Many already identify with this title even without reading this book by Rahul Roushan and eminent persons who had praise for this book have already said the same. That it is indeed the journey of many an Indian. Of their transformation into a vocal Hindu who stands for Hindutva with the actions of secular Indian state, pseudo-liberal media and the colonized establishment providing the catalytic effect, the reader invariably tends to recount his/her own journey while reading the book and it was no different in my case. The background and timeline might be different, the triggering events might vary but destination is the same. So, this is going to be less of a review and more of my journey. This book is sure to inspire many to recount their own.

Being raised in a deeply religious Hindu family did not translate to being on the right side of the political spectrum. RSS was an unknown till late teens. Secular state meant we would often hear about Haj subsidies and Iftar parties but the same state also telecasted Tyagaraja Aradhana live which was watched by a very small segment of the society. In combined Andhra Pradesh, the state representatives sent (still do) ‘mutyala talambralu’ (pearls for the akshataropanam ritual where the bride and groom pour rice on each other in their wedding) for Sita-Rama Kalyanam in the most popular Rama temple in Bharat at Bhadrachalam (Ayodhya site being in dispute). The reality of state control of rich and famous Hindu temples was overlooked due to this feel-good optical veneer. Regional issues and caste played a big role in the south. So, a deeply religious person would still be of a Congressi-Hindu mindset (well explained by the author) while opposing the party politically. The movies and history books spewed subtle anti-Hindu sentiment but they created a mildly bitter after-taste which was forgotten easily.

But Ramajanmabhoomi movement changed all that. Our generation got to know more about BJP and along with this we came to know about the ideas of minority appeasement, uniform civil code and Hindutva. Their leaders wore Hindu identity on their sleeves and this felt good. But still the identification with labels of Right-wing and Sanghi would not happen. RSS was still considered a closed and rigid organization and some of the statements of their leaders sounded very out of place with the reality. “I was scared of the labels. Much later I would realize that is how the left wins the narrative war”, says the author in the book. Indeed, many of us were scared.

The role played by television media in particular in speeding up the process of Sanghi-karana (making a non-Sanghi into a Sanghi) is well explained through various incidents like TV coverage during riots, terror attacks and more. It is the best part of the book and sure to resonate with many. Anything Hindu was portrayed as either too regressive or too all-encompassing. Political correctness and sometimes brazen anti-Hindu rhetoric formed the backbone of TV journalism. Some ‘atheists’ doubled up as ‘experts-on-everything’ just because they wrote for movies and the debate was heavily skewed towards the left. One of the most striking ones that comes to mind was a debate on NDTV where the anchor Barkha Dutt did a debate on ‘Vedic science: Fiction vs fact’ and the eminent scientist Bhatkar’s (the man behind India’s first super computer) views were almost brushed aside because of his association with Sangh Parivar. Meanwhile, respect for Sangh grew after learning about movements like ‘Speak Samskritam’ (later ‘Samskritabharati) and Ekal Vidyalaya. And soon, Sangh Parivar was not Hindu enough. The language is simple and honest and the author takes care to make it not autobiographical while taking us through a personal journey.

This book should be read by youngsters living in Modi’s India to know what previous generations went through and to put the current political narrative in context. With the outrage industry now going global, this would also help youngsters of Indian origin who are constantly fed on this outrage literature understand the reality.

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