Vivekananda can counter Hindu right wing, says book

A book launched in Bengaluru recently seeks to present Swami Vivekananda as a liberal, critical thinker and not just a religious leader.

Govind Krishnan V, a Keralite working in Bengaluru, took four years to write ‘Vivekananda: The Philosopher of Freedom’. His objective, he says, was to oppose religious fundamentalism by “reclaiming figures such as Vivekananda”.

Several authors have written about Vivekananda, but this book focuses on his views on secularism and religion, reason and democracy, and human rights and freedom of expression.

In a phone interview, Govind said, “In the past two decades, Vivekananda has been made to look as somebody who was sympathetic to caste and patriarchy, and his views on gender have also been modified by authors.”

Govind believes Vivekananda’s views on caste diverged from Ambedkar’s, and clubbing him with Tagore and Gandhi did no justice to his views either.

His Hinduism was at variance with the Hindutva propounded by the Sangh parivar, the book argues.

‘Vivekananda: The Philosopher of Freedom, published by Aleph, available for Rs 1,200