India's future will be determined not only by economic development, but also by a dynamic traditional culture that continues to develop along its own lines ' sometimes in concert, and sometimes in conflict with material enrichment. India develops...

India's future will be determined not only by economic development, but also by a dynamic traditional culture that continues to develop along its own lines ' sometimes in concert, and sometimes in conflict with material enrichment. India develops not, as one writer has suggested, 'in spite of the gods.'� � Rather, the seed for the creation and the fuel for the sustenance of India�?'s economic boom lay in its traditions, and, I will argue, the animating spirit of its future lies there as well. I have neither the expertise nor the access to operate as a political correspondent, nor the desire to posture as a political pundit. During eighteen years of research, however, I have seen what I perceived as a pervasive misrepresentation of recent developments in Indian politics. More specifically, a number of recent books consistently paint the Hindu right wing in India as essentially fascist or theocratic. My observations show that these claims are untenable and misrepresent a positive development in the history of Indian democracy. To think clearly about the changes in today's India we require a new model: the bi-directional banyan tree, a symbol borrowed, ironically, from ancient Sanskrit verses. Pindar claimed, 'Custom is King of all,'� and this serves as a succinct expression of the central thesis of this book.