Neeti Nair’s Hurt Sentiments is an academic’s deep dive into the trajectory of secularism in the subcontinent

Using the NRC-CAA as the backdrop, Nair traces the many ways religious minorities have been disenfranchised across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

3 min readJun 30, 2023 04:03 PM IST

Hurt Sentiments: Secularism and Belonging in South Asia by Neeti Nair; Harvard University Press; 333 pages; Rs 699 (Source: Harvard University Press)

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Neeti Nair’s Hurt Sentiments is an academic’s deep dive into the trajectory of secularism in the subcontinent

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Neeti Nair, associate professor of History at the University of Virginia, opens Hurt Sentiments: Secularism and Belonging in South Asia with the event that had set her off on the book: “On a cold December afternoon in 2019, I paused work to listen to India’s home minister, Amit Shah, explain the rationale for the Citizenship Amendment Bill about to be passed through India’s Parliament… Shah… declared that through the bill, the Narendra Modi government intended to undo the wrong committed by the Liaquat-Nehru pact. The agreement of April 1950, known as the Delhi Pact, undertook to protect minorities in India and Pakistan, assure them of their place within the newly divided nations, and end the violence and displacement that had characterised the months and years soon after independence and partition,” she writes.

What follows is a wide-ranging exploration of the many ways in which “hurt sentiments” have been weaponised to disenfranchise and ghettoise religious minorities not just in India, but across the subcontinent.

The US Department of State’s 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom, published recently, expresses concerns over violation of the rights of minorities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. At a time when the rhetoric against its minorities are getting amplified in India’s socio-political life, Ahmadiyyas are under attack in Pakistan and Bangladesh is precariously negotiating its identity as both Islamic and secular, Nair draws extensively from various sources, including Constituent Assembly as well as contemporary Parliamentary debates, and defining historical moments in the political life of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, to assess how majoritarian politics has capitalised on fanning hysteria around perceptions of being wronged, historically and contemporaneously across the subcontinent.

If Partition, and the run-up to it, was a crucial determiner of the trajectory of secularism in the subcontinent, the other defining event, writes Nair, was the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, whose unwavering secularism manifested at his multi-faith prayer meets that had readings from a range of holy books, including from the Quran. The latter, writes Nair, irked members of the Hindu Mahasabha and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and “hurt sentiments” would find echo in Nathuram Godse’s defence arguments in 1948.

If Nair explores the RSS’s historical claim of Muslim appeasement, she also examines the Congress’ ambivalence on many pressing questions on the rights and protections of India’s minorities, despite its persistent verbalisation of its commitment to secularism. Nair trains her lens on the role Indira Gandhi’s authoritarianism played in complicating matters. At the end of her compelling arguments, Nair advocates a return to an earlier Gandhian notion of equality, where “To be secular is to belong fearlessly.”

Unlike most academic books that undertake such rigorous examinations, Nair steers clear of making her book pedantic and, consequently, inaccessible to a lay reader. The tone of the book is reflective, rather than didactic, and the exhaustive bibliography at the end is a welcome introduction to a wealth of further reading, should one be so inclined.

Paromita Chakrabarti

Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends. Professional Profile With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life. Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends. Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary: 1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards "2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace. "Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year. "Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance. 2. Gender & Workplace Policy "Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions." "Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game. 3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis "The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children. 4. Author Interviews & Profiles "Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. "Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence. Signature Beats Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world. Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More

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