Communal Violence and Cow Protection in Early Hindi Novels: Negotiating Harmony and Historical Memory

Abstract

This paper examines the literary portrayal of communal violence in early Hindi novels, focusing on Rādhākr̥ṣṇadās’ Nissahāy Hindū (1890) and Kiśorīlāl Gosvāmī’s Sultānā Razīyā Begam (1904). These works, written during a transformative period of Indian history, reflect evolving discourses on communal relationships, national identity, and the socio-political ramifications of cow protection.

Nissahāy Hindū offers a remarkable depiction of Hindu-Muslim unity against the backdrop of social tensions exacerbated by cow-related violence. In contrast, Sultānā Razīyā Begam attributes communal strife to a distant historical past, , distancing such conflicts from the colonial present. This historical framing reflects the writer’s engagement with colonial realities while imagining a cohesive national narrative.

Through a comparative analysis of these texts, this paper explores how early Hindi novels grappled with violence as both a historical memory and an embodied social experience. I argue that by negotiating narratives of cow protection and communal violence, these novels offer nuanced insights into the cultural politics of their time, illuminating literature’s role as a medium for imagining inter-community harmony amid emerging nationalist ideologies.

Ultimately, this study seeks to contribute to broader discussions on the representation of violence in South Asian literature and the ways in which fiction mediates social and political anxieties, shaping historical consciousness and moral imperatives.