Hindutva a cultural idea, not religious: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
BHUBANESWAR: Calling for a transformation in the society, Sarsanghchalak of Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said such a change needs to start at individual level.
“In order to bring a positive change in society, the change has to begin from individuals. If one’s character inspires people, the society will accept the change,” the RSS chief said.
Addressing a gathering of intellectuals on the first day of his nine-day tour to the State, Bhagwat said it is difficult to change 130 crore people of the country.
The RSS is making a constant endeavour to build nationalistic character among people who can bring a change in society.
Noting that people opposed to RSS have a lot of confusion on the idea of Hindu Rastra, the RSS chief said the Sangh has consistently held that the concept of Hindu Rashtra should not be confused with that of religion.
The Sangh has been clarifying that the idea of Hindu Rastra is in no way similar to countries following Islamic and Christian faith.
Hindutva is a cultural idea and does not confine itself to the narrow definition of religion or even a particular method of worship or faith.
It is representative of culture, philosophy and the way of life of people of this country and this is evident in India for ages, he said.
The Sangh works towards universal brotherhood and the cardinal principle of this brotherhood is unity in diversity.
There was never any conflict with the idea of Hindutva and the world recognised this aspect about India. In its history, India has never been a theocratic state presided by a religious authority.
“The country had allowed Jews and Parsis after being persecuted by Nazis and Muslims respectively to live here peacefully. The Muslims here are the happiest people in the world. This is possible because the Hindus are tolerant and believe in inclusiveness,” he said.
“We have no regrets after being exploited for centuries by foreigners including Moguls. We have to move on, but we must move on together,” he said.
“There are lot of misgivings about Sangh by some people. I invite those people to spare some time to study the activities of Sangh. If they are still not convinced, they are free to make their opinion,” he said.
The RSS chief is here to attend the meeting of Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal, the highest decision making body of the Sangh.