Abstract
This thesis is based on texts available of Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar s (1906-1973) ideology. Golwalkar's texts focus heavily on spirituality in connection with nationhood and service, even worship, of the nation, and many of the terms and concepts used to convey these sentiments carry strong religious connotations. I have chosen to focus on the concepts of 'dharma' and 'Hindu'. The articles and speeches by M.S. Golwalkar span over a period of about thirty years, mostly from the period of his leadership of the Sangh from 1940 to 1973. Most of the available material is in Hindi, and has been published in the twelve volume Shri Guruji Samagra. There are two exceptions available to English readers. Bunch of Thoughts was first published in 1966 and is a collection of texts originally written or spoken mostly in Hindi and translated into English. Throughout the chapters in of this thesis, I will explore some of the key concepts of Golwalkar s ideological universe and comment on some of the complications involved in studying culture, and religion in particular, as it relates to the rhetoric in Golwalkar s texts.
This thesis is based on texts available of Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar s (1906-1973) ideology. Golwalkar's texts focus heavily on spirituality in connection with nationhood and service, even worship, of the nation, and many of the terms and concepts used to convey these sentiments carry strong religious connotations. I have chosen to focus on the concepts of 'dharma' and 'Hindu'. The articles and speeches by M.S. Golwalkar span over a period of about thirty years, mostly from the period of his leadership of the Sangh from 1940 to 1973. Most of the available material is in Hindi, and has been published in the twelve volume Shri Guruji Samagra. There are two exceptions available to English readers. Bunch of Thoughts was first published in 1966 and is a collection of texts originally written or spoken mostly in Hindi and translated into English. Throughout the chapters in of this thesis, I will explore some of the key concepts of Golwalkar s ideological universe and comment on some of the complications involved in studying culture, and religion in particular, as it relates to the rhetoric in Golwalkar s texts.