The Religious Roots of Indian Nationalism Sri Aurobindo Ghose and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Abstract

The paper discusses the significance of religion and religious idioms in the formulation of nationalist ideas in India among the Hindus and Muslims. Since the Western impact became much a cultural and epistemological onslaught as it was political. The nationalist leaders in the early twentieth century made a judicious use of language, history and traditional spiritual values. They criticised the elitist leadership for being too meek and docile in their approach for not associating with the need of the common man. Religion acquires a ‘functional character’ in the interpretation of Nationalism. Both Sri Aurobindo and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad emphasised on the political freedom as the necessary condition for achieving the ‘noble mission’-the spiritual freedom