New Delhi: “It’s not time for blame. It is the time for introspection and self-correction. In stead of blaming the leftists and other historians who distorted history, we must put dedicated efforts to bring out truth. There is a need for positive and constructive approach,” said RSS Sah-Sarkaryavah Shri Arun Kumar. He was speaking at the launch of the book, ‘SWA: Struggle for National Selfhood’, by Shri J Nandakumar, Prajna Pravah National Convenor, at the Ambedkar International Centre on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Arun Kumar said that the English-educated Indians who gained control over our institutions post-1911, reduced the idea of Independence (Swatantrata) to just self-rule (Swadheenta), and ended up accepting India’s Partition.
Shri Arun Kumar said that the Islamic invaders destroyed India’s social institutions, whereas the British ruined India’s economy and tried to destroy its social fabric and values. We were able to withstand the Islamic invasion only because our social system, economic systems and family system remained intact.
Speaking about the book, Shri Arun Kumar said, “Nandakumarji ventured into writing the present volume after Sarsanghchalak Mohanji Bhagwat advised him to expand a brief volume on the same topic. ‘Swa’ talks about two phases of the invasion that are the state of Bharat at the time of the arrival of colonial forces and the intensity of the crimes they’ve done. This book also gives an elaborate idea of our struggle for Swatantrata and Swaraj,” he added.
Shri Kanchan Gupta, Senior Advisor to MIB, said that the book talks about the past, present and future of the Swaraj. “Decolonising started happening in the 75th year of India’s independence. In fact, it should have started as soon as we got freedom,” he said.
“India has to rediscover India. That is where Aatmanirbhar Bharat comes in. It’s about inculcating a sense of ‘we can do it’. We have attained political freedom but not economic freedom. It’s only now we have started realising the importance of economic freedom,” Shri Kanchan Gupta added.
Quoting Sri Aurobindo, Shri J Nandakumar said that the freedom movement was not mechanical or artificial but spiritual and moral. The battle was for selfhood. From Maharshi Aurobindo to Mahatma Gandhi, it was indeed a fight for selfhood, he added.
“In his Vijayadasami speeches, Sarsanghchalak Mohanji Bhagwat had called for a Swa-centric approach towards the history of our freedom movement. This ‘Swa’ is none other than Hindutva,” Shri J Nandakumar said.
Shri J Nandakumar further stated that the seed of the idea of writing the book got from Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat.
In ‘SWA: Struggle for National Selfhood’, Shri Nandakumar surveys the entire freedom movement from a historical perspective to bring out in absorbing detail the real motivation of our freedom fighters – to preserve and revitalize the “Swa”, Consciousness of our National Selfhood. The book also provides the readers a new template to view India’s past.
Renowned historian and author Dr Meenakshi Jain, Sanchi University of Buddhist Indic Studies VC Dr Neeraja Gupta, Director, South Campus of Delhi university Prof Shriprakash Singh, Indus scrolls Managing Director G Sreedathan and prominent persons from various walks of life were present on the occasion.
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