Young historian Milinda Banerjee; Assistant Professor of Presidency University Kolkata, in his book has emphasized on this nuanced notion with several examples. He gives the example of Rabindranath Tagore’s song, the first stanza of which when incorporated as the National Anthem implanted the notion of Indian Unity by eulogizing all Indians to the divine monarch of the country. During the period of armistice in Bengal, acclamations to Pranavananda; the Hindu yogi who founded the Bharat Sevashram Sangha led to the development of militant Hindu Nationalism. This development was forged to bring in the peasants into the political forefront.
Vivekananda and Bal Gangadhar Tilak according to Banerjee experienced uncertainties and hesitations regarding the monotheistic political rulership. Even though Rabindranath Tagore was fascinated by the idea of reformist rulership, he was one of the most important exponents advocating a democratic political theology. He believed that divinity and regality were present even among the masses. Kazi Nazrul Islam also believed in the divinity of the masses and hence, was of the opinion that everyone deserved basic democratic rights and could be the destructor of the evil.
Banerjee, further poses the question of sovereignty in an age when transnational capital gets hampered by promotion and patronization of the interests of the electorates of various nation-states. Nation-state sovereignty subsidises the basic notions of power which encourage transnational capital to flourish today and poses major threats to social equality. As a result, violent chauvinistic behaviour gets encouraged and the margins of the society continue to be exploited. The book provides us with several debates and the workings of the society before and in the present day which makes for a good read. It provides a great food for thought and helps us realise the dichotomies of the society.
