On the centenary year of the establishment of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the annual lecture at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi was not just a celebration, but the event was an intensive declaration of the soul and its future of India. The clarity and serious views with which the Sangh Sarda Mohan Bhagwat gave his views in these lectures, along with removing the misconceptions prevailing towards the ideology of the Sangh, also revealed a new horizon towards making India a world guru. This event was not only an evaluation of the Sadhana of hundred years of the Sangh, but also the announcement of the direction of the coming hundred years. While writing a new chapter, Bhagwat clearly said that the essence of the functioning of the Sangh is the creation of a new man. This idea may seem simple to hear, but its implications are very deep. The root of all the problems of society and nation is hidden within a person. That is why the Sangh will move forward with the resolve to add all the sections of the country to the uniform because no system can be permanently changed until the character, vision and conduct of the person changes. The Sangh is doing a long-term practice of changing society and nation through individual construction. This is why the result of the work of the Sangh can not only be measured in branches or programs, but can be seen in that invisible but solid moral power, which is gradually changing the direction of society.
The misconceptions that have been spread about Hindutva were also logically removed by Bhagwat. He said that Hindutva is not the name of any narrow definition. This is not a method or sect of a particular religion. Hindutva is an Indian life vision, it is a broad cultural stream that contains compassion, harmony, service, non -violence, truth and self -realization. Hindutva connects everyone, does not separate anyone. It is the soul of India and on the strength of this soul, India can be eligible to become a world guru. This clear explanation also removed the doubt that the Sangh’s Hindutva is a means of political or power. In fact, it is a vision to bind the whole of humanity in a formula, in which there is no place for discrimination. In the second day’s statement, Bhagwat presented more deep views. Referring to Panchakarma, he said that just as Panchakarma is a means of purification of the body in Ayurveda, in the same way Panchakarma is also necessary for the purification and reconstruction of society. He told five dimensions-creative construction, organization building, harmony, upliftment of poor and spiritual awakening. These five aspects are the basis of permanent health and development of any society. Only political reform or economic progress does not make the nation great, but when the character of a person is pure, society is organized, there should be harmony in it, the weaker section should be uplifted and the life of the nation is endowed with high spiritual values.
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Bhagwat’s emphasis on the upliftment of poor man, especially, was notable. He said that India will be strong only when honors and opportunities reached the last person of the society. This idea reinforces Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Antyodaya’, Vinoba Bhave’s ‘Sarvodaya’ and Deendayal Upadhyay’s ‘Integral Humanism’. The biggest challenge of modern India is that the benefits of development do not reach all sections of the society equally. The gap of rich and poor is increasing. If this gap is not filled, then the progress of the nation will remain incomplete. Bhagwat’s view is that the nation can become great only when his weakest citizen can also live life with dignity and respect. His attitude on unity of religions was equally important. The history of India suggests that there has been a tradition of unity in diversity here. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jain-all religions have flourished on this land and the basic message of all has been compassion, service and humanity. The problem arises when religion is associated with politics of power. Bhagwat said that if we look at the values of religions, there is no conflict in them. Everyone’s basis is love, truth and service. This shared basis is capable of creating India a society that is exemplary for the world.
Bhagwat’s ideas definitely give new clarity to the cultural tradition of India and the functioning of the Union, but here the question also arises that how simple is the path to bring these ideas into practice? It is a long -term practice to create a new man amidst the complexities of society, ethnic and religious tensions, political interests and economic disparities. Critics say that the Sangh has thoughts, but their roots have not yet reached deeply to all sections of the society. Especially in minority communities, doubts towards the Sangh still exist. Therefore, not only from statements, but concrete and transparent actions will have to create confidence that the Hindutva of the Sangh is really universal. Similarly, things about the upliftment of the poor and unity of religions are considered to be considered, but it has to be seen whether the Sangh and its associated organizations are able to give concrete plans and results in this direction? Critics raise the question that the government has played more role than social organizations in improving the condition of the poor in the mainstream of development. Therefore, if the Sangh makes these points the origin of its action plan, then it will only have to go beyond the moral call and create practical policies and programs. Only then this vision will prove to be effective and India will really be able to move in that direction, which was conceived in the lecture.
If you look at the global conditions of today, Bhagwat’s thoughts become even more relevant. The world is plagued by the blind race of violence, terrorism, war and consumerism. Environmental crisis is becoming serious day by day. Mental stress and autism lifestyle have made humans hollow from within. In these circumstances, India is the country that can give an alternative life-darshan. India has a heritage of physical development as well as spiritual prosperity. This heritage gives India the eligibility to become a world guru. This lecture of the centenary year of the Sangh is not only for the volunteers of the Sangh, but for the whole country and the world. This message is to create new human beings, raise the poor, to connect religions, establish harmony in society and give direction to the world on the basis of the broader life vision of Hindutva. This is not only a speech, but a resolution. If India has to become really a world guru, then this resolution should be of the whole society.
The Sangh has been alleged for a long time that his ideology is narrow, it only represents the majority society, there is no place for minorities in it. These statements of Bhagwat made it clear that the Sangh’s approach is neither narrow nor excluded. The Hindutva of the Sangh is universal, in which all religions and all beliefs can find place. Its purpose is not the politics of power, but the moral and cultural reconstruction of the society. This occasion of the Sangh centenary is also important because today the future of India stands at a decisive turn. On the one hand there is economic progress, technical achievements and India’s growing reputation on the global platform, on the other hand there are internal challenges-social property, ethnic tension, religious hatred and valueless politics. These challenges will be resolved not only by external reforms, but by bringing changes from within. This is the functioning of the Sangh and this is the message of Bhagwat. The lecturer towards the new horizon leads not only a conclusion, but also towards a question, do we want to make India powerful in physical sense or really make it a world guru? If the answer is second, then we have to give the message of implementation to Bhagwat’s message. The attitude of familiarity for the world has to be developed, not the deal.
– Fine Garg
Writer, journalist, columnist