Get this: they’re not the same thing. I am a great admirer of Hinduism. It has a breathtaking range of thought, belief, idea of worship, understanding of humanity and the cosmos. It can touch you on a number of levels from the mundane to the profound. The depth and wisdom of the Upanishad are unmatched by any other belief system in the world. The mythology is a fascinating chronicle of the relationship between humans and the divine.

But Hindutva? Now that contains neither wisdom nor understanding. It is an insecure idea, based on a feeling of inferiority. It engenders and propagates hatred of others and seems to have bypassed Hinduism completely. It claims to protect Hindus, but this protection largely seems to be by killing or subjugating everyone else. The tenets, ideas and beliefs of Hinduism play no role in Hindutva at all.

So, people like me, we don’t like Hindutva. I do rather like Hinduism (though I must confess I am not a believer in anything). I also know that, like all religions, Hinduism has many inconsistencies and many faults. I do not see this as a criticism. All religions have inconsistencies and faults. That appears to be a nature of faith and is part of an old, old, argument about faith over reason.

Oh, yes, and I am a great fan of our great Constitution. All this immediately makes me a target. I become liberal and secular (and, shock, horror, female!) and such words are thrown at me as if they are great insults. I can hear them now: “You, you pro-democracy person, you, get out of my sight!”

Yeah, right.