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By Gaurang Desai
The national spokesperson of the Rashtriya Swayam-sevak Sangh (RSS), Ram Madhav, pointed out the root cause of all malaise plaguing the Indian community?the problem that he calls as an ?identity confusion.?
In a session organised by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) at the Fremont Hindu Temple on September 26, Ram Madhav, who was currently on a tour to the US, called for individuals to shed away their inhibitions about India and take pride in being an Indian. He also added that the RSS was engaged in building individuals to contribute to this nation-building activity. This was in line with the HSS goal of uniting Hindus and inculcating Hindu values in children.
In his address, he quoted various examples of American business leaders and politicians who have visited India in the past and have been thankful to the immense contribution that have been made by the Indians to the USA. He however noted at length that the trouble was with the Indians who even referred to Kalidasa as the ?Shakespeare of the East?. ?Indians have achieved a lot over the last 50 years,? noted the national spokesperson of RSS, ?be it in the sphere of literature, health, economics. Although the nation has made great advances, yet the cause of concern,? as Ram Madhav noted, ?was what Indians as individuals have been able to achieve.?
Sharing the dais along with Ram Madhav were Ajay Singhal, Sanghchalak (advisor) of the Bay Area and Sanjay Minocha, Sanghchalak of the Cupertino Shakha. Both Singhal and Minocha are noted Bay Area entrepreneurs.
He said: ?India has always been tolerant but the Hindu Dharma is the all-encompassing Sanatan Dharma which makes us not only just tolerant, but respectful of all religions.?
Speaking anecdotally and quipping in his hour-long address with quotes and interesting examples, Ram Madhav spoke of Swami Vivekananda'svisit to Chicago in the year 1893. ?Once back in India, he was asked about what he felt about his US visit. Vivekananda answered, ?The whole world is waiting for the spiritual light to come out of India?,? said Ram Madhav, observing that this worldview was true even today. The key, he added, ?is in curbing of desires. We as Hindus have a lot of great values to offer,? and emphasised that energy should be channelised for the right purpose.
Respected and renowned for his work, Ram Madhav stressed on the RSS working together with the community to bridge the gap to cure and weed out these problems. This was then followed by a question and answer session.
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh is a non-profit cultural organisa-tion with over 50 chapters throughout the USA and eight chapters in the Greater San Francisco/San Jose Bay area. It strives to bring about unity in the diverse Hindu communities and aids in promoting Hindu values among its adherents.
(For inquiries about the event or about HSS, please contact hss_sfo@yahoo.com, http://www.hssworld.org and http://www.balagokulam.org)
