenomena by examining certain medieval state structures and instances of advocacy and popular mobilization in the colonial period. Further, it studies the politics of Narendra Modi and the policy initiatives undertaken by him as the prime minister of India to highlight their apparent cultural and moral underpinnings. Its eventual objective is to make a case for the historical authenticity of the Hindu mode of politics that emerged in post-Independence India. The attempt, in other words, is to demonstrate that it is a thing in its own right and not a cynical invention of hostility towards religious minorities, an irrational or ‘fascist’ mindset, or sundry anxieties, but has precedents in frameworks and practices going rather far back in history. The BJS and the BJP are thus shown to be locatable in a long tradition of Hindus organizing their political practice or politics through cultural resources and a cultural imagination distinctive to them. Narendra Modi, similarly, brings an inclusive Hindu catholicity and sangathanist outlook to his politics and developmental agenda. Being Hindu, in this way, relates a brief history of the political expressions of being Hindu over slightly more than eleven centuries—from the ascension of Aditya I, the first of the imperial Cholas, in 870 CE until our own time and age.

Embedded within the primary narrative of the Mahabharata lie numerous sub-tales known as upakhyaanas or upakathas. These lesser known stories play a vital role in completing the grand tapestry of the Mahabharata, thus giving this book its apt title. Unlike verse translations found in unabridged versions, the 67 upakathas presented here serve a different purpose. While they may appear as diversions, these narratives serve as vital threads, connecting the text and offering answers to lingering questions that readers may have. For instance, why did Ambaa, the princess of Kaashi, become the catalyst for Bheeshma’s demise in a later life? The Ambaa upakhyaana holds the answers. Similarly, the stories of Sage Parashuraama reveal why a brahmana like him possessed warrior-like qualities. Two upakhyaanas shed light on this enigma. Additionally, the Yayaati upakhyaana elucidates the reasons behind the Kurus descending from Puru, Yayaati’s youngest son, rather than the eldest. Moreover, the intriguing dialogue between Duryodhana and Shalya, where Duryodhana persuades Shalya to become Karna’s charioteer, is also explored in these Upakathas.