Page 277 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Social Structure and Social Change

Notes Those educated Hindus who did feel such legislation to be unfair criticized the government sharply
and monastic heads saw in them a valuable ally against an ever-encroaching state. The reduced
resources of monasteries caused some of the heads to turn to their followers for money. They began
to undertake tours to raise funds and cultivate the laity and these activities were reported in the
press, vernacular as well as English. The monastic heads not only continue to enjoy the esteem of the
people but are cultivated by many politicians and they in turn appreciate the usefulness of having
friends in political parties and legislatures. Studies of the changing role of monastic heads and other
religious figures in modern Indian life would be a valuable contribution to the literature on
secularization.
The process of secularization began with British rule and has become increasingly wider and deeper
with the passage of years. But it is neither the only process during this period nor has it been always
a pure and unmixed one. For instance, nationalism, a secular phenomenon, became enmeshed with
Hinduism at one stage. Hinduism has assumed a political form in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) and the Jan Sangh. The move to abolish Untouchability owed as much to a realization of the
inhumanity of the institution as to an appreciation of the political loss that would result from the
conversion of Harijans to another religion. The term “communalism”, which is an Indian contribution
to the English language, testifies to this tendency of religion to become mixed up with politics.
Sanskritization is not only spreading to new sections and areas, it is also increasing among groups
which are considered to be already Sanskritized in their style of life. The spread of Sanskritization is
aided by mass media and by such secular processes as the increased popularity of education and
greater mobility, spatial as well as social. The idea of the equality of all men before the law, and the
abolition of Untouchability, are throwing open a culture which was the monopoly of small traditional
elites to the entire body of Hindus. The effects of some acts of legislation, such as the introduction of
prohibition of the consumption of alcoholic drinks in many states, and the banning of the sacrifice of
birds and animals in Hindu temples, are such as to make the government an unwitting but powerful
agent of Sanskritization.
The significant changes occurring in the triad of institutions–caste, family system and village
community—have resulted in Hinduism becoming, to some extent, “free floating”. But this again is
only a part of the story. New agencies have emerged to provide a structure for reinterpreted Hinduism.
These agencies are still somewhat fluid and emergent. They are, on the one hand, such new institutions
as the Ramakrishna Mission and Arya Samaj and, on the other, old sects and monasteries which are
trying to adjust themselves to the new circumstances, and in that process are undergoing change.
Other traditional institutions such as bhajans (groups of people who meet periodically for singing
hymns and worshipping a deity or saint), harikathas and the cults of saints are also contributing to the
evolution of a new structure. Milton Singer has described in detail how the Radhakrishna bhajans
function in Madras today, and he thinks that their popularity has increased in recent years. Bhajans
are an all-India phenomenon, and were developed as an institution by the saints who sought salvation
(moksha) through the pursuit of the bhakti mdrga or the path of devotion. Bhajans are popular in both
rural and urban areas and among all classes of Hindus. The relative freedom of bhajans from ritual,
their great aesthetic and emotional appeal and their ability to cut across caste distinctions, are some
of the reasons for their popularity with urban and educated Hindus.
Although bhajan groups are sometimes organized around the worship of a saint, the cult of saints is
not always associated with bhajans, and devotees may worship saints individually in the privacy of
their homes. An occasional pilgrimage to the saint’s ashram (hermitage) if he is alive, or to his tomb if
he is dead, is also customary. The cult of saints is an old institution which has continued to modern
times. Sects have occasionally emerged from such cults. Allegiance to a sect may be hereditary, entire
lineages and subcastes being thus marked off from others, or it may be purely voluntary as in the
case of modern saints. Where allegiance is voluntary it usually ignores caste, region and even religion.
Saibaba, for instance, is a Muslim saint worshipped by a large number of Hindus, many of whom are
educated. Pictures of the saint are kept and worshipped, and the writings by or about the saint are
read and discussed. Most Hindus are articulate about their religious observances and beliefs and
theological discussions are freely entered into by people who meet for the first time in trains, on
buses or in hotel lobbies.

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