Paper short abstract:

The paper explores a recent initiative in the UK promoting the idea of Sewa as localised social action. It examines the role played by organisations involved in the initiative in representing Hindus as model ‘ethnic citizens’, framed by a State focus on ‘Big Society’ empowerment.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the role played by the South Asian concept of Sewa in the development of Hindu identities in the UK. In particular, it focuses on a recent initiative known as Sewa Day, an annual day dedicated to the provision of Sewa as small-scale social action in local communities. The organisations of the Sangh Parivar have been central to promoting and taking part in Sewa Day. The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, which for many years has focused its efforts on low-level work with Hindu youths, has been the most proactive, co-ordinating the contribution of many young Hindus to Sewa Day activities. The paper asks what purpose is served by the drive to promote social action in this way, and argues that it represents a significant attempt to project Hindus (especially young Hindus) as model 'ethnic citizens', contributors to what the current government has termed the 'Big Society'. In the spirit of this Big Society framing, the aspiration of Sewa Day is to embed Hindu identity in broader networks of community, seeking (at least rhetorically) to work outwards to encompass and include non-Hindus in the activities of the day. The paper explores the implications of this project, both in terms of its potential to increase the sense of citizenship identity amongst Hindus, and in terms of its ability to re-situate the politics of Hindu nationalism in social networks which chime strongly with currently dominant registers of civic virtue in the UK.