Part 1: The Late Nineteenth Century:
1. Towards the Arya Samaj;
2. Defending the Congress against Sir Syed;
3. Holding on to Hindu-ness;
4. History, Community and Nation;
Part 2: The New Century:
5. Rejecting the Congress's Indian Nationalism;
6. Defending Hinduism from Other Hindus;
7. 'Extremist' Politics: The Gita and the Possibility of Violence;
8. Opposing the Muslim League;
9. Hindu Nationalism and Caste Radicalism;
Part 3: War Years in Exile and the Khilafat Movement:
10. A New 'Indian' Nationalism in Exile;
11. Revisiting India's History: Indigenizing 'Muslim Rule';
12. Supporting the Caliphate;
13. Pan-Islamism, the World Order and India;
Part 4: The Turbulent Twenties:
14. Violent Turmoil;
15. The Path to Hindu-Muslim Unity;
16. The Kohat Riot and Joining the Hindu Mahasabha;
17. Serving Secular Indian Nationalism;
18. Hindu Sangathan: Organizing Hindus outside 'Politics';
19. Temporary Communalism for a Future Secular Indian Nation;
20. Understanding Lajpat Rai's Hindu Politics and Secularism
Conclusion;
Timeline;
Acknowledgements;
Endnotes;
Index.

In popular imagination, Lala Lajpat Rai is frequently associated with Bhagat Singh, who, by assassinating J.P. Saunders, avenged Rai’s death, caused by a police lathi charge, and was hanged for it. Lajpat Rai is also remembered for his fervent opposition to British rule.

In recent decades, however, historians have converged with the Hindu Right in rediscovering Lajpat Rai as an ideological ancestor of Hindutva. But what then explains Rai’s wholehearted approval of Congress–Muslim League cooperation, and attempt to endow Hindus and Muslims with bonds of common belonging? Why did he reinterpret India’s medieval history to highlight peaceful coexistence between Hindus and Muslims? Have our hasty conclusions about Lajpat Rai’s nationalist thought concealed its complexities and distorted our understanding of nationalism in general?

Meticulously researched and eloquently written, Being Hindu, Being Indian offers the first comprehensive examination of Lajpat Rai’s nationalist thought. By revealing the complexities of Rai’s thinking, it provokes us to think more deeply about broader questions relevant to present-day politics: Are all expressions of ‘Hindu nationalism’ the same as Hindutva? What are the similarities and differences between ‘Hindu’ and ‘Indian’ nationalism? Can communalism and secularism be expressed together? How should we understand fluidity in politics? This book invites readers to treat Lajpat Rai’s ideas as a gateway to think more deeply about history, politics, religious identity and nationhood.