“Jana Sangha and Bharatiya Janata Party have their own background and it will complete 75 years on October 27. We all decided our goal at the time of the establishment of Jana Sangh. Our goal was not to form an organisation, but to bring about social transformation. After Independence, our biggest challenge was the ideological confusion prevailing in society. Independence did not only mean freedom from the British and getting the nation under our control. The clear idea of the nation also started to fade away slowly. There was a decline in patriotism and the nation which could not accept the Partition of Bengal in 1905, accepted the Partition of the nation. At that time two things were on everybody’s mind because there was an ideological difference in the whole country – be it the labour issue, the student issue or the political issue. Some people believed in socialism, some in communism and some in welfare state model for the development of society, so at that time it came to mind whether we have any ideas of our own. After the British rule and invasion, there was a lack of self-esteem because we forgot who we are. Any organisation of Hindus is not communal, then how did this come into a Hindu nation? Swami Vivekananda had said that when self-forgetfulness comes, inferiority complex comes,” said Arun Kumar, Sah Sarkaryawah, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, while addressing the inaugural session of National Commemorative Seminar on 60 years of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s Integral Humanism Lectures held from May 31 to June 1, 2025, at the NDMC Convention Centre, New Delhi. The event was organised by Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation and Public Policy Research Centre.
Arun Kumar said, “When Pandit Deendayal Ji started the Jana Sangh, the question before him was whether we have any ideology. Have we accepted another political system? Will we move ahead with it or do we need a party for that? When Jana Sangh contested the elections in 1952, it won three seats and Jana Sangh reached at an important stage because it became a national party. An idea was put forward to expand the organisation nationally and society-wide and to increase the process of karyakarta formation, which is called Integral Humanism.”
While explaining consciousness of Bharat, Arun Kumar said, “While presenting this Integral Human Philosophy, the first thing Deendayal ji said was that just like an individual is a unit in this Bharat Rashtra, similarly the Rashtra is also a unit. For the specialty of this Rashtra, he used the word “Chiti” consciousness. That thing which is the specialty of that Rashtra, when every country in the world moves forward on the basis of that specialty, then its greatness is awakened, that greatness stands in every sphere of life because it is the life force of that nation. And that is why when we have to uplift Bharat, the first thing we have to understand is what is the specialty of Bharat. That is Dharma. Of course today Dharma and religion have been mixed up through Western education model, which are totally different. The foundation of Bharat Rashtra is Dharma. Dharma means that on the basis of which there is belief, on the basis of which nature is operated and everything in the world is run, that is Dharma. That Dharma is the specialty of our Rashtra.”
In the inaugural session, along with Arun Kumar Ji, Mahesh Chandra Sharma from Ekatma Manavavad Sanstha, Anirban Ganguly, Chairman of Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee Research Foundation, Sumit Bhasin, Director of PPRC and Prabhat Kumar of Prabhat Prakashan also addressed the gathering.
Along with participants from intellectual field from all over the country, eminent leaders and thinkers like BJP General Secretary B L Santosh, BJP Joint General Secretary Shivprakash, BJP National Organiser V Satish, National General Secretaries Arun Singh and Tarun Chugh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, and Prafulla Ketkar, Editor of Organiser, were present on the first day of seminar.
A vision of oneness
While addressing the session on ‘Sustainable Development: Prosperity with ethos’, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav stated, “Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Ji, in the 1960s, had emphasised the need to integrate development with the conservation of nature. His philosophy of Ekatma Manav Darshan is a vision of oneness between human life and the entire creation. This very sentiment is embedded in the prayer Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah.”
Elaborating on global civilisational models, he said, “In today’s most advanced energy-based civilisation, two types of philosophies exist, the Western thought is anthropocentric, which believes that everything created by God is meant solely for human beings and for their consumption. Hence, humans are free to exploit the Earth as they wish, with no restrictions. In contrast, Eastern philosophy is rooted in the sentiment of Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, not just human happiness, but universal well-being. When we conclude our prayers with ‘Shanti’, we also invoke Vanaspati Shanti – peace for trees, plants, and all vegetation. This is the essence of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the idea that the entire world and earth is like one family. This idea is deeply rooted in Bharatiya tradition. In Japanese, there is a beautiful word: Aishobani, which means ‘oneness with nature’. From the self (Swa) to the universe (Jagat), the feeling of ekatmata—oneness—is the foundation of Ekatma Manav Darshan.”
“While Quoting from Volume 7 of Pandit Deendayal Ji’s works, he said, “We must not forget the dignity (maryada) of nature. Though production is dependent on resources, if we blindly pursue production without restraint, how long will natural resources last?”
While pointing out the Panch Parivartan initiative of RSS, Prafulla Ketkar, Editor, Organiser, said that family values and environmental protection should be brought in our personal life. This reflects Swa ‘Selfhood’, which will ultimately make our lifestyle sustainable.
Essence of ‘Integral Humanism’
On the second day (June 1), Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said that earlier, the world had monarchies, but people later questioned why only one person should rule. Monarchies were either abolished or their powers significantly curtailed under the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Ji said not to blindly imitate the West. He asked whether Bharat had its own philosophy on which to build society and the state. It was then that Pandit Deendayal Ji presented ‘Integral Humanism’.
Chouhan said that the core principle of ‘Integral Humanism’ is a single consciousness. This same consciousness exists in nature. Under this principle, everyone should take part in the great tree plantation campaign and plant one tree in the name of their mother (Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam). We must not exploit nature, but rather utilise it wisely. Trees are sacred. The Earth is not only for humans; all living beings have an equal right to it, and we must care for them.
BJP National President and Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda delivered his speech in the last session of the seminar in the presence of senior thinker S Gurumurthy.
Mentioning the untouched aspects of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s life, Nadda ji said, “Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was three in one – he was a thinker, leader and organiser. That is why revered Guruji used to say that if I get four such Deendayals, I will bring a big change in the country. We also know that in a very short period he established the Bharatiya Jana Sangh as a national party.”
Nadda added, “We will have to form our ideology by giving prominence to Bharat and Bharatiya thinking. Deendayal ji worked to promote it in the name of Integral Humanism. Seminars have become a medium to know the ideology he gave 60 years ago but we should not stop here, rather we need to take this ideology forward. Deendayal Upadhyay ji got very little time but he gave more time to the party and worked to sow the seeds of the party’s ideology.
On Operation Sindoor he said, “We have just seen our success in Operation Sindoor. Our defence protection has increased to 1.30 lakh and hence we are moving towards self-reliance in every way.”
Notably, the two day seminar, attended by hundreds of thinkers and young leaders, reaffirmed the relevance of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s Ekatma Manav Darshan in shaping Bharat’s future. All the speakers emphasised that Integral Humanism is not just a political ideology, but a holistic worldview rooted in Bharatiya sanskriti, which talks about individual well-being with societal and environmental responsibility.
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