In April 2017, a Ram Navami procession snaked its way through the lanes of a small town in Jharkhand where Hindus and Muslims had existed in peaceful coexistence for decades. As the procession approached the main mosque where eminent Muslims of the town were waiting to receive them with sweets and good wishes, the music changed, and with it the mood of the people. The peaceful procession suddenly became a mob chanting Hindutva slogans in a way which was deliberately provocative to Muslims. The police swung into action turned off the music and prevented the situation from taking an ugly turn. Later that evening, however, some people returning home from the procession caught a Muslim man speaking to a Hindu woman and assaulted him. Later that night, the man died.
Two years after the incident took place, the author, Kunal Purohit, set out to interview eyewitnesses to find a clue to why the incident took place in a place which had earlier known communal harmony. He was struck when one eyewitness recounted that the mood of the people suddenly changed when the music changed. How could one song who’s lyrics were barely audible over the beat exert such a sway over the audience? Who were these Hindutva pop stars who were fomenting such divisiveness and hate? Were they acting in isolation or were they a part of a larger movement that was creating societal acceptance of the core beliefs of Hindutava? The author had to find out, and from these thoughts, ‘H=Pop: The Secret World of Hindutva Pop Stars’ was born.
“Can a song trigger a murder?
Can a poem spark a riot?
Can a book divide a people?”
These are some of the questions that the author sets out to answer through this book. He looks at three ways in which the Hindutva message is spread- music, poetry and publishing, and in each of these, he profiles one person who is immensely popular and effective in the genre. The book is based on ground research spread over four years during which time the author spent countless hours interviewing and interacting with not just the three people profiled, but also their family and close associates. He attended their programmes and spoke to them about their early childhood, their journey to fame, and their frustrations and aspirations. By choosing to profile one person in each genre, the author is able to convey a lot more than he would have had he chosen to write about each of the movements in general.
Everything written about in the book is set against the socio-political background of the country. The book is sprinkled with references to almost all the important events of the previous 4 years- the Pulwana attack, the 2019 General Elections, the Abrogation of Section 370, the anti-CAA-NRC protests that swept the country, Shaheen Bagh, the Lockdown, the Farmer Protests, the second wave of COVID and the UP elections. Each of these affected the people profiled in significant ways- either by providing material for their art or in more personal ways.
Each of the people profiled is fascinating in different ways, and though they all fall under the large Hindutva ideology, each of them is driven by different objectives and has different aspirations. Though this is the main source of livelihood for each of them, money and fame is not the only thing that drives them- they want something more, something intangible.
Kavi Singh
Kavi Singh is one of only two female singers in the macho, masculine world of Hindutva pop music. Her appeal lies in the fact that she has a quick turnaround time and is fast to react to current events, and she unambiguously directs her listeners to react in a certain way. The lyrics to her songs are direct and warn of an Islamic takeover of the country-
“Kuch logo ki toh saazish hai,
Hum bacche khub banayenge.
Jab snakhya hui humse szaada,
Fir apni baat manayenge.(Some people are conspiring,
That we will produce many children
When their numbers go past ours
They will make us dance to their tune.)
Songs like these have little basis in reality, because the fertility rate of Muslims is going down, and unless Hindus stop reproducing completely, Muslims will never become the majority in the country. However, songs like these are widely popular and their target audience is swayed by rhetoric and doesn’t demand facts.
Despite her fame, Kavi’s own life is full of contradictions. Though she dresses in gender-agnostic outfits and has cultivated a male swagger, she is still a victim of patriarchy. Her career and image are carefully controlled by her adoptive father, and she is almost ostracised by her family when she chooses to display sexual agency. While Kavi Singh has achieved fame, she wants more- she wants to be recognised as someone who guides her listeners about the (imagined) danger that Muslims present to her idea of a Hindu state.
Kamal Agney
Kamal Agney is a Hindi poet whose poetry ‘revolves almost exclusively around the cause of Hindutva. His poetry furthers Hindutva in innumerable ways: he will find ways to emphasize some of the core elements of the ideology, he will clearly delineate the ‘enemies’ of Hindus, he will stroke anger and hate towards them, dehumanise them using his rhetoric and won’t shy away from creating new foes.’ He does this by creating false binaries, by asking provocative questions and by re-writing historical events and figures by giving them a religious spin. One of his poems, for instance, goes-
“Jinnah ko mila Pak, Nehru ko Hind,
Koi toh bataiye Chandrashekhar ko kya mila.
J(innah got Pakistan and Nehru India
Someone tell me, what did Chandrashekhar get?)
Through this poem, he implies that both Jinnah and Nehru were beneficiaries of Partition, even though it is well documented that Nehru opposed Partition till it was clear that it was inevitable. Timelines are also deliberately messed up by bringing up the name of a revolutionary who was martyred in 1931, well before the demand for Pakistan gained momentum.
It is interesting that the poet did not vote for the BJP in the first election where he was eligible to vote, but gradually came into the Hindutva fold and became one of its most vociferous champions. What is also interesting is that he is no longer content with just moulding public opinion; he wants to be able to wield political power and is disheartened that the Chief Minister he campaigned for hasn’t rewarded him sufficiently.
Sandeep Deo
Former journalist turned author Sandeep Deo wears many hats in his quest to advance the Hindutva ideology. He runs a popular YouTube news channel, has his own publishing house and is growing his e-commerce website to distribute Hindutva books and other religious items. He is also a spiritual guide and gives advice to parents and children on how to live their lives the Hindu way.
Deo has studied the Hindu scriptures extensively, and he wants to reestablish an Akhand Hindu Rashtra. Interestingly, he often criticises the BJP government when he feels they are not taking a firm enough stand in stamping out elements which Deo believes are against Hindus and Hindutva.
Unlike most people with strong Right Wing leanings, he does not shy away from criticising the Prime Minister, and in his news shows, he often comes across as anti-establishment. “Every Ram needs Vasishtha. Every Chandragupta Maurya needs a Chankay”, he says. Clearly, he sees himself as a kingmaker who can take down the established king if he strays from the path that Deo believes is the right one.
Through these three portraits, the author brings to life the world of Hindutva Pop, which is growing and thriving away from the gaze of the mainstream urban media. The author also puts these developments in the context of similar movements internationally, which polarised people and eventually resulted in documented violence against communities.
What makes the book exceptional is the fact that though it is meticulously researched and presented, the author leaves his personal opinions out of the narrative. While it is clear that he is disturbed by the objective and impact of H-Pop, he merely presents facts and leaves it to the reader to form their own opinions. The book is a masterclass in journalism because the author continues to maintain his objectivity throughout the book; something that is often missing in what passes for journalism these days.
This book, as summarised in the blurb, presents “the frightening face of new India- one that is united by hate, divided by art.” I would urge anyone who wants to understand what is happening in the country better to read this book.
The book has been published by Harper Collins India. You can follow them on YKA here.