Is it a religion, a civilisation, a social order, or a political identity?And who gets to define it?In this long-form dialogue, we speak with Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd, political scientist and Dalit–Bahujan intellectual, to examine Hinduism and the contemporary Hindu national project from a Dalit–Bahujan lens.This conversation asks deeper questions:* What does Hinduism look like when viewed from lived experience rather than scripture?* How is Hinduism prone to multiple attacks?* How should we understand Islam, Buddhism and Christianity, in comparison to Hinduism?- Can a caste-based social order claim moral equality?* How did the word “Hindu” come into use, and what did it originally mean?* How is Hindutva different from Hinduism?* What do Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam say about society, equality, and the nation?* And what political imagination is available for our current time?The dialogue moves across philosophy, history, religion, and politics, engaging figures such as Ambedkar, Gandhi, Savarkar, Phule, and key texts from Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Islamic traditions.This is an attempt to understand religion, politics, power, and some contemporary political debates in Indian society, and to examine how we can better inform the political discourse.We invite viewers to listen patiently, think critically, and engage respectfully. Timestamps - 00:00 Introduction01:35 Why talk about Hinduism today? Religion, Nation, and Power02:25 Defining the difference: Hinduism ≠ Hindutva 03:20 The three strands: Spiritual, Aggressive Nationalist, and Dalit–Bahujan 04:13 The unseen side of Hinduism: Kautilya and Manu 05:27 Analysis of Shanti Parva 06:12 Social order and control in the Arthashastra 09:49 Understanding Buddhism’s Dhamma 11:20 Understanding Hinduism’s Dharma 12:15 Why Dhamma and Dharma are not the same 12:45 Shudras and the absence of religion in the household 13:45 Exploring the core of Buddhism 14:10 Sri Krishna, the Yadava birth, and support for Kshatriya power 17:25 The absence of equality in Hinduism 18:46 Buddhism vs. Hinduism: The section card 20:10 Why Hyderabad is a BJP campaign center 20:35 The origins of the “Hindus are one” campaign 20:44 The impact of Mandal Reservations 20:55 Sharad, Lalu, and Mulayam: The Mandal protests 21:55 The Mandir–Masjid issue 23:15 Why I wrote ‘Why I Am Not a Hindu’ 24:03 Savarkar and the definition of Hindutva 24:05 Debate: Should Savarkar be part of the syllabus? 25:35 Why Gandhi used the word “Hindu” in Hind Swaraj 27:35 How Hindutva seeks to establish a Hindu dictatorship 28:23 Savarkar as a Macaulay-ite 30:05 Where did the name “Hind” come from? 30:20 Al-Biruni and the concept of Al-Hind 32:05 “Hind” as a geographic term 32:10 Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Vedic thought 32:20 – Gandhi’s view on Inclusiveness 32:45 Phule’s ‘Gulamgiri’ and the non-existence of Hinduism 36:00 Purusha Sukta and the heart of creation 37:31 Creation in the Bible vs. Creation in the Quran 40:27 Why the Quran does not allow democracy 42:10 Democracy in Buddhism: Tribal republics and the Sangha 44:14 The moment Buddha lost a vote on a women’s issue 48:40 The Brahmin lifestyle and the concept of menstruation as untouchability 50:20 Why only Brahmins truly call themselves Hindus 1:00:05 Ambedkar: Caste as graded inequality 1:01:18 Shudras and land rights under Muslim kings 1:04:12 Challenging the Vishwa Guru campaign in the US 1:07:35 The violent nature of Hindu gods 1:10:25 Why Hindu civilization declined after the Indus Valley 1:15:05 Different heavens for different castes 1:18:15 Why Sanatana Dharma is not a religion 1:27:05 Why Hindutva leads to military dictatorship 1:30:15 Varna Dharma and the cow as a goddess 1:43:07 Why Hinduism did not spread globally 1:55:36 How Muslim invaders occupied India easily 2:10:07 – The RSS project vs. the Pakistan project
