If one were to search for the core of the address of speech of RSS Sarsanghchalak in this Vijayadashami Utsav of 2021, it would be the exhortation of recognising our inherent strength, our nature, or as Deendayal Upadhyayji had said, our ‘chiti’. Our failures and our successes in our last 75 years after freedom have been based on our conduct in Government and society’s understanding of this ‘Swa’ – our selfhood.
According to Dr Mohan Bhagwat, we gained freedom 75 years back, but we did not gain Independence of thought and action based on our selfhood. Our journey is still on. Our innate nature. Our new generation must know about this history not to create dissonance but to understand our strengths and weaknesses and not repeat historic mistakes.
Underpinning his entire discourse was rediscovering our selfhood, our innate strength, beauty of our inclusive culture and knowledge systems. Focus was social harmony, better low cost integral health infrastructure, economic renaissance based on our genius, national security, demographic imbalance and threats arising out of it, return of Hindu temples to Hindu society, call to minorities to recognise their heritage and appreciate that this Hindu culture provides them freedom to follow their faith much better than anywhere else in the world. And lastly, for all this to happen, Hindu society must be organised, strong and confident of its strengths so the world listens to it. A strong Hindu society can show the way to the world with its inclusive culture.
We may summarise his views as follows:
- We need to base our governance and public policies on our ‘Swa’ – svabhaav (nature), our genius and civilisational strength. Due to lack of this sense of oneness, our mutual relations became weak and we couldn’t create a unified society and nation.
- Strengthen our society by stressing on our unifying qualities and overcome our differences. Great Guru Gobind Singhji sacrificed his life to protect this freedom to worship as per one’s will. Create sense of harmony by celebrating our festivals, anniversaries etc with our brethren of all communities, not just at community level but also at family level. Sangh inspired Samajik Samarasata Manch and swayamsevaks are doing this work. Many saints are also doing it. We need to celebrate together, come together not just at social level but also at family level. Our national feeling will see the rise of Manav Dharma that is Hindu dharma. Work on “One Temple, One water source and One cremation ground” is being carried out by swayamsevaks to unite society with sense of harmony.
- Efforts of vested interests are to highlight weaknesses and create dissonance. They fear unity and our innate strength so they try to weaken our dharma, our culture and historic strengths. These forces try to destroy our faith in ourselves. They attack our age old traditions openly and subtly. They feel that if Bharat does well, they won't succeed. He shared his angst at such feelings resulting in police forces of two states fighting each other. He pointed out that people can have differences but governments of two states cannot fight like enemies.
The danger to corrosion of our sense of selfhood comes from uncontrolled technologies. OTT platforms broadcasting and promoting permissive social and economic behaviour have created new problems. With the internet being so pervasive, education going online, mobile has become a habit for young children. It is difficult to say where all this will lead us to
- The danger to corrosion of our sense of selfhood comes from uncontrolled technologies. OTT platforms broadcasting and promoting permissive social and economic behaviour have created new problems. With the internet being so pervasive, education going online, mobile has become a habit for young children. It is difficult to say where all this will lead us to. It is necessary to create control and management mechanisms by the Government. Controlling drug habits that are rising across all sections of society – both rich and poor is a challenge. Money from drugs go to fund terrorists. Uncontrolled technologies with creation of virtual currencies like Bitcoin can hurt a nation. We don’t know who controls them. Governments are doing everything possible to stop this menace but we too have a duty.
- We need to create the right atmosphere in our homes to nurture mental controls. Many organisations, people and saints are doing programmes to nurture right sanskaras and discriminating intellect. Sangh swayamsevaks too are doing the work of ‘kutumb prabodhan’ wherein family sit together once a week, discusses various family and social issues, sing bhajan and eat our own bhojan, speak our language, share our values, avoid foreign language where avoidable. There is no animosity to foreign languages but it must be used only where required. Even in these times “intellectual discrimination” will work best for them.
"Rising population and demographic imbalance need to be addressed and population policy is to be redesigned. And that policy should be applicable to all irrespective of caste and creed. Illegal immigration in bordering districts and conversions in North East have changed the demographics further” —RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat
- This period of Covid-19 pandemic can be a good opportunity to think about systems, ideas and to create them as per our ‘swa’ – selfhood. We learned that Ayurveda is useful not just as prescriptive but as a preventive system. This can help create a disease-free society. Ayurveda didn’t just think of illness but also wellness. We can create a strong health infrastructure based on our learnings from Covid pandemic and harness all knowledge systems. Each system has its strengths and one can be proud but we cannot treat other systems like enemies. We can work together using different strengths to create a multilayer health infrastructure which is affordable and available to every citizen from village level onwards.
- As we come out of pandemic, we realise that we can live within limited means. We shouldn’t forget these lessons. We need to avoid waste of water, poisoning of the environment with plastics and create a green environment by planting more trees, which swayamsevaks are doing and others too are joining in. Nurturing the environment is part of nurturing a prosperous and balanced society.
- Our economic recovery is well on path. But worldwide economics has not found the right answers to our economic ills and inequality. They are looking for alternatives and we have the alternative Third Way, where it is not just material wellbeing but enjoying wealth and desires within bounds of Dharma. Controlling unlimited desires and controlling misuse of nature are the way forward as shown by our sustained prosperous period of over 2000 years interrupted only by colonisation. Late Gandhian, Dharampal showed a picture of what we were by deep study. Our sva is a spiritual base and balanced affectionate conduct. With the rise of that dharma–based on respective duties and ethics every one becomes happy. Restraint is the key.
- He stressed the need to rethink population policy, recalling that we were one of the first countries to have a National Population Policy. But, it was codified and the Population Control Board was created only in 2000 which defined an average fertility rate of 2.1. So we have a stable healthy population by 2045. It was hoped that it would be implemented across all sections of society. As 65 per cent of youth today turn old in 30 years, who will take care of them? We have to plan systems accordingly. Rising population and demographic imbalance need to be addressed and population policy is to be redesigned. And that policy should be applicable to all irrespective of caste and creed. Illegal immigration in bordering districts and conversions in North East have changed the demographics further. They can threaten the unity and integrity of the nation. Hence, we must not get stuck in vested interests of smaller groups. NCR needs to be implemented and illegal immigrants should neither get citizenship rights nor be allowed to buy land,
- Despite the Government being secular, despite Supreme Court directives usurping only Hindu temples for decades and their conduct in the hands of non-believers – this injustice must end. Hindu temples and their wealth, worship of Gods must be in the hands of Hindus society and must be used only for welfare of Hindus society. Need policy to give them back to Hindus. Exploitation of Hindu temples by respective governments has impoverished them. Though there are good examples of temples being run well by a few governments and trusts of devotees, better systems need to be evolved and temples be returned to the society. Hindu society will have to organise itself to take back temple control.
- We are children of the same sanatan nation. We are one society and one sanskriti. Despite differences we have remained one nation. It is our innate culture to respect all beliefs and views. We are free to follow our faiths only because of this culture. Minorities may be following religions that came with invaders, but their forefathers are from this same land and have had the same culture. They can follow their own religions but their culture and history cannot change. When they look at violence and oppression of different faiths world over, they will realise that it is in Bharat that all persecuted communities and minorities have best support in Bharat. But, give up ego about their differences. We must accept this challenge. This is emotional integration. We celebrate great revolutionaries and our brave officers from every faith. Muslims too should celebrate such patriot and nationalist Muslims. We should get over the mentality of separateness. For this to happen, Hindu society needs to be strong, united and organised. No one listens to a weak society.
- He highlighted that alliance between Taliban and China, Pakistan, Turkey can be highly dangerous for Bharat. It can increase risks in Kashmir. We must be cautious. He pointed out that even if someone claims that the Taliban has reformed, we know that Pakistan and China have not changed. Though we believe in a change of heart and must solve problems with negotiations, we must always be alert. He pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir have gained well with the removal of Article 370. But efforts are required to integrate them with heart. We all are children of the motherland, our relations are not transactional. We will need to develop these feelings there even as we fight against terrorists. Fresh targeted violence is to recreate earlier fear but people there have refused to be cowed down. Both society and Government will have to work on this.
"Hindu temples and their wealth, worship of Gods must be in the hands of Hindus society and must be used only for welfare of Hindus society. Need policy to give them back to Hindus. Exploitation of Hindu temples by respective governments has impoverished them. Hindu society will have to organise itself to take back temple control " — RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat
- All this is possible only if we are strong. Weakness generates cowardice. Being strong is not against anybody. We should be strong that any hand raised against us should survive. But, strength should be used for supporting the weak. All have to understand we are Hindu. If there are some incidents of violence due to a long period of feeling of divisiveness and mutual suspicion, we have to understand the reasons and work for removing those reasons. History doesn’t create hysteria or hate, it helps us understand our follies and overcome them
As we rediscover our selfhood, we find rising confidence in our people. Enthusiasm to contribute to Ram Mandir, our recent successes in Olympics show this rising self-confidence. Being the mainstream of this nation, only when Hindu can stand strong, self-confident, and fearless, organised then explain our point of view. We will need to meditate and work on physical, intellectual and mental strength, fortitude, and be conscious of collective social interests. Work collectively, move ahead collectively. Strong Hindu society and an awakened society is the solution to all these problems. Worshiping power is not against anyone or a reaction. This is the expected condition of any society and requirement. World listens only to strong, humble, one with knowledge and organised society. We have to create a Hindus society that is strong that – doesn’t frighten anyone nor knows any fear. Only this is the solution to all the problems. This is what RSS has been doing in the last 96 years. World is looking at Bharat, nurturing our diversities and being strong can show the world the way as Vishwa Guru. This is expected from Swayamsevaks and your cooperation is also required from all in society.
