WHY HINDUISM IS DIFFERENT FROM HINDUTVA OF RSS/BJP? ************************************ Hinduism is the dominant religion of India or Hindustan (land of Hindus) and Nepal and is also practiced by many people of Indonesia, Cambodia, Srilanka, Philippines, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and some caribbean island states. The term Hindutva, on the other hand, was coined by Hindu nationalist leader and champion of Hindu causes, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, in his famous 1923 pamphlet ‘Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?’.The term Hindutva has been nursed and popularized by the largest Hindu nationalistic conglomerate Sangh Parivar and its numerous affiliates. Hindutva is more political in meaning, connotation, and emphasis. Hindutva has been and is still being used as a very powerful political weapon in the hands of the pro-Hindu politico-religious umbrella organization namely Sangh Parivar, which is very powerful and financially extremely well placed. Sangh Parivar, through its numerous affiliates, wants to establish a political and social system with clear hegemony of Hindus either by birth or through conversion.