'Modi tattva', RSS part of Vadodara's Maharaja Sayajirao University Sociology syllabus

Vadodara: A university in Gujarat's Vadodara has introduced "Modi Tattva", a module on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "charismatic leadership" and the history of the RSS into its Sociology syllabus to study their impact on society, an official said Saturday.

The Maharaja Sayajirao University's new course titled "Sociology of Patriotism" in its two-year Master's in Sociology programme aims to scientifically analyse "Modi Tattva" and the works of social reformers like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sayajirao Gaekwad III, said Dr Virendra Singh, who heads the sociology department.

"Whether you like it or not, you will have to discuss PM Modi in a political field and a leadership role. He is an element that will remain there for a long time. We wanted to study sociologist Max Weber's charismatic leadership, seen in Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. The same kind of charismatic leadership is seen in PM Modi. That is a scientific matter that needs to be inquired," he said.

Singh, who is also a part of the NITI Aayog's project to monitor public projects, said "Modi Tattva" will also be the focus of topics like media and digital nationalism, citizenship and dissent, and globalisation and identity politics, which are all part of the syllabus.

"These three parts will work scientifically on the concept of Modi Tattva, and talk about why he is becoming so famous, how his acceptability is so widespread, what is so great about him as he remains in power for the longest period in India," he said.

He said that the prime minister's policies, such as demonetisation, digital revolution, Fastag, Jal Shakti Ministry, etc., reflect how well he captures what people want, and that may be the reason he gets such support from them.

The "Sociology of Patriotism" module will have four papers, each with 15 hours of teaching, Singh said.

He explained that the idea for the modules came when the department's MA students were conducting surveys in remote villages as part of the NITI Aayog's monitoring of public policies.

"We realised that certain groups of people were working in these villages for implementation of these projects, and they were associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)," Singh said, adding that a scientific sociological inquiry into the group was required.

He said that the papers will also cover units on understanding nationalism, the nation-state, and cultural nationalism with a global perspective, and on pioneers who have worked on social reforms, including Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the erstwhile ruler of Baroda, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the first person to talk about Hindu Swaraj.