Bharat must teach the world how to manage diversity, because the world does not possess the kind of system that Bharat has”, said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat while addressing leading entrepreneurs of Rajasthan at the ‘Entrepreneurs’ Dialogue – Towards New Horizons’ organised at Prithviraj Chauhan Auditorium, Constitution Club, Jaipur.
He further said, “Do not form an opinion about the Sangh without directly experiencing it. Come to Shakha; engage in the work you find suitable. The Sangh aims to organise the entire society. The whole society must become ‘Sangh’, that is, people should live for the nation with sincerity and selflessness.”
He said that the programmes organised on the completion of 100 years of the Sangh’s journey are not a celebration; rather, they are meant to introspect and plan for the expansion of work in the coming phase. “Making the nation prosperous and ‘Vishwaguru’ is not the task of one person. It is the collective responsibility of all, and everyone must work together”, he said.
He stated that the Sangh was not founded around a single issue. RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar was a revolutionary. He was an active worker of the Indian National Congress and went to jail twice, once before the founding of the Sangh and once after for participating in its movements. Whatever was undertaken in the interest of the nation and society, he actively joined. He was charged with sedition during the Non-Cooperation Movement. He chose to present his defence because it would give him another opportunity to speak. Hearing his defence speech, the judge remarked that it was even more seditious than the original one. Dr Hedgewar realised that the vices accumulating in society for the past fifteen hundred years must be removed. He felt that without uniting the entire Hindu society, Bharat could not rid itself of this old ailment. After a decade of contemplation and experiments, he founded the Sangh.
Dr Mohan Bhagwat emphasised that the Sangh was not created to destroy anyone. Our identity in Bharatvarsha is Hindu, this word unites everyone. Our nation is one on the basis of culture, not geography. In earlier times, even when there were many kingdoms, we were one nation; even during colonial period, we remained one.
While speaking on the next phase of Sangh work, he said that the entire society must live in the national interest—this is the future task of the Sangh. The virtuous strength of society must be awakened, an atmosphere of social harmony must be created, and temples, water sources, and cremation grounds must remain open for all.
Every family should gather at least once a week, share a meal, and engage in devotional singing according to their own language and tradition. We must come forward for environmental conservation, saving water, planting trees, and eliminating plastic. Awareness of ‘self’ and the spirit of swadeshi must be awakened in everyone so that the nation becomes self-reliant. We must also remain conscious of civic duties and civic discipline, and follow rules, laws, and the Constitution.
He said that the entire society should work together in its own way so that we become complementary, not obstructive to one another.
He emphasised that cooperative efforts, agriculture, and industry are the foundational pillars of our development. Agriculture, trade, and industry must progress together through mutual cooperation and interdependence. Small and medium industries decentralise the economy. It is the responsibility of large industries to ensure an enabling environment for these smaller industries to function smoothly within the country. Small industries, in turn, must focus on employment, skill development, quality of production, and increasing output.
