The Theatre of Kanhailal

The rise of Hindu nationalism in India has been an integral feature of political developments and cultural change over the last few decades. Accomplished by electoral means as well as by aggressive politics and vast media influence, the ascendancy of Hindutva has been the focus of serious attention in academic debates. Written in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition, Making India Hindu brings together the work of eminent scholars to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on communalism in India. With an In-depth introduction and a new preface, these essays show how Hindutva’s spreading and deepening influence has drawn sustenance from cultural trends that permeate modern Indian history and from multifarious media that propagate Hindutva. While the first edition helped explain the rise of Hindutva across the world in the 1980s, the second edition, updated to the 2004 elections, highlights the direct and indirect operations of Hindutva within India’s political mainstream. As incisive analysis of current events by Ludden and a thoroughly revised bibliography make the second edition of this classic a significant read for historians, political scientists, and students and scholars interested in the role of politics, religion, and nationalism in South Asia.