Jai Shri Ram

Jai Shri Ram is a Hindi expression, translating to "Glory to Lord Rama" or "Victory to Lord Rama".[1] The proclamation has been used as an informal greeting[2] or as a symbol of adhering to Hindu faith[3][4] or for projection of varied faith-centered emotions, by Hindus in recent past.[5][6][7] The expression was used by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which embraced the slogan in the late 20th century, as a tool of increasing the visibility of Hinduism in public spaces and went on to use it as a war cry, for perpetration of communal atrocities against people of other faiths.[8][9][10]

A depiction of lord Ram in Ayodhya.

Origins

In the late 1980's, the slogan was popularised by Ramanand Sagar's television series Ramayan, where it was used by Hanuman and the monkey army as a war cry when they fought the demon army of Ravan in order to free Sita.[11] The Vishva Hindu Parishad and its Sangh Parivar allies, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, used it in their Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi movement.[11]

Usage in violent incidents

In 1992, during riots and Demolition of Babri Masjid, the same slogans were raised.[12][13]

In 2019, the victim in 2019 Jharkhand mob lynching was forced by the mob to chant "Jai Shree Ram" and "Jai Hanuman".[14]

On February 2020, in an incident of mass molestation and sexual harassment at Gargi College, the CPI's women association alleged that the perpetrators were chanting the slogan of "Jai Shree Ram".[15]

The chant was heard again later the same month as Hindutva-inspired rioters torched Muslim properties and houses during the North East Delhi riots.[16][17] At least 20 people were killed in over three days of riots. Wounded residents fleeing the area described being beaten by mobs chanting the slogan, and being stopped multiple times by Hindus demanding they pull down their pants to show whether or not they were circumcised.[18] In one instance, an 85-year-old woman was burnt alive.[19][20] The rioters were reported to have kept chanting "Jai Shri Ram" while beating their victims.[21] The police were also found to join in the chant while siding with the Hindu mobs.[22] The Muslims were told Hindustan me rehna hoga, Jai Shri Ram kehna hoga ("if you want to stay in India, you will have to chant Jai Shri Ram").[23] Indian journalist Rana Ayyub, writing in Time, commented that the slogan had become a "racist dog whistle" against Muslims.[19]

References
  1. "The Hindu chant that became a murder cry". BBC News. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  2. Menon, Kalyani Devaki (2011-07-06). "Notes". Everyday Nationalism: Women of the Hindu Right in India. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 190. doi:10.9783/9780812202793. ISBN 978-0-8122-0279-3. JSTOR j.ctt3fj1wh.
  3. Agrawal, Purushottam (1994). "'Kan Kan Mein Vyape Hein Ram': The Slogan as a Metaphor of Cultural Interrogation". Oxford Literary Review. 16 (1/2): 245–264. doi:10.3366/olr.1994.010. ISSN 0305-1498. JSTOR 44244508.
  4. Ghosh, Shohini (2000). "Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!: Pluralizing Pleasures of Viewership". Social Scientist. 28 (3/4): 83–90. doi:10.2307/3518192. ISSN 0970-0293. JSTOR 3518192.
  5. Ramachandran, Tanisha (2014-03-01). "A call to multiple arms! protesting the commoditization of hindu imagery in western society". Material Religion. 10 (1): 54–75. doi:10.2752/175183414X13909887177547. ISSN 1743-2200.
  6. "Modi's party will grow stronger in West Bengal". Emerald Expert Briefings. 2019-08-20. doi:10.1108/OXAN-DB245910. ISSN 2633-304X.
  7. Dasgupta, Amlan (2006). Bakhle, Janaki (ed.). "Rhythm and Rivalry". Economic and Political Weekly. 41 (36): 3861–3863. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4418675.
  8. Jaffrelot, Christophe (July 2003). "Communal Riots in Gujarat: The State at Risk?" (PDF). Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics (17): 3. doi:10.11588/heidok.00004127. ISSN 1617-5069.
  9. Engineer, Asghar Ali (1993). "Bastion of Communal Amity Crumbles". Economic and Political Weekly. 28 (7): 262–264. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4399390.
  10. Breman, Jan (1993). "Anti-Muslim Pogrom in Surat". Economic and Political Weekly. 28 (16): 737–741. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4399608.
  11. Prabash K. Dutta (13 July 2019). "Jai Shri Ram: A slogan that changed political contours of India". India Today.
  12. May 21, Ravi Shankar; December 31, 2013 ISSUE DATE; July 25, 1992UPDATED; Ist, 2013 13:22. "Babri Masjid demolition: When men in saffron bandanas struck screaming the name of Ram". India Today.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. D'Costa, Jasmine (2017). Matter of Geography. Mosaic Press. ISBN 978-1-77161-247-0. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  14. "The Hindu chant that became a murder cry". BBC News. July 10, 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
  15. "'They shouted Jai Shri Slogans': CPI's women's association on thugs involved in Gargi College 'mass molestation' case". Free Press Journal.
  16. "Delhi Riots: Mosque Set on Fire in Ashok Nagar, Hanuman Flag Placed on Minaret". The Wire. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  17. "Ground Report: In Riot City, Hindutva Mobs Rage With Impunity as Police Watch in Silence". The Wire. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  18. "Communal Violence Over India's Citizenship Law Leaves 20 Dead Amid Trump's Visit". Time. 26 February 2020. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  19. Rana Ayyub, Narendra Modi Looks the Other Way as New Delhi Burns, TIME, 28 February 2020.
  20. Aarefa Johari, An 85-year-old woman was burnt to death in her home in Delhi’s Gamri extension, Scroll.in, 26 February 2020.
  21. Death Toll Rises to 24 From Delhi Riots During Trump Trip, The New York Times, 25 February 2020.
  22. Kaushal Shroff, Delhi violence: Cops shouted "Jai Shri Ram" with armed Hindu mob, charged at Muslims, The Caravan, 25 February 2020.
  23. Kaushal Shroff, Delhi violence: Cops shouted “Jai Shri Ram” with armed Hindu mob, charged at Muslims, The Caravan, 25 February 2020.
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