Taliban & Hindutva Patriarchy: What’s Similar, What’s Different

Ram Puniyani | 21 Oct 2025

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The degree of patriarchal control and abuse of human rights is not yet seen under Hindutva nationalism ruling India today. but the seeds of rigid patriarchy are very much thriving.

Amir Khan Muttaqi. Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

When the government of India gave a red-carpet welcome to the Taliban delegation led by their Minister of Education Amir Khan Muttaqi, Army veteran Lt. Gen Prakash Katoch asked: “Should India be seen deferring to the Taliban? Taliban’s human rights record, particularly its regressive misogynistic policies are well known. No doubt, developing relations with the Taliban is a geostrategic requirement.”

The women of Afghanistan who are deprived of human rights, particularly education and assembly, must be feeling betrayed, particularly after women journalists were denied entry into the first press conference held in the Afghan Embassy in Delhi. Of course, due to heavy criticism, women were allowed to attend the next press conference.

As the Taliban came to power, their edicts came as a shock to the world at large. This is the same group that had destroyed Gautam Buddha’s majestic statues, 53 and 35 meters tall, despite requests from various powers in the world. The world is watching the gross abuse of human rights. It is the same Taliban which had imposed jizya (a tax) on non-Muslims.

The Taliban is an outcome of the youth (then) who were indoctrinated in a few madrassas in Pakistan, including the famous Lal Masjid in Pakistan. While now it has not only assumed its own agency, the circumstances in which they came up need to be recalled.

The Taliban has been indoctrinated in a particular version of Islam put forward by Maulana Wahab. When the erstwhile Soviet Union army occupied Afghanistan (1979-89), the US was not in a position to send its own army as their forces were demoralised due to their defeat in Vietnam.

The Kissinger (former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger) Doctrine was implemented, which aimed to fight the enemy (the communists) by using Asian Muslim youth. The madrassas were promoted and funded by the US. Academic and author Mahmood Mamdani in his book, Good Muslim Bad Muslim, on the basis of CIA documents, tells us how the Mujahideen were “indoctrinated and supplied with $8,000 million and 7,000 tonnes of armament”, including the latest stringer missiles.

These trained elements joined the anti-Soviet forces and the Soviet army faced defeat. America got total dominance through war against Afghanistan, and Iraq in particular. The Islam they practice is said to be the most conservative. The concept of human rights does not find any place in this version and women and subordinate sections of society face worst violations of human rights and their subjugation, as per various reports.

This degree of patriarchal control and abuse of human rights is not yet seen in the Hindutva nationalism ruling India today. As such, the seeds of rigid patriarchy are very much there and concept of human rights is gradually being replaced by ‘rights for the elite upper caste and rich’ and ‘duties for the poor and marginalised’.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtra Sevika Samiti, dealing with women, is an exclusively male organisation. It is based on the Brahminical version of Hinduism, in contrast to the liberal and inclusive Hinduism of Mahatma Gandhi, the one who was killed by a person steeped in Hindu nationalist ideology.

When B R Ambedkar was burning the Manu Smriti, the second RSS chief, M.S. Golwalkar, was writing eulogies for books like Manu Smriti. After the Indian Constitution was implemented, the RSS’s mouthpiece came out with scathing criticism of this book saying it nothing Indian about it.  

“Consider how Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, regarded as the most consequential head of the RSS, believed women were misled by modernity. Citing a couplet that states that “a virtuous lady covers her body”, Golwalkar, according to Caravan, lamented that “‘modern’ women think that ‘modernism’ lies in exposing their body more and more to the public gaze. What a fall!”

Read Also: Hindutva’s War on Women: The Gendered Face of ‘Saffron Fascism’

When Laxmi Bai Kelkar (1936) wanted women to be incorporated in RSS, she was in turn asked to start the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, a subordinate organisation. In its very name the word, swayam, is missing, which stands for self.

Later Vijaya Raje Scindia (the then Vice President of BJP) went on to glorify Sati (wife immolation on the funeral pyre of husband). BJP leader Mridula Sinha also advised women to conform to the norms of family where husband is supreme. (Savvy, April 1994). The RSS progeny has been opposed to women wearing jeans, and celebrating Valentine’s Day.

As the feminist movement came up, it went on for reforms like abolition of dowry, female infanticide and other abominable practices against women. RSS never initiated any of these struggles, but did not oppose these reforms. But, it was against the Hindu Code Bill giving women some semblance of equality to some extent.

As India has some democratic space after Independence, though it is going for a free fall since the past few decades, the admirable struggle by women did get them a better place in the society. The march toward equality did take a few steps.

Today, the RSS has Rashtra Sevika Samiti, Durga Vahini and the BJP women’s wing, whose values derive from the core RSS ideology of graded hierarchy and gender inequality. Here Manu Smriti has an important place, as their basic philosophy is rooted in understanding where a ‘Muslim man’ is the culprit while not challenging patriarchal values.

It is true that the condition of women in Afghanistan and some other Muslim countries affected by communal/fundamentalist Islam is bad. The Taliban sits at the bottom of this list.

In India, as the grip of Hindu nationalism increases, the patriarchal ideology is not being challenged by the RSS stable, while the feminist movement is doing its best to challenge the prevalent patriarchy. So, currently the degree of Taliban patriarchy is at the bottom. Hindu nationalism has basic similarity with them at the ideological level, but the women’s movement has made some significant yet inadequate strides.

What is similar between these two is the seed of patriarchy, while the degree of its social manifestation is diverse. Politics hiding under the garb of religion uses the identity aspects of the religion to retain feudal values with the added spice of hate for people of other religions. Christian fundamentalism in various places reportedly also propagates the same. Nazism, a full-blown fascist regime, also defined the place of women in the kitchen, church and children.

While we condemn patriarchy and non-recognition of the concept of human rights, we should be aware that every sectarian nationalism structured around the identity of a religion or the superiority of one race, shares many of these despicable norms.

 The writer is a human rights activist, who taught at IIT Bombay. The views are personal.

 

India’s Durga Puja, Where Worship Meets Social Change

A Durga Puja pandal on the theme of riots, urges peace and harmonious community life. Photo Credit: UN News/Rohit Upadhyay

 October 5, 2025

By UN News

By Anshu Sharma and Rohit Upadhyay

India’s eastern state of Bengal transformed this week into the world’s largest public art festival – an immersive blend of worship, artistic expression, and social messaging, thanks to an annual Hindu festival known as Durga Puja.

Inscribed by the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, in 2021 as an element of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Durga Puja isn’t just a festival, it’s a city-wide act of reimagination, one that resonates with the Bengali diaspora and others around the world.

For a few autumn nights, the city of Kolkata (and other parts of West Bengal) became an open-air gallery where local communities build dazzling temporary temples or pandals, artisans from Kumartoli sculpt the goddess from river clay, drummers (dhaakis) roll thunder through the streets, and millions wander from one illuminated dreamscape to the next.

The festivities drew to a close on Thursday.

What looks like a spectacle is actually a community in motion: local clubs raising funds, families volunteering, craftspeople collaborating, and entire local economies springing to life around food, lights, music, and art.

Families map their “pandal-hopping” routes, musicians set the rhythm, food stalls weave the city together, and the city itself becomes a stage. All kinds of divisions – class, caste, ethnicity – in this city of teeming millions, melt away.

UNESCO recognition

UNESCO recognised the Durga Puja, named after the Hindu goddess Durga, in 2021 describing it as “the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and a thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers.”

As Tim Curtis, UNESCO Representative in India, explained, “It embodies the Sarbojonin spirit – ‘for all people’ – that has defined community worship since 1926. From clay sculptors to drummers, designers to local organizers, the entire city contributes to one of the most vibrant cultural expressions in the world.”

This is heritage not locked away in monuments but alive in practice, passed hand-to-hand through craftsmanship, reimagined every year with new themes, and binding communities across class, faith, and language.

Durga Puja is also a creative economy powerhouse. A 2019 study estimated the festival’s industries generate $4.53 billion, 2.58 per cent of West Bengal’s GDP.

Art with a message

For Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, this year marked his first visit to the century-old pandal now spotlighting sustainable agriculture, highlighting the broader importance of the Sustainable Development Goals.

He told UN News, “Normally you see Goddess Durga defeating evil – here the ‘evil’ is pesticides and unsustainable farming practices. Behind me stands a display with 280 rice varieties from eastern and northeastern India. That’s 12-13 million visitors being exposed to powerful messages about organic agriculture, biodiversity, and sustainability.”

Another headline-grabber is an AI-themed pandal that fuses devotion with digital imagination. Goddess Durga appears in her traditional form – ten arms and a lion – while the backdrop bursts with circuit-board patterns, glowing data streams, and neon light.

The point is clear: faith and technology can co-exist; even in a futuristic frame.

Visitor reactions mirror this blend of wonder and caution. One 30-year-old lab technician from Kolkata, Nupur Hajara said “the more positively people receive AI, the better. If they take it negatively, that won’t help – right?”

IT professional, Sumitam Shom explained: “Durga Puja is our biggest, most special festival – and now AI is part of the conversation. It can do a lot of good, but there are risks too, especially fraud. Deepfakes and viral images are real concerns. Without safeguards, someone could misuse photos and deceive people. So, it’s crucial that we use these technologies responsibly.”

Adding a different register of urgency, another pandal with the theme of “Shabdo” (“Sound”) draws attention for its poignant focus on the vanishing sounds of nature – chirping birds, rustling leaves, croaking frogs – captured through immersive, sensory design.

A meditation on nostalgia

It was a meditation on environmental loss and nostalgia, asking what it means for the sounds of nature within a city to grow quieter as habitats shrink.

Raja, a pandal visitor, put it simply: “You barely see birds anymore. My grandfather used to tell me how common they were; now they’re rare – partly, we believe, due to mobile network impacts. This pandal is our way to wake up the community, to learn how to bring the birds back and to start working on it together.”

Many other pandals also echo urgent social themes. One honours acid attack survivors, not only raising awareness but celebrating their dignity and contributions. Another highlights water conservation.

For young visitors too, the messages resonate. Tisa, an 18-year-old student at a pandal dedicated to water conservation, reflected that “groundwater is depleting day by day. This is the best way to spread awareness to the public.”

Making Puja accessible to all

Durga Puja is also taking a step toward inclusivity.

In June 2025, UNESCO and the UN in India, working with organizations of persons with disabilities, launched comprehensive accessibility guidelines for festival organisers.

The results are visible on the ground. Ramps and barrier-free layouts ease mobility, Braille signage and sign-language interpreters expand communication, and quiet seating areas provide allow people to rest.

As the UN’s Shombi Sharp recalled, “We heard from a father who, for the first time in 17 years, was able to bring his daughter, a wheelchair user, to celebrate Durga Puja. That was an incredibly emotional moment.”

From Myth To Modernity: How Vijaya Dashami Shapes Collective Identity And Social Values – Analysis

CELEBRATING DURGA/KALI

Durga image is immersed into river on Vijayadashami in eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent. Photo Credit: Biswarup Ganguly, Wikipedia Commons

 September 29, 2025 

By Dr. Neelu Rawat

Festivals are more than just occasions for celebration; they are potent social texts that show how societies construct their identities, reconcile moral dilemmas, and preserve myths for contemporary society.

 

One of the most notable instances of this continuity in India is Vijaya Dashami, also referred to as Dussehra. The celebration, which has its roots in the legendary victories of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura and Lord Ram over Ravana  reflects ageless tales of good triumphing over evil. But in the process of evolving from myth to modernity, Vijaya Dashami has evolved into a cultural performance that unites disparate identities, upholds moral principles, and adjusts to shifting social circumstances.

Vijaya Dashami offers a living lens to examine collective identity in the modern world, where fast urbanisation, digital communication, and changing societal norms are reshaping how traditions are conducted. In addition to reciting epics, the effigy burning, community meetings, and stage plays (Ramlila) serve as a forum for social criticism, gender discussions, and even political symbolism. They also serve to uphold society’s common moral standards. Therefore, Vijaya Dashami’s sociology resides in the way it connects legendary imagination with contemporary forms of solidarity, serving as a reminder that festivals are as much about the present as they are about the past.

Myth and Morality in Modern Times

The ageless notion of good triumphing over evil has always been represented by the tales of Durga’s victory over Mahishasura and Ram’s victory over Ravana. These myths continue to motivate people to address the injustices of the present rather than merely serving as a remembrance of the past. These days, Ravana and Mahishasura are viewed as symbols for the ills that individuals faces in their personalities such as jealousy, arrogance and carelessness about others and also society faces, such as differences, violence, injustice, and corruption, rather than merely as mythological villains.

For instance, protesters in Delhi and other cities burned effigies of “modern-day Ravanas” to symbolise dishonest politicians and officials during the 2011 anti-corruption campaign in India (Chakrabarty & Roy, 2013). The image of Goddess Durga was also used in numerous demonstrations following the 2012 Delhi gang rape (Nirbhaya case), where participants said that “every woman is Durga” and demanded the defeat of contemporary “Mahishasuras” who engage in gender violence (Kumar, 2016).

Collective Identity and Social Solidarity

For many years, Vijaya Dashami has been a potent hub for social cohesion and collective identity. Through shared rituals, effigy burnings, and Ramlila performances, the festival has historically united communities and provided a forum for participation in a shared cultural narrative among members of all castes, social groups, and localities.

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Such rituals reinforce collective consciousness by reminding people of their common ideals, as Durkheim (1995) contended, and Anderson’s (1983) concept of “imagined communities” explains how these meetings promoted a more comprehensive sense of belonging. This solidarity has grown across regional borders in the modern era.

Grand festivities like the Ramlila in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, which is televised and watched by millions of people, in India turn a local performance into a National occasion that brings together many regional and linguistic groups (Lutgendorf, 1991).

In a similar vein, Indian groups in the diaspora host major Vijaya Dashami processions and cultural events in places like Singapore, Toronto, and London. In multicultural contexts, these gatherings foster a feeling of shared identity in addition to reinforcing ties to Indian history (Vertovec, 2000). Vijaya Dashami demonstrates how festivals serve as both global identity markers and local bonding mechanisms, maintaining solidarity in a society that is becoming more divided and interconnected by the day.

Honouring Weapons as a Symbols of Duty, Discipline and Divine Power

One of the lesser-discussed yet significant aspects of Vijaya Dashami is the tradition of Ayudha Puja, or weapon worship, which is deeply connected to the idea of honouring tools of duty, discipline, and divine power. In Indian epics, both Ram and Durga invoked divine blessings before going to battle, and this symbolic act continues today in the rituals of the Indian Armed Forces.

On Vijaya Dashami, regiments across the Army, Navy, and Air Force perform Shastra Puja (weapon worship), offering prayers to rifles, tanks, aircraft, and other instruments of defence. This ritual underlines the ethical principle that weapons are not instruments of aggression but of duty and protection, to be wielded with discipline and responsibility. In modern times, the meaning of this practice extends beyond the military: it reflects a broader societal respect for the tools that sustain human life whether technology, machinery, or even digital devices. Just as soldiers seek divine blessing to use their weapons only in the service of justice and security, today’s professionals symbolically honour their tools of work, reminding us that technology and power, when guided by ethics, can also serve the greater good.

Gender and Power Narratives

The tale of Goddess Durga defeating Mahishasura has long represented the victory of feminine power against patriarchal powers of oppression. In the medieval period, patriarchal norms led men to dominate the organization and conduct of festivals like Vijaya Dashami, taking charge of leadership roles, performances, and ritual practices. Women were frequently restricted to being spectators or participants rather than decision-makers. The larger patriarchal framework of Indian society was mirrored in this imbalance (Chakravarti, 1993).

However, in recent decades, contemporary Vijaya Dashami festivities have placed a greater emphasis on women’s agency and involvement, reflecting changing gender norms. Goddess Durga embodies shakti, the eternal feminine energy, and today’s woman stands as a living symbol of that power resilient, assertive, and transformative in society.

From the recent instance where Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Army’s Corps of Signals and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force performed weapon worship during Vijaya Dashami, to women’s committees in Kolkata taking charge of pandal planning and finances, and feminist reimagining of Durga in media campaigns, contemporary practices show how women across diverse sectors are reclaiming spaces once dominated by men and redefining the power of feminine energy in society.

Politics, Media, and Public Life

Once grounded in local cultural expression and religious symbolism, effigy burnings and Ramlila performances have become more and more politicised and media-driven spectacles. Rituals, according to sociology Clifford Geertz (1973), are “cultural performances” that civilisations use to dramatize their values. What was once a revered statement of the victory of virtue over evil has been transformed into a public platform for socio-political symbolism and Nation-building in the instance of Vijaya Dashami. In an effort to associate themselves with the moral authority of Ram’s victory over Ravana, political officials regularly attend effigy burnings.

For instance, Indian prime ministers and chief ministers frequently open Ramlila celebrations in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, turning a religious rite into a platform for socio-cultural and political prominence (Lutgendorf, 1991). At the same time, these performances have been magnified into national spectacles by mass media, initially via television and currently through internet channels. For example, Ramanand Sagar’s Ramlila television series in the late 1980s not only attracted record audiences but also had an impact on political mobilisation, particularly the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign (Rajagopal, 2001).

More contemporary examples of how media transforms ritual into consumable cultural content that is available to both local and international audiences include Instagram loops of Durga Puja pandals and live-streamed effigy burnings. As a result, Vijaya Dashami blurs the boundaries between faith, spectacle, and public life by serving as both a religious tradition and a mediated performance of governing authority.

Continuity and Change in Cultural Practice

Vijaya Dashami provides examples of how customs can uphold their essential principles while adjusting to contemporary situations. Fundamentally, the event upholds the moral and cultural teachings found in the stories of Ram and Durga by celebrating the ageless notion of “good triumphing over evil.” However, there have been substantial changes in the ways that these stories are executed. The impact of modernisation and globalisation on cultural practices is seen in the way that elaborate pandals, Instagram reels, broadcast Ramlila serials, and urban mega-events now either supplement or even replace traditional rural performances (Lutgendorf, 1991; Vertovec, 2000). For instance, Kolkata’s Durga Puja has developed into a global event that draws tourists, media attention, and corporate sponsorships while maintaining the idol immersion ceremony that marks Durga’s triumph (Banerjee, 2004). 

Even far from the homeland, Indian identity and moral narratives are maintained through the elaborate Vijaya Dashami festivities held by diaspora populations in places like New York and London, which combine traditional rites with regional cultural elements (Vertovec, 2000). These instances indicate how cultural traditions can change without losing their symbolic meaning, despite the festival’s dynamic forms and unchanging essence.

Conclusion 

Despite having its roots in ancient mythology, Vijaya Dashami is still relevant in the quickly evolving world of today. The festival’s lasting importance is demonstrated by its tales of virtue triumphing over evil, the celebration of collective identity, the assertion of female strength, and the interaction between ritual and public life. However, the way it is experienced has changed because to modernisation, media, and globalisation; diaspora communities can now celebrate their history far from home, women can now play active roles, and hamlet Ramlilas have become national spectacles. 

Vijaya Dashami is essentially a prime example of the dynamic continuity of culture, demonstrating how customs can change in shape while maintaining their moral and social foundation. In methods that bring communities together across time and distance, festivals serve as a living reminder that they are not only celebrations of the past but also mirrors of current society.

Reference

• Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso.
• Banerjee, S. (2004). Rituals of power and power of rituals: Public celebrations and women’s participation in Bengal. Economic and Political Weekly, 39(17), 1685–1692.
• Chakrabarty, B., & Roy, S. (2013). Public policy and politics in India: How institutions matter. Routledge.
• Chakravarti, U. (1993). Conceptualising brahmanical patriarchy in early India: Gender, caste, class and state. Economic and Political Weekly, 28(14), 579–585.
• Durkheim, E. (1995). The elementary forms of religious life (K. E. Fields, Trans.). Free Press. (Original work published 1912)
• Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.
• Kumar, R. (2016). Violence, resistance, and identity: The politics of rape in India. Economic and Political Weekly, 51(9), 15–17.
• Lutgendorf, P. (1991). The life of a text: Performing the Ramcaritmanas of Tulsidas. University of California Press.
• Rajagopal, A. (2001). Politics after television: Religious nationalism and the reshaping of the Indian public. Cambridge University Press.
• Vertovec, S. (2000). The Hindu diaspora: Comparative patterns. Routledge.

Dr. Neelu Rawat

Dr. Neelu Rawat, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab, India.

DURGA

KALI

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