Brands inspired by Hindutva have had no problems aligning themselves with the goals of the market and expanding its influence into hitherto uncharted territories, both socio-economic and geographical.
An interesting aspect of this has been the banalisation of Hindu nationalist ideas in the everyday sphere of economics, most particularly in consumer-grade goods and their advertisements.
The masculine, militaristic aesthetics of European fascism and Hindutva share palpable linkages, often embodied in the angry, overprotective young man seen in popular films.
However, Hindutva also promotes the archetype of the spiritually-inclined and Dharmically-rooted ascetic, which makes for the other side of its masculinist coin. Interestingly, both archetypes have also emerged in everyday consumption.
On the other hand, gone are the days when FMCG goods were sold to consumers by a bespectacled fellow in a lab coat. Patanjali, Dabur, Himalaya, and other similar self-care and health-related brands increasingly use the ascetic archetype in their consumer messaging.
A spew of organic or natural products that had been gaining popularity since the rise of new age and wellness movements worldwide in the late twentieth century, have also become part of this tendency to pander to the naturalistic and ecofascist underpinnings of Hindutva.
Their stylings may be more harmless on the surface—sporting logos with trees or herbs, product names based on their Sanskritic herbal name, etc.—but they surely ought to be seen as part of the larger trend of cultural commodification.
This relationship between “mindful”, organic consumption and conservative politics has also been made by scholars across the world. In the ongoing Amrit Kaal, a supposedly purified version of culture seems to be the new language in which goods are bought and sold.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.
