Is Hinduism Declining?
Hinduism is among the most ancient religions in the world. With its origins traceable to over five millennia ago, it spread across the Indian subcontinent before becoming the third most popular faith in the world. According to Pew Research Center however, Hinduism is on the decline with its share of the global population steadily decreasing since 2010.
In India, every census since 1951 has revealed decreases in the percentage of Hindus in India. As recently as 2011, India’s census showed that the Hindu population had fallen from a whopping 80.5%, to a 78.3%. Controlling for population growth, this still amounts to a drastic drop in the quantum of Hindus in India over the last half century, a stunning reality that has raised much concern in the nation.
In this regard, the views of experts range from those who hold the view that Hinduism is not in any real danger of being outcompeted by other religions, to those who insist that it is losing its foothold in an increasingly, secular and globalised world.
Rooshshin Rustomji, a curator at the British Museum’s department of Ancient India, Centre for South Asian Studies, posits the former view:
“The rise of Homo sapiens has gone in parallel with the growth of the Hindu tradition in India. For the last five thousand years, we have seen a continuous presence of this faith – and its literature, institutions, philosophical systems and divinities – in the Indian subcontinent. This is a particularly important factor when considered in the context of the contemporary India, where religiosity is still strong,” she said.
Sociologists have identified a variety of reasons for this waning influence of Hinduism in India, primarily among them the sharp demographic transformations due to globalisation and the rampant secularisation in the modern world. As Dr Chandra Sengupta, a senior professor of sociology in Delhi University put it, “The increased urbanisation, television, the internet and the growing spread of mass media has certainly reduced people’s faith in the old gods and beliefs.”
He further expounded, “It is also one of the results of growing acculturation and the post-modernism that is becoming more and more popular across Indian cities, where people have begun to question and critically reflect upon the faith that their ancestors left for them.”
The recent CAA-NRC protests in India also serves to highlight the religious frictions in Indian society and how the government is seen by various sections of the citizenry. The Indian constitution grants all its people the right to practice their faith, yet the existing tensions between Hindus and other faiths – and their various denominations – remain intense, with communal violence accounting for the recent displacement of almost two million people in India.
Notwithstanding, a survey of 1,450 Hindus across India by The Hans Foundation found that over 98% of Hindus were religious, with an additional 93% believing in a deeper spiritual connection to their faith.
Political Challenges
While India’s constitution guarantees every citizen the right to practice their respective faiths, numerous cases of discrimination and violence against Muslims, Christians, and other religious minorities have been reported in recent years, with political parties often accused of fuelling religious tensions for electoral gains. To add to this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have been criticised for attempting to impose Hindu beliefs on all Indians by making Hinduism an integral part of the ethos of India.
This has further fuelled the fears of minorities who feel that the government has been actively striving to make Hinduism the only practicing faith in the country, with the Citizenship Amendment Act being seen as representing the most recent case in point. In addition, the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which effectively stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its longheld autonomous status, has been widely criticized as a violation of basic human rights.
Hindutva
The government’s Hindutva agenda is seen as one of the primary factors behind the growing communalisation of the Indian society. This agenda has been pushed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its organisations, such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to promote Hindu nationalism in Indian polity and society.
The idea of Hindutva, promotes a sense of homogeneity in India’s Hindu population, and is increasingly seen as promoting hatred towards other faiths in India. In this regard, many believe that the BJP is attempting to create an India that is dominated by a mono-religious culture, which could lead to an acute sense of insecurity among religious minorities, especially in light of the BJP’s push to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya, where a mosque was razed by Hindu extremists in 1992.
Economic Factors
Additionally, the rapid economic growth India has experienced in the last decade has enabled more people to pursue opportunities away from their communities, often weakening the links between communities, religions, and other ethnic identities that have historically shaped regional politics in India.
Moreover, the rise of a new middle class in India has led to increasing demands for more liberal values and lifestyles, leading some to break away from traditional social and religious practices. The emergence of new technologies, entertainment media, and even globalised diets have also been attributed to this continuing evolution away from religious orthodoxy in India.
Conversion
The conversion of Hindus is another oft-cited factor in current debates regarding the rising or declining fortunes of Hinduism in India. It is estimated that around 20 million Hindus practice “low-caste” faiths such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Sikhism, with India being home to some of the world’s largest Muslim, Sikh, and Christian communities.
Critics of the Hindu right often point to the proselytising activities of foreign-funded evangelical groups as being responsible for “stealing” hordes of Hindus away from their tradition. Scholars however, generally attribute the increased number of inter-faith conversions to the pressures of the caste system and to the lack of socio-economic opportunities for individuals hailing from historically oppressed communities in India.
Social Changes
The increasing spread of education and the rise of women’s rights are also seen as being responsible for the waning influence of Hinduism in India. This is primarily because as people become more educated and aware of the issues affecting them and their society, particularly those related to gender, they are increasingly likely to take a stand against any and all forms of discrimination or social inequality.
This, in turn, has led to shifts in attitudes among the younger generations who are increasingly articulated in demanding changes to the existing social fabric. And as such, many have turned away from the outdated customs and traditions that have long been associated with Hinduism and its various gods and goddesses.
Migration
It is also important to consider the fact that more Indians have been leaving India than returning in the last decade. The resulting brain drain posed by individuals in pursuit of socio-economic opportunities in other countries has also been attributed to the waning power of Hinduism in India, especially as many of these individuals take with them their religious beliefs, which they may decide to practice in their new countries of residence.
Role of Media
The media also plays a significant role in the debate, with Hinduism’s current perception in India being largely shaped by its portrayal in the media. This is especially true in the highly censored and regulated Indian media landscape in which Hindu religious practices are often viewed through the lens of outdated and oppressive ideals, while other religions, such as Christianity and Islam, are portrayed in a much more sympathetic and positive light.
Environmental Factors
The devastating consequences of unchecked climate change have also been seen to affect Hinduism, with countless Hindu shrines being destroyed by floods, storms and other natural disasters in recent years. These instances have led to a decrease in pilgrimage to some of the holiest Hindu sites, with many devotees feeling a sense of despair and loss, particularly in regards to the fact that much of the majestic architecture of such sites have been lost.
Focus on Religion
Finally, it is important that Hindus make sure that their current focus remains on their religion rather than political matters, as this has been seen to be a far more effective way of keeping faith alive and relevant in India. Instead of relying on politics and violence to preserve their faith, Hindus must recognise that they need to make their faith accessible to all parts of the world, regardless of socio-economic or racial differences.
To this end, Hinduism must focus on incorporating the shared values it holds with humans across the world, and use these shared values to develop relationships of respect and trust, the likes of which could provide a much-needed boost to the faith-base of Hindus in India, and possibly even buoy Hinduism back to its former heights.
