Gandhi at the Charkha: India's Icon Replaced

History Untold

Mahatma Gandhi at the charkha, the spinning wheel, is an image that has united India since its independence in 1947. Why, in 2017, was Gandhi recast in this iconic image? Postcolonial media scholar Ishita Sinha Roy draws from her book Manufacturing Indianness to discuss how the" idea of India" has dramatically shifted as neoliberal Hindutva (Hindu-centric nationalism) has resulted in an insular definition of Indianness that is based on religious chauvinism, Islamophobia, and a populist idea of a 'pure' Hindu nation. This podcast takes examples from history, media, and popular culture to show how the transition from Gandhi to Modi, and secularism to fundamentalism has resulted in a re-writing of history to support Hindutva ideologies and make India great again.