The Hollow Saffron Chest-Thumping of Our Times
There was a time when life was simple and quiet. People lived without the need to declare their faith every morning or defend it every evening. There were Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians, but they were never counted, categorized, or constantly reminded of who they were. Religion was a personal matter, something that guided the inner self, not a label carried in the marketplace of politics.
In those days, words like Sanatan and Hindu were known but rarely spoken in daily life. They belonged to scriptures and spiritual discourse, not to political rallies or social media posts. Faith was silent and sincere, practiced in homes and hearts, not performed on screens. A visit to the temple or a namaz at the mosque was an act of devotion, not a declaration of ideology. People were not divided into Sanatanis and anti-Sanatanis; they were just neighbours and friends.
But somewhere along the way, the sacred turned into spectacle. The essence of Sanatan Dharma, which meant eternal truth and universal harmony, has been reduced to a slogan of power and exclusion. The political class discovered that religion can mobilize better than governance. And so, the ancient word Sanatan was pulled out of the scriptures, polished with propaganda, and planted in the middle of political discourse.
The result is a new breed — the Political Sanatani. Unlike the spiritual Sanatani who seeks truth and self-realization, the Political Sanatani seeks validation and visibility. He is loud, angry, and forever offended. His idea of dharma is not about duty or compassion but about dominance. He confuses pride with piety and outrage with devotion. In his world, silence is weakness and shouting is strength.
What was once a path to inner peace has become a battlefield of identity. Temples have turned into political stages, festivals into campaigns, and symbols of faith into instruments of control. The Sanatan that once preached tolerance now fuels suspicion. The Hindu who once believed in universality is being told to choose sides. The spiritual richness that once defined India is being replaced by a culture of noise and narcissism.
The tragedy is not that religion has entered politics; it is that politics has entered religion. The quiet dignity of faith is lost in the echo of self-proclaimed defenders who understand neither spirituality nor service. True Sanatanis never needed to prove their belief through aggression. Their faith was reflected in conduct, in compassion, in respect for all forms of life.
There was a time when life was just life. No loud claims, no defensive postures, no television debates about gods and identities. People lived their faith, not displayed it. Perhaps it is time to return to that silence — where devotion was private and peace was public.
When Sanatanism Became a Badge
There was a time when the word Sanatani evoked quiet reverence. It carried the weight of centuries, the spirit of compassion and tolerance, of a civilization that survived invasions and partition without losing its soul1. Today, it has become a mere badge, flaunted with the pride of a schoolboy waving a forged report card. People scream kattar Hindu or kattar Sanatani, as if loud slogans can substitute for depth of understanding.
Dharma: Lost in Translation
Dharma, the bedrock of our civilization, is not about costume dramas or aggressive sloganeering2. It is a principle as old as the Rig Veda3, as subtle as the Upanishads4, and as practical as the Gita5. It is the law of righteousness, the path that maintains harmony in society and balance within oneself.
Ask today’s kattar Hindu about dharma, and he will look at you blankly. His understanding begins with “Jai Shri Ram” and ends with a WhatsApp forward about his neighbor’s diet.
Lessons from the Real Sanatanis
The Sanatana tradition survived because of nuance, not noise. Ashoka turned from violence to nonviolence after Kalinga6. Adi Shankara united India through debate, not division7. Vivekananda called Hinduism the mother of all religions because of its tolerance8.
If they returned today, they would be appalled at the market of saffron chest-thumping — where noise is worshipped and wisdom ignored.
Politics, Power, and Pretence
Chest-thumping sells. Politicians realized long ago that religious passion rouses the masses9. Instead of teaching the Gita’s lesson of selfless action, they hand out soundbites. Instead of spreading Upanishadic wisdom, they host venomous TV debates.
Those who scream Sanatan dharma khatre mein hai cannot recite two shlokas10. Their temples are in their bank accounts, where donations are tallied, and power worshipped. They are counterfeit priests in the marketplace of faith, selling slogans while delivering division.
The Irony of Misguided Devotion
In the Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna to fight not out of hatred but duty5. Yet today’s champions distort dharma into diet, dress, and daily outrage. They weaponize gods who once represented love.
Khushwant Singh once said that religion in India had become more a matter of ritual than morality11. The saffron scarf is worn not as a symbol of renunciation but as a uniform of intimidation. Loudspeakers drown out silence, hashtags smother reflection. We are left with noise without knowledge, anger without awareness, faith without foundation.
History’s Warnings
Every time religion becomes a weapon, civilizations pay the price. The Crusades12, the Taliban13, and India’s communal riots14 prove this. The Sanatana tradition never feared other paths, yet today’s self-proclaimed defenders attack difference. In doing so, they betray the very tradition they claim to protect.
True Sanatanism Today
To be truly Sanatani today means returning to the essence of dharma — truth, compassion, balance, and self-restraint. It is not about what you wear or eat; it is about how you treat the other.
When we live this way, we will no longer need labels like kattar Hindu or kattar Sanatani. Faith will reclaim its dignity, and religion will regain its silence.
The Last Word
The word dharma is held hostage by fools who know not its meaning. They scream louder than saints, parade in saffron, and preach purity but act in politics. They are not protectors of Sanatana — they are its greatest danger.
As Gandhi reminded us, dharma is found in truth, not temples15. Tagore warned against the prison of narrow domestic walls16. Ambedkar showed that caste and ritual are shackles, not dharma17.
Their words echo across time, but who listens in an age addicted to noise?
Author’s Note
The writer, Siddhartha Shankar Mishra, is an Advocate at the Supreme Court of India. He writes on politics, history, and society with a satirical edge inspired by Khushwant Singh.
References
Footnotes
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Romila Thapar, A History of India, Vol. 1. ↩
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S. Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy. ↩
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Rig Veda, Mandala 1. ↩
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Upanishads, Chandogya Upanishad. ↩
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Romila Thapar, Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas. ↩
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Swami Gambhirananda, Adi Shankaracharya: Life and Philosophy. ↩
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Swami Vivekananda, Speech at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1893. ↩
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Christophe Jaffrelot, The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics. ↩
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Media accounts and public statements of right-wing activists. ↩
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Khushwant Singh, The History of Sikhs. ↩
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Thomas Asbridge, The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land. ↩
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Ahmed Rashid, Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. ↩
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Gyanendra Pandey, The Construction of Communalism in Colonial North India. ↩
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M.K. Gandhi, Hind Swaraj. ↩
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Rabindranath Tagore, Nationalism. ↩
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B.R. Ambedkar, The Annihilation of Caste. ↩
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