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The Identity Project: The Unmaking of a Democracy
An investigation into the devastating Delhi riots of 2020 and the stories of betrayal and abandonment in their aftermath leads Rahul Bhatia to probe the history and spread of Hindu nationalism, to understand ‘where the poison comes from’, in the words of a survivor.
From the emergence of Dayanand Saraswati and the Arya Samaj in the 1800s to the early twentieth century, when the first advocates of Hindu nationalism drew lessons from European strongmen, Bhatia traces the evolution of a fundamentalist ideology that silently took root and shaped India itself.
His investigation throws startling new light on this movement’s use of misinformation and religious targeting for political ends, and how its extreme ideas sparked the creation of the world’s largest biometric identification project. Today, this citizen database has not only dealt a blow to citizens’ privacy, but also, in combination with the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens, threatens to relegate vast numbers of Muslims and other minorities to an inferior class of citizenship.
As a result, a sacred compact between citizens and the state lies broken: Electorates in democracies used to choose their government, but in India, the government is attempting to choose its electorate.
Based on six years of research and on-the-ground reporting, The Identity Project builds—authoritatively, vividly, indelibly—to become the story of modern India. Using hundreds of interviews, letters, diary entries, Partition-era police reports and an astonishing range of sources, Bhatia shows how history plays a recurring role in the present: in politics, in the choices citizens make, in notions of justice and corruption.
A monumental work of narrative reportage that illuminates the ways in which an entire country is being remade, along with the minds of its citizens, this book will compel readers to ask what they truly understand about their neighbours and themselves.
From the emergence of Dayanand Saraswati and the Arya Samaj in the 1800s to the early twentieth century, when the first advocates of Hindu nationalism drew lessons from European strongmen, Bhatia traces the evolution of a fundamentalist ideology that silently took root and shaped India itself.
His investigation throws startling new light on this movement’s use of misinformation and religious targeting for political ends, and how its extreme ideas sparked the creation of the world’s largest biometric identification project. Today, this citizen database has not only dealt a blow to citizens’ privacy, but also, in combination with the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens, threatens to relegate vast numbers of Muslims and other minorities to an inferior class of citizenship.
As a result, a sacred compact between citizens and the state lies broken: Electorates in democracies used to choose their government, but in India, the government is attempting to choose its electorate.
Based on six years of research and on-the-ground reporting, The Identity Project builds—authoritatively, vividly, indelibly—to become the story of modern India. Using hundreds of interviews, letters, diary entries, Partition-era police reports and an astonishing range of sources, Bhatia shows how history plays a recurring role in the present: in politics, in the choices citizens make, in notions of justice and corruption.
A monumental work of narrative reportage that illuminates the ways in which an entire country is being remade, along with the minds of its citizens, this book will compel readers to ask what they truly understand about their neighbours and themselves.
464 pages, Hardcover
Published August 26, 2024
18 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 13, 2024
I had the pleasure of meeting Rahul when he came over to Bangalore to discuss his book. I'd not completed the book when I did, and I must admit the reading went slower than I thought it would, but it wasn't because the book was slow.
I had to put the book down multiple times because of how angry the story makes me. What is done, repeatedly to our country, because of outdated ideals, belief in retarded systems and philosophies, and hatred for Muslims because of either misinformation or misguided fervor.
It pains me that everyone in my family speaks this way. Everyone is in their own bubble of hatred, my cousins believe in superstitions, they think that Indians had nukes and airplanes in the past. They believe that the government they support can do no wrong. Some of them thought that the BJP needs to go harder with the Sangh after Modi didn't capture 400 seats in 2024. Retards I tell you.
I absolutely loved this book. I bought 3 copies, two to gift to my friends. I read the first half thrice, twice on a bootleg ebook, and I might go ahead and make plenty of notes there to share with others. I might get a caravan subscription just to read more of Rahul's work. He's an excellent writer and an excellent human. It was a pleasure to meet him.
I had to put the book down multiple times because of how angry the story makes me. What is done, repeatedly to our country, because of outdated ideals, belief in retarded systems and philosophies, and hatred for Muslims because of either misinformation or misguided fervor.
It pains me that everyone in my family speaks this way. Everyone is in their own bubble of hatred, my cousins believe in superstitions, they think that Indians had nukes and airplanes in the past. They believe that the government they support can do no wrong. Some of them thought that the BJP needs to go harder with the Sangh after Modi didn't capture 400 seats in 2024. Retards I tell you.
I absolutely loved this book. I bought 3 copies, two to gift to my friends. I read the first half thrice, twice on a bootleg ebook, and I might go ahead and make plenty of notes there to share with others. I might get a caravan subscription just to read more of Rahul's work. He's an excellent writer and an excellent human. It was a pleasure to meet him.
April 11, 2025
Which of us has not lost friends because of a difference in political ideology? Which of us has not known people who claim to be politically neutral, yet endorse an ideology of hate? Which of us hasn’t been shocked to find that people we thought we knew well believe the propaganda that is fed to them? Which of us doesn’t know otherwise intelligent people who parrot a distorted version of facts and who when you try to reason with them accuse you of being brainwashed by your political inclination.
If you are one of those people, Rahul Bhatia’s "The Identity Project: The Unmaking of a Democracy" is written for you.
The book starts and ends with how the politics of exclusion is projected as an inclusive and compassionate one. The book starts with describing the anti-CAA NRC Protests and the subsequent Delhi riots, and shows how over time the story that persists in public memory is very different from what people who were active participants remember it as. He shows how by repeating the same sequence of events again and again, it almost became the only truth!
The book would have been extremely powerful and timely, even if the author had left it just this, but he uses that as a springboard to dive into the history of the Hindutva movement- how it began, how it spread and the almost inevitability of it becoming the dominant ideology that it is today. By the end of this section, you would be forgiven for believing that the word “identity” in the title of the book refers to how the identity of the nation was rewritten from that of the secular nation dreamt of by the founding fathers and mothers, to what it has become today.
The author, however, is not down. He then dives into another issue- the Aadhaar project. He traces the project from its genesis to the many twists and turns it took before becoming this behemoth which can now potentially be used to target people in a way few other databases can. This was a project that was virtually thrust down on the nation, and today, far from helping the marginalised, it ends up being used to oppress them in ways that were not possible earlier.
The Identity Project is a book that you want to read in a hurry because you cannot bring yourself to put it down. But it is also a book that keeps you awake at night even weeks after you finish it. After reading this book, you end up relating every new article you read to something or the other that has been discussed in the book.
What, to me, makes the book extra special are the people who at great personal cost chose to stand on what they consider the right side of his street. There is the academician was brought up in a home seeped in the RSS philosophy, but who, after working for the RSS for many years, chose to move away and then write an expose on it. There is the victim of the Delhi riots who filed a legal case, and refuses to withdraw the case despite the pressured put on him to do so- he continues, hoping that someday he will get justice. You feel for these people, you understand what motivates them and you admire the courage that empowers them to do what they do.
The problem with books like this one is that they are mostly read by those who are already convinced. Books like this should ideally be read by those who are sitting on the fence, but they tend to dismiss such books as mere propaganda, while continuing to fall prey to everything they see on social media. This makes it even more imperative for us to read books like this, because it helps you marshal your arguments to counter the false interpretations which are passed off as ‘the truth’.
The book was released internationally under the title, “New India”. One hopes that the India being described is a blimp and not the real India. One does doubt it though.
If you are one of those people, Rahul Bhatia’s "The Identity Project: The Unmaking of a Democracy" is written for you.
The book starts and ends with how the politics of exclusion is projected as an inclusive and compassionate one. The book starts with describing the anti-CAA NRC Protests and the subsequent Delhi riots, and shows how over time the story that persists in public memory is very different from what people who were active participants remember it as. He shows how by repeating the same sequence of events again and again, it almost became the only truth!
The book would have been extremely powerful and timely, even if the author had left it just this, but he uses that as a springboard to dive into the history of the Hindutva movement- how it began, how it spread and the almost inevitability of it becoming the dominant ideology that it is today. By the end of this section, you would be forgiven for believing that the word “identity” in the title of the book refers to how the identity of the nation was rewritten from that of the secular nation dreamt of by the founding fathers and mothers, to what it has become today.
The author, however, is not down. He then dives into another issue- the Aadhaar project. He traces the project from its genesis to the many twists and turns it took before becoming this behemoth which can now potentially be used to target people in a way few other databases can. This was a project that was virtually thrust down on the nation, and today, far from helping the marginalised, it ends up being used to oppress them in ways that were not possible earlier.
The Identity Project is a book that you want to read in a hurry because you cannot bring yourself to put it down. But it is also a book that keeps you awake at night even weeks after you finish it. After reading this book, you end up relating every new article you read to something or the other that has been discussed in the book.
What, to me, makes the book extra special are the people who at great personal cost chose to stand on what they consider the right side of his street. There is the academician was brought up in a home seeped in the RSS philosophy, but who, after working for the RSS for many years, chose to move away and then write an expose on it. There is the victim of the Delhi riots who filed a legal case, and refuses to withdraw the case despite the pressured put on him to do so- he continues, hoping that someday he will get justice. You feel for these people, you understand what motivates them and you admire the courage that empowers them to do what they do.
The problem with books like this one is that they are mostly read by those who are already convinced. Books like this should ideally be read by those who are sitting on the fence, but they tend to dismiss such books as mere propaganda, while continuing to fall prey to everything they see on social media. This makes it even more imperative for us to read books like this, because it helps you marshal your arguments to counter the false interpretations which are passed off as ‘the truth’.
The book was released internationally under the title, “New India”. One hopes that the India being described is a blimp and not the real India. One does doubt it though.
April 24, 2025
This book by Rahul Bhatia is fascinating. The book starts with India's independence movement and the first stirrings of a new Hindu identity. British actions in creating a Hindu-Muslim divide were proving successful as the first wind of nationalism stirred in India.
The story starts with the formation of the Arya Samaj and its insistence on the primacy of the cow. From there, as the action shifted to the independence movement, the Hindu Mahasabha came to life. I had heard of the Hindu Mahasabha but had not realized its significance. Munje was militant. Mussolini and the fascist movement fascinated him, inspiring his policies, statements, and actions. Then came Savarkar and the baton's passing; finally, Hegdewar burst onto the stage with the RSS.
Rahul Bhatia's descriptions and explanations are exemplary, making clear the link between fascism, the RSS & Hindutva ideology, as well as the implacable intensity with which they continued their work.
India's independence movement seemed less important to them and their successors compared with their dream of converting India into a warped, unidimensional Hindu society.
Whether you agree or disagree with their philosophy, no one can fail to be impressed with the RSS's organizational discipline, organizational strength, and long-term vision.
After covering the organization's early days of growth, the author shifted the narrative to more recent times. Most people are unaware of how the RSS works and its close links with the BJP (earlier, the Jana Sangh). The organization has been successful in staying just below the radar until the last few years. In hindsight, I am surprised he did not cover the growing public profile of the RSS.
We must commend Rahul Bhatia for traveling to India's interiors to talk with local RSS volunteers to understand how the organization works at the ground level and how it impacts people's thoughts.
The section on the Aadhar scheme started weak, but his words on Advani and his desire to create something similar (before we implemented the Aadhar scheme) are chilling. While every proponent of digital identities talks of the benefits that accrue to people – and there have been benefits – no one talks of the creeping surveillance.
Will current and future governments use digital surveillance with greater implacability than now? We will find out.
Overall, the book is excellent and one I strongly recommend to anyone who cares about the current and future state of India's democracy.
The story starts with the formation of the Arya Samaj and its insistence on the primacy of the cow. From there, as the action shifted to the independence movement, the Hindu Mahasabha came to life. I had heard of the Hindu Mahasabha but had not realized its significance. Munje was militant. Mussolini and the fascist movement fascinated him, inspiring his policies, statements, and actions. Then came Savarkar and the baton's passing; finally, Hegdewar burst onto the stage with the RSS.
Rahul Bhatia's descriptions and explanations are exemplary, making clear the link between fascism, the RSS & Hindutva ideology, as well as the implacable intensity with which they continued their work.
India's independence movement seemed less important to them and their successors compared with their dream of converting India into a warped, unidimensional Hindu society.
Whether you agree or disagree with their philosophy, no one can fail to be impressed with the RSS's organizational discipline, organizational strength, and long-term vision.
After covering the organization's early days of growth, the author shifted the narrative to more recent times. Most people are unaware of how the RSS works and its close links with the BJP (earlier, the Jana Sangh). The organization has been successful in staying just below the radar until the last few years. In hindsight, I am surprised he did not cover the growing public profile of the RSS.
We must commend Rahul Bhatia for traveling to India's interiors to talk with local RSS volunteers to understand how the organization works at the ground level and how it impacts people's thoughts.
The section on the Aadhar scheme started weak, but his words on Advani and his desire to create something similar (before we implemented the Aadhar scheme) are chilling. While every proponent of digital identities talks of the benefits that accrue to people – and there have been benefits – no one talks of the creeping surveillance.
Will current and future governments use digital surveillance with greater implacability than now? We will find out.
Overall, the book is excellent and one I strongly recommend to anyone who cares about the current and future state of India's democracy.
October 28, 2024
A fascinating read that makes the connection between the CAA protests, the riots in Delhi in its aftermath, and the impact on lives and livelihoods. The book then peels, through a deep dive into both history and living people, layers of situations where the state, the judiciary and the law enforcement, has in these last few years, consistently failed its citizens.
The genesis of the right-wing propaganda machine, its ongoing insidious use, its basis on outright lies, willful obfuscation of facts and continued misdirection to gain the sympathy of its vote base, is laid bare for all to see.
All of this is brought home to showing how the identity project (Aadhaar) for India, was never about welfare or benefits, but about surveilling people, especially those who are not sympathetic to the right-wing ideology of the current government.
The book grapples with some very serious questions, chief among them, are our identities merely the sum total of our transactions? Because that is what the identity project is all about.
Well researched, well written with stories of real people, this is a must for anyone who wants to understand contemporary India.
The genesis of the right-wing propaganda machine, its ongoing insidious use, its basis on outright lies, willful obfuscation of facts and continued misdirection to gain the sympathy of its vote base, is laid bare for all to see.
All of this is brought home to showing how the identity project (Aadhaar) for India, was never about welfare or benefits, but about surveilling people, especially those who are not sympathetic to the right-wing ideology of the current government.
The book grapples with some very serious questions, chief among them, are our identities merely the sum total of our transactions? Because that is what the identity project is all about.
Well researched, well written with stories of real people, this is a must for anyone who wants to understand contemporary India.
June 3, 2025
A must read for every Indian, who feels their country is being torn into pieces.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews