H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars by Kunal Purohit

A brand of popular culture is quietly seizing the imagination of millions.

NEW DELHI, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- What makes 'Hindutva Pop' or H-Pop so popular? Who are its stars and its audience? Award-winning independent journalist Kunal Purohit explores these questions in his riveting investigative book as he travels through India, profiling some of H-Pop's most prolific and popular creators.

Non-fiction | Politics | Paperback | 306 pp | Rs 499

Available wherever books are sold | Releasing 22^nd Nov 2023

'Powerful, compellingly original, illuminating… A work of courage.'

—Ramachandra Guha

'Based on solid ground reporting…Frighteningly real, this book is a must-read,'

—Rajdeep Sardesai

'This vital work shows us the faces and makes us hear the voices of those on the frontline of the war this nation is waging against itself.'

—Aakar Patel

'An original and important book which shows that beyond politics, Hindutva is acquiring a societal dimension by penetrating the pillars of India's popular culture.'

—Christophe Jaffrelot

Author, Kunal Purohit, says, "Communal tensions are often dismissed as temporary aberrations. H-Pop reveals a very different truth: communalism has become everyday and continuous.  Emerging from four years of travels in seven states, H-Pop shows how Hindutva music, poetry and literature have popularised and normalised this ideology - radicalising ordinary Indians, and driving the tentacles of communalism ever deeper into society."

Associate Publisher, Swati Chopra, says, "In H-Pop, Kunal Purohit brings a credible, original journalistic investigation to Indian citizens months before they elect a new government. The book goes beyond obvious political activities and trains its lens on popular culture and how it is being moulded by a social media-driven band of creators and influencers, who are perhaps as much to be credited for the popularity of right-wing ideology as political leaders and party workers. H-Pop is a must-read for every Indian who wishes to be be better informed about the country they are living in, and creating through their vote."

About the Book

Can a song trigger a murder?
Can a poem spark a riot?
Can a book divide a people?

Away from the gaze of mainstream urban media, across India's dusty, sleepy towns, a brand of popular culture is quietly seizing the imagination of millions, on the internet and off it. From catchy songs with acerbic lyrics to poetry recited in kavi sammelans to social media influencers shaping opinions with their brand of 'breaking news' to books rescripting historical events, 'Hindutva Pop' or H-Pop is steadily creating societal acceptability for Hindutva's core beliefs. By cleverly inserting Hindutva into popular culture, H-Pop normalizes Islamophobia, demonizes minorities and vilifies its critics each day, without ever making headlines.

What makes H-Pop so popular? Who are its stars and its audience? Who is pouring in the money, the effort and the resources to produce and broadcast it? What is its impact on the BJP and Prime Minister Modi's popularity? And what kind of an India is it trying to create?

These are some of the questions that award-winning independent journalist Kunal Purohit explores in this riveting investigative book as he travels through India, profiling some of H-Pop's most prolific and popular creators—its stars and celebrities. He interrogates whether the creators are driven by ideology or commerce, and what motivates the audience to consume their daily dose of bigotry. In doing so, Purohit uncovers the frightening face of a New India—one that is united by hate, divided by art.

About the Author

Kunal Purohit is an award-winning independent journalist, documentary film-maker and podcast creator. Over the past two decades, Kunal has written on issues of development, politics, inequality while focussing more recently on hate crimes and the rise of Hindu nationalism. He is the recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Civic Journalism (2012), the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting (2014) and the UNFPA-Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitive Reporting (2014 and 2019).

Kunal has an MSc in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London as a Felix Scholar and a Bachelor's in Mass Media from Mumbai University. His notable works include 'Vanished: Inside India's Bermuda Triangle' (2022), an Audible Original non-fiction podcast, and 'The Children of Nowhere' (2023), a documentary film. He has written for Al Jazeera, ProPublica, The Times of India, Foreign Policy, Hindustan Times, South China Morning Post, Deutsche Welle and The Wire, among others.

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