THE NON-CONGRESSMAN

RAM MANOHAR LOHIA (1910—1967) The eminent socialist who has been inspiration to an entire generation of politicians

Ram Manohar Lohia’s cultural politics is more relevant today than ever before as we face the most insidious attempt to hijack Indian nationalism. The modernist, constitutional language of liberal secularism is simply unable to counter this jingoist and communal onslaught. Lohia’s formulation that “politics is short-term religion and religion is long-term politics” opens the door for drawing upon the resources of Hinduism and other religious traditions for reshaping politics. Lohia brought to life the contemporary message of Hindu cultural ideals and mythologies including Ramayana and Mahabharata. He drew upon Rama, Krishna and Shiva to reconstruct a model for political action in modern India. He posited Draupadi as an ideal of Indian womanhood. He planned a Ramayan Mela where multiple versions of the great epic could be celebrated. He viewed politics as an instrument of cultural regeneration of the Indian people, as an agent of building cultural self-confidence, and as a catalyst of recovering the collective self.

These are hints, not fully developed answers. Reading Lohia is like looking at a large Husain canvas: strong and bold lines, bright colours, an unsettling blend of diverse elements, profound without being forbidding, accessible yet enigmatic. Perhaps this is why Lohia appealed to creative minds more than political scientists of his time. He inspired painters like Husain and J. Swaminathan, poets like Sarveshvar Dayal Saxena and Raghuveer Sahay and novelists like U.R. Ananthamurthy and Devanur Mahadeva. Perhaps it is time to go beyond creative use of his hints and deploy his ideas to work out a new vision for India.

Ram Manohar Lohia was the last of the great modern Indian political thinkers in the 20th century. He was also the first one of the 21st century.