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Why is Shashi Tharoor 'proud to be a Hindu’? Congress MP shares video to explain
In the video, the Congress leader asserted that he is proud to be a Hindu like Swami Vivekananda, adding that it's not the pride of a Hindutva fanatic.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has shared a video on social media where he speaks about Hinduism, calling it a faith of 33 crore divine forms and a religion rooted in acceptance and pluralism.
In the video, Shashi Tharoor describes Hinduism as a faith which is deeply personal and free from rigid structures.
"I am a Hindu, and it's essentially between me and my conception of my maker. There are 33 crore ways in which you can name and imagine the divine. Pick your own, do what you like, pick half a dozen or a dozen...We have no Hindu Pope, no Hindu Sunday, and you can literally have your Ishta Devta any day of the week and fast for him or her or pray for him or her or whatever as you wish," Tharoor said in the video.
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The video was first posted on X (formerly Twitter) by user Simran Bhatia. While sharing the video, she wrote: “The man who understood Hinduism perfectly @ShashiTharoor it's so true that Hinduism is not rigid there r infinite ways to connect to that one divine and it's equally true that Hinduism assimilates all and there is no place of extremism and fanaticism well said sir.”
In the video, the Congress leader asserted that he is proud to be a Hindu like Swami Vivekananda, adding that it's not the pride of a Hindutva fanatic.
"You can even decide that you prefer the idea of the Nirguna Brahman. God without form, without qualities, without shape, without gender, and yearn for that if you wish...So all of these options that Hinduism gives you, to my mind, is absolutely wonderful. In that sense, I'm very proud to be a Hindu, and I'm happy to say that," he said.
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Tharoor, however, said he is not a Hindutva fanatic who resorts to violence, adding that "it is not Hinduism."
"But my pride in being a Hindu is that Vivekananda kind of pride. It's not the pride of the Hindutva fanatic who sort of chooses to behave like the British football hooligan, you know. You don't support my team, I'm going to hit you on the head. That's not Hinduism," he added.
Tharoor had earlier written a book ‘Why I Am a Hindu’, which explores the philosophical roots of Hinduism, celebrating its pluralism, tolerance, and inclusivity.
In the book, he contrasts this liberal faith with the rise of Hindutva, which he sees as a political distortion of Hinduism's essence. Through personal reflection and historical context, Tharoor defends a compassionate, open-minded Hindu identity. The book urges reclaiming Hinduism from majoritarian forces and embracing its true spiritual and philosophical depth rooted in diversity and acceptance.
