First treatise on Hindutva was penned in Bengal: Kanchan Gupta

Speaking at the India Today East Conclave 2022, Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser, Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said the first treatise on Hindutva was penned in Bengal.

Listen to Story

Advertisement
Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser, Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, at India Today Conclave East 2022.
Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser, Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, at India Today Conclave East 2022. (Photo: India Today)

Speaking at the India Today East Conclave 2022, Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser, Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said it is apt that the idea of Hindutva nationalism is being discussed in Bengal. The first treatise on Hindutva was penned in Bengal, Kanchan Gupta pointed out.

Talking about the concept of Hindutva nationalism and its growth in Bengal, Kanchan Gupta said, “Bengal has had a history of contributing to the idea of Hindutva. And that idea was subsequently accepted even by the Supreme Court in 1995-1996. Hindutva stands for cultural civilisational identity. If you add nationalism to it, it becomes cultural nationalism. And Bengal is a classical example of cultural nationalism.”

advertisement

Conclave East 2022 Full Coverage

Kanchan Gupta said the first pictorial representation of ‘Bharat Mata’ also emerged from Bengal.

“1905 is when the first concept of Bharat Mata emerged. And it's Abanindranath Tagore who drew the first pictorial representation of Bharat Mata. It came from Bengal, and not from a Hindi heartland,” Kanchan Gupta said.