A masterpiece of psychological evaluation of culture, religion,
patriotism and rebellion, The Heart of Aryavarta is a penetrating
investigation of a complex society at a critical time in its
history. At the beginning of the 20th century, India's evolving
nationalist movement, led by educated and cultured men such as
Gandhi, was gaining strength. The British, whose colonial agencies
had dominated Indian life for generations, were unable to fathom
this desire for independence. Lawrence Dundas (1876-1961), a
statesman and administrator, unlike most of his countrymen, did not
contemptuously dismiss this movement, but committed himself to
fully understanding the underlying economic and political factors
that drove forward its systematic rejection of British rule.
However, Dundas takes the discussion much further than politics.
Using first-hand observation, as well as in-depth research, he
articulates the positive goals of the Indian nationalists, which
were founded on the idea of a return to a golden age of peace,
wisdom, and fulfilment that existed before the arrival of the
colonialists. He also sagaciously analyses the complex social and
intellectual mechanisms that regulated, stifled or encouraged the
attacks on the institutions of British colonial authority. These
mechanisms were often outwardly expressed as religious concepts,
some quite startling in their ingenuity. In fact, Dundas believed
it was essential to understand these remarkable "myths," and he
explains them at length, in a manner that a Westerner can easily
comprehend. The author, an aide-de-camp and biographer of the
famous Lord Curzon, was extremely unusual, in being a high-ranking
political official in India with a scholarly interest in sociology,
psychology, metaphysics and history. His studies resulted in a very
original analysis of current affairs, social class, educational
goals, morality and ethics. One might argue that in certain ways he
resembled, and even surpassed, Carl Jung in his interpretation of
Indian symbolism and cosmology. The Heart of Aryavarta is an
ambitious work that is almost unique in its impressive ability to
reconcile the mystical with the political. Despite his position and
background, Dundas demonstrates that he has a profound knowledge of
the deep-seated human need for social and cultural development free
from external interference. He sympathises with the difficulties of
the Indian people, and sincerely attempts to see their desire for
autonomy from their perspective.
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