Nimitha’s Reviews > Communalism in Modern India > Status Update
Nimitha
is on page 31 of 363
Communalism involved either conscious deception or unconscious self-deception; the communalist was either deceiving others or more likely he was deceiving himself as well. He was deceiving himself & others because the interests he claimed to represent did not exist in real life & the
demands he undertook to fulfil were incapable of being fulfilled in
the way he had posed them &in the way he proposed to fulfil
them
— Feb 24, 2026 11:20PM
demands he undertook to fulfil were incapable of being fulfilled in
the way he had posed them &in the way he proposed to fulfil
them
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Nimitha’s Previous Updates
Nimitha
is on page 38 of 363
"An objective basis for certain common interests on the basis of religion (or
caste) could exist for a time only if suppression on religious (or caste) grounds was practiced in the society. This was not the case in colonial India."
Even if the state didn't practice caste-based oppression, it was the everyday reality of people in colonial India🤔
— Feb 27, 2026 09:04PM
caste) could exist for a time only if suppression on religious (or caste) grounds was practiced in the society. This was not the case in colonial India."
Even if the state didn't practice caste-based oppression, it was the everyday reality of people in colonial India🤔
Nimitha
is on page 37 of 363
Of course, religion as a social diversity or differentiation existed in real life; but making this diversity the basis of political organization, mobilization, and action or seeing it as the main inner contradiction in social, economic and political life was certainly an aspect of false consciousness.
— Feb 27, 2026 08:40PM
Nimitha
is on page 37 of 363
Communalism was the false consciousness of the historical process of the last 150 years because, objectively, no real conflict between the interests of Hindus and Muslims existed.
— Feb 27, 2026 08:40PM
Nimitha
is on page 36 of 363
one reason why communalism developed in certain areas and sections of Indian society was because of their failure to adequately develop the new national consciousness, linguistic-cultural homogeneity and class identities.
— Feb 24, 2026 11:48PM
Nimitha
is on page 34 of 363
It is wrong to argue that a consciousness, ideology or social movement having no objective basis cannot be sustained for long; or the converse that if it is popular over a sufficiently long period, it must be valid or true or a correct reflection of reality. Otherwise racism or anti-Semitism or doctrines of the inferiority of women would have, by now; been proved true or valid many times over.
— Feb 24, 2026 11:34PM
Nimitha
is on page 33 of 363
Also, if believed in widely and long enough, a false consciousness can get internalized within a large number of people, can be very effective and can become a major motive force for historical events. Such was, for example, the case with the success of racism in Germany in 1933 and communalism in the partition of India in IS47.
— Feb 24, 2026 11:28PM
Nimitha
is on page 33 of 363
a false consciousness docs not act as its own causation, and its growth and prevalence have, in turn, to be explained. Furthermore, the concept of the falsity of a consciousness only means its lack of correspondence to reality; it does not decide the question of its political effectivity which depends on other socioeconomic and political factors.
— Feb 24, 2026 11:28PM
Nimitha
is on page 15 of 363
an upper-class Muslim had far more in common culturally with an upper-class Hindu than with a lower-class Muslim. And a Panjabi Hindu stood closer culturally to a Panjabi Muslim than to a Bengali Hindu; and of course, the same was true of a Bengali Muslim in relation to a Bengali Hindu and a Panjabi Muslim.
— Feb 24, 2026 10:53PM
Nimitha
is on page 9 of 363
Communalism is not only in the present it is of the present. It did not serve, nor does it now serve, the past or decaying social groups and formations. It did not try to restore the past. It did not represent 'antiquated social and cultural forces which would rather bring back the social institutions and culture which date back to a couple of millennia'.
— Feb 13, 2026 05:50AM
