The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) celebrated Vijayadashami Utsav in Nagpur on October 20, 2026, marking the culmination of its centenary celebrations. RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat addressed the gathering on the occasion.
Speaking about scientific progress and the risks of one-sided development, Dr Mohan Bhagwat said, “Advances in science and technology help human beings lead a materially comfortable life and refine their conduct based on knowledge and reason. Therefore, new knowledge, scientific developments, and technology should be welcomed and embraced. However, it must also be remembered that technology is merely a means. When development is pursued solely from a consumerist or materialistic perspective, the comforts and conveniences it brings may come at the cost of far greater harm. The terrible tragedy that Nepal has recently had to endure, claiming the lives of thousands of people, can be attributed, at least in part, to the consequences of one-sided development across the Himalayan region, which stretches through several countries, including Bharat, Tibet, Bhutan, and China”.
Highlighting the need to combine technological advancement with ethical responsibility and sound judgement, Dr Mohan Bhagwat said, “We all feel the profound sorrow caused by such a massive loss of human life, and we naturally come together to provide relief and assistance to those affected in the aftermath of such tragedies. However, it is essential that we develop a holistic and balanced vision of development. It is the human being who determines the appropriate direction in which a means is to be used and decides what is right or wrong in its use. Therefore, along with acquiring knowledge and technology, discernment necessary for their proper use should also be cultivated, as well as the ethical and practical discipline governing its use, should be put into practice. Otherwise, the knowledge of atomic science will produce more life-destroying weapons than clean energy, and even highly useful technologies such as artificial intelligence will continue to be used to create means of misleading, deceiving, and spreading falsehood among people”.
Emphasising Bharat’s civilisational vision as a model for holistic development worldwide, Dr Mohan Bhagwat said, “It is for this reason that Bharat’s Sanatan holistic vision of life, by its sense of wholeness and oneness, seeks to see a culture rooted in the values of harmony and restraint, flourish throughout the entire world. Our ancestors described this vision as “Sa Prathama Sanskriti Vishvavara”—the foremost culture, worthy of embracing the whole world. Bharat must, on the basis of this vision, establish before the world a new model of holistic and integrated development that can serve as an example for all”, he said.
