Saffronization or saffronisation is an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n political neologism (named after the saffron robes worn by Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 sannyasis symbolizing the cremation

Cremation

Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....

 of the physical body and freedom of the soul while still alive) used by critics to refer to the politics of right-wing Hindu nationalism (Hindutva

Hindutva

Hindutva is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. Members of the movement are called Hindutvavādis.In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions the concept of Hindutva...

) that seek to make the Indian state

Politics of India

The politics of India takes place within the framework of a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of India is head of state and the Prime Minister of India is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President and is independent of the legislature...

 adopt social policies that recall and glorify the ancient Hindu cultural history and heritage of India (the term "Hindu" in their view encompassing Dharmic Indian religions including Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 and the Sikh

Sikh

A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

, Jain and Buddhist traditions) while de-emphasizing the more recent Islamic or Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 heritage.

A related term, the Saffron Brigade, is used by critics as a descriptor of people and organizations in India that promote Hindu nationalism such as the Sangh Parivar

Sangh Parivar

The Sangh Parivar refers to the family of organisations of Hindu nationalists which have been started by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or are inspired by its ideas. The Sangh Parivar represents the Hindu nationalist movement. It includes the RSS and several dozen smaller...

. It is used to allege a "militant Hindu fundamentalist agenda" behind the politics and actions of right-wing Hindu organizations. The words "fascist

Fascist (epithet)

The word fascist is sometimes used to denigrate people, institutions, or groups that would not describe themselves as ideologically fascist, and that may not fall within the formal definition of the word. The Fascist party that developed in Italy in the 1920s rigidly enforced conservative values...

" or "communal" are also frequently used as epithets by critics and opponents.

See also

• Saffron Swastika
• List of Hindu nationalist parties
• Communalism (South Asia)
  Communalism (South Asia)
  This article deals with the use of the word communalism in South Asia, as a name for a force separating different communities based on some form of social or sectarian discrimination...
  
  
• Saffron terror
  Saffron Terror
  Saffron terror is a controversial phrase used to describe acts of Right-wing terrorism in India, allegedly inspired by Hindu nationalism. The phrase "saffron terror" is a neologism which entered public debate in India following the 29 September 2008 western India bombings.The Home Minister of...