Mohan Bhagwat told the Swayamsevaks that an organised Hindu society is the bedrock of unity, integrity and sustainable progress.
Introduction
We have assembled here to celebrate the auspicious occasion of this year’s Vijayadashami.
This year is the 550th Prakash Parv of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji. When our entire society, by forgetting the truth inherited from the ancient tradition and the natural self of Bharat, got itself neck deep in a cesspool of hypocrisy, falsehood, selfishness and divide; became weak, defeated and disintegrated; and was getting fragmented by repeated thrashing of the brutal atrocities perpetrated by the cruel, intolerant, savage foreign invaders from across the border, Shri Guru Nanak Deo ji showed a new path of self-enlightenment based on the spiritual practice commensurate with the times through his life, gave the society a new life of oneness by ameliorating the strayed tradition. It is his legacy that gave the country a magnificent and majestic tradition of 10 gurus who removed our state of penury and inferiority.
Mahatma Gandhi, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated, provided the political foundation of truth and non violence to the independence movement of the country. This unique struggle for freedom was an outcome of the continuous enlightenment provided by the very same inclusive culture, based on love and truth, as propounded by several great personalities of this country from time to time. All such efforts inspired the common man of the country to come out of his home and stand firmly with a moral force against the British oppression. The remembrance of martyrdom, sacrifice and dedication of hundreds of our unarmed countrymen, who were encircled from all sides and became victims of General Dyer’s bullets, hundred years ago while opposing the repressive and unjust Rowlett act and demanding freedom in the Jaliawala Bagh at Amritsar, invokes the same moral force in us.
It is imperative to mention these relevant reminiscences this year because although our country has achieved a significant level of progress in many sectors during the 71 years of Independence, we have yet to move forward in many other dimensions of progress in our all encompassing national life. Several forces whose selfish designs are being defeated or hindered because of our progress as a well organized, strong and prosperous country have not retracted from plotting skullduggeries to block the path of our nation. We have yet to cross many a hurdles. We can achieve this feat by treading the path of those great ancestors who have established such hoary ideals and propagated them in the society by their exemplary life based on truthfulness, piousness, penance, affection and sacrifice. The same message is evident when we see the present play of hope and despair in the country when we take a glance at the national scenario.
National Security
Border Security and internal security of the country are the issues of foremost consideration as they ensure space and opportunity to the nation for making efforts towards prosperity and development. Fruitful efforts have been undertaken to entwine the web of international relations by appraising the nations with our security concerns and getting their backing and cooperation. The military, government and administration has displayed its clear intent to maintain peaceful and cordial relations with all the countries including the neighbouring ones in words and deeds, at the same time standing and acting firm and making prudent use of our capabilities while initiating bold actions wherever necessary in the context of national security. In this regard efforts are being initiated and accelerated to enhance the morale of our armed and security forces, making them well-equipped and to provide them with latest technologies. This is one of the reasons that the prestige of Bharat is rising in the world.
Along with this, it is essential to be more attentive in enhancing the basic amenities of armed and security forces and their families. There have been some laudable efforts in this regard by the government. A thought must be given as to how its implementation can be expedited? From administrative point of view, it is imperative that the planning and implementation of these schemes have to pass through the military officers and civilian administrative authorities and Departments like Home, Defense and Finance. All these actors need to be more sensitive and respectful to the endeavours of these forces and their readiness to make a supreme sacrifice even by putting their lives at stake is a natural expectation that comes up in many discussions. Every countryman needs to keep this in mind that such an expectation is sought from the society as well, as it is from the government and administration. It is utmost essential that our brethren fighting for the security of the society across the border and within the country wherever required do their tasks without any worries for the social security and wellbeing of their families. After the change of guard in the country across our Western borders, any decline in its overt and covert provocative activities especially in the states like Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, neither has happened nor was expected.
In view of the dynamic international developments, safeguarding of our maritime borders has also assumed greater significance. There are hundreds of islands at various distances in the coastal area of Bharat adjacent to the mainland. All these islands including Andaman Nicobar are situated at strategically important locations. From the security point of view, their maintenance and strengthening of the facilities there has to be attended and implemented as a matter of urgency. Expeditious attention needs to be given to have coordination, cooperation and resources among Navy and other forces guarding the maritime borders and islands. Our brethren habituating along the land and sea borders are firmly holding the ground with determination despite facing several challenges peculiar to the border areas. If their wellbeing is taken care of, these locals in the bordering areas can also be of great assistance in tackling problems like infiltration, smuggling etc. Both the government and society need to take more efforts so that relief, education, healthcare facilities and employment opportunities reach them in time and they are imbued with patriotism, valour and virtues.
The country cannot be assured about its security without the total self reliance in the field of defense production even while continuing with the multilateral exchanges wherever necessary.
The pace of national efforts in this direction has to be accelerated.
Internal Security
The issue of internal security is equally important along with the border security of the country. The Union, as well as the State governments and administrations should sternly deal with the violent activities of elements, motivated or moved from inside as well as outside the borders, who challenge the law, Constitution and sovereignty of the country, is one of its remedial aspects. The Union and State governments and police and paramilitary forces are successfully undertaking operations in this regard. They will have to continue it with incessant vigil. But, it is a matter of fact that such elements who take part in violent and evidently illegal activities come from our own society. At the root of this is ignorance, dearth of development and amenities, unemployment, injustice, exploitation, discrimination and absence of sensitivity and sanity of our society essential in an independent nation. The Government and administration do have a role to play in alleviating this. But a greater responsibility lies with the society. An atmosphere of warmth and goodwill needs to be propagated by eliminating all such discrepancies within the society and embracing these brethren of our society with dignity and affection. The societal manifestation of this will have to start with the refinement of one’s own conscience and conduct. An intimate and regular contact will have to be maintained with all sections of the society by becoming part of their thick and thin.
It is felt that Central and State governments have to be more transparent and should exhibit greater efficiency and sensitivity in effective and timely implementation of several plans, sub plans and various provisions made for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled tribes. Police forces are the first to take the call with respect to internal security. The National Police Commission has also made recommendations for reforms in their systems. It is necessary to ponder over these recommendations pending for several years and make efforts towards such reforms.
Disturbing Trends
The establishment running the country and the society at large need to show alacrity in assuring progress, empathetic response, transparent and respectful behavior in the efforts for upliftment of the weaker sections of the society. The lack of all this makes it easy to sow and grow the seeds of doubt, detachment, imprudence, rebellion, hatred and violence in these sections that are severely affected due to the deprivation, injustice and negligence. Taking advantage of this, the forces with selfish motives desirous of using them as cannon fodder in the anti-national and criminal activities play deceitful games among them. This trend can be understood by everyone from the continuous efforts during the last 4 years to give a specific tone to the agitations originated in some undesirable incident in the society, old and new issues bothering different sections of the society and long-standing or emerging demands. The selfish power hungry politics with sheer disrespect for the social harmony, legal and Constitutional discipline and with an eye on votes in the upcoming elections have been apparently clear behind these machinations. But this time an atmosphere of divergence, separatism, violence, acerbic hatred and going to the extent of fueling anti-national sentiments is being created by exploiting these grievances. The leading faces of the groups from whom the slogans like ‘भारत तेर टकड़ होंगे’ were emanated, have been at the forefront with their provocative speeches in such incidents at some places. When the violent activities in remote forest areas were dealt with firmly, those leading and abetting violence were seen at the forefront of these agitations as votaries of Urban Naxalism. To start with, an ideological follower group is created through a network of small groups and regular contact in the student hostels. Then, by infusing rabid violent acts in small and big agitations, giving anarchical experience, the fear of law and administration and the civic discipline is being systematically eroded among those followers. On the other side, scorn and hatred is generated within the society and against the prevalent establishment and leadership. Through such incidents getting instantaneously violent, thought leadership in all sections of the society – which by and large stays within the social order and civic discipline – is sought to be suddenly discredited.
To establish a new, unfamiliar, uncontrolled, outrightly biased Naxal leadership with blind followers solely committed to them is the ‘Neo – Left’ doctrine of these urban Naxals.
Their cohorts already established in social and other media, intellectual circles and other institutions are associated with such activities from start to finish. They execute this by defending such activities through intellectual and other methods, through delusory public campaigns related to agitations, while keeping a safe distance and maintaining their so-called eminent positions. They are experts in freely using deceit and poisonous provocative language to make their vicious campaign even more potent. Treasonous activity by taking help from enemies of the nation is considered as an additional skill. It can be unmistakably seen if we investigate the source of the content and narration in their social media campaigns. The actual presence of Jihadi and terrorist elements in one way or other in such incidents is a common factor among all these. So the emerging conclusion is, this is a bigger canny conspiracy in collusion with forces from within and outside the country. It no more remains just a power politics by the opposition, but in this process, politically ambitious individuals and groups – either knowingly or unknowingly – and weaker sections, crushed under deprivation and neglect get drawn as ammunition unknowingly or unwillingly. Through the manufacturing of vicious and hostile atmosphere that weakens and destroys the social cohesion – essentially the bedrock of internal security of a nation – a world of psychological warfare is being carved out. This is called as ‘Mantrayuddh’ in our traditional Rajneeti Shastras.
To eliminate such tendencies, the Government and administration have to alertly ensure that such incidents, of which trouble mongers can take advantage of do not take place. At the same time, they will have to keep a constant vigil on such incendiary elements and forces so that they are not able to perpetrate such nuisance. Slowly, in the absence of any support from society, these incendiary elements will be completely defused. The administration has to make its intelligence gathering mechanism more comprehensive and alert. The schemes for the public good will have to reach the last man of the society through their prompt implementation. It will have to work with skill and diligence to ascertain law and order.
But an accurate and complete mitigation of these circumstances is possible only when all sections of the society interact with the disposition of kinship and goodwill in thought and heart.
We need to see the diversity of sects and religions, castes and sub-castes, languages and provinces as expressions of unity.
The entire society should own problems and conditions specific to any section of society to find a just and amicable solution through a cordial dialogue. An atmosphere where there can be uninterrupted friendly dialogue should be nurtured through greater contact and camaraderie. Citizens should follow the ambit of law and order and public discipline in their daily life. In this connection, every citizen and politician may remember the famous speech by Hon. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar delivered on 25th November 1949 wherein he advocates that without all pervasive fraternity in the society, it is not conceivable for the country to move in the direction of justice, freedom and equality and to attain social democracy along with political and economic democracy. The safety of these democratic values and our independence can be endangered without these. The means we adopted to raise our concerns when we were British subjects may be done away after attaining independence. We need to adopt only Constitutional methods, within the ambit of the democratic discipline.
Bhagini Nivedita has also considered civic consciousness as the manifestation of patriotism in the daily life of a citizen.
Necessity of Sanskar in the family
A firm and absolute consensus on these issues among the polity, judiciary, executive, local administration, organizations, dignitaries and common public and a feeling of intimate oneness in the society can be the only guarantee of stability, development and security of the country. These virtues should be instilled in the new generation of society from childhood itself at home, in schools and through social activities. Today, it has become pertinent that the younger generation gets the foundational virtues of humanity and good character in family life. Nowadays, the education curricula and the general atmosphere of the society almost lack these values. Time is running out in the wait for the implementation of the new education policy. Even though there are many individuals and organizations making efforts for these changes both at societal and government levels, our home and family are always in our hands for making such efforts. It is necessary to see whether we are fulfilling our responsibility towards the new generation to shape their minds with virtues of natural affection, self discretion, family and social responsibility and by setting our own example of prudence in an informal and pious environment or not. A need is being felt world over to be extra attentive due to the changing times. With the increasing reach and influence of media, gadgets with newer technologies that make individuals self-centred and expose them to right and wrong information and knowledge of the world without taking into cognizance their discretionary abilities, it is all the more necessary to acquire the values of family traditions. A discretionary capacity needs to be generated in the young generation with affection and our own example, for accepting the worth emanating from the new world with an open mind; and to guard themselves and others against the evil on the basis of our value system.
The news reports about incidents of suffering in families, indebtedness, immoral behavior and rape from the near and dear ones, suicides, caste conflicts and discrimination in the country are definitely a matter of concern and pain. Ultimately, the solutions to these problems lie in creating an affectionate and family atmosphere and social harmony. In this perspective, the entire society, including luminaries and leading intellectuals, need to take up the duty in this direction.
Integrated thinking:
All those who are leading the society in various fields should keep in mind that every action, speech and thought of ours should nourish all including the individual, family, society, humanity and the environment. Nowhere in the world, healthy and peaceful social life has ever thrived and can thrive, merely based on the laws and fear of punishment. Society abiding by laws is not the reason but the result of its ethical standards derived from the comprehension of the traditional social values. To adopt the customs and conventions with changing times, one may change the ethical practices and rules but by remaining firm on the edifice of values. The real and complete Justice is done by interweaving of the four elements in consonance, namely, the natural instincts of desire and wealth that form the societal functioning; ethics that restraints such instincts, making them useful and giving through them satisfaction and happiness with pleasure; the legal system that ensures that society and families follow this discipline enshrined in these ethics; and the comprehension of values being the decisive factor in all these. The decisions taken without considering all aspects and patiently creating the mindset of the society, will neither be adopted in actual practice nor will they help in creating a new social order in tune with changing times and positions. The situation arising out of the recent verdict on Sabarimala temple shows the similar predicament. The nature and premise of the tradition that has been accepted by society and continuously followed for years together were not taken into consideration. The version of heads of religious denominations and faith of crores of devotees was not taken into account. The plea by a large section of women, who follows this tradition, was not heard to. The legal verdict has given rise to unrest, turmoil and divisiveness in the society in place of peace, stability and equality. The questions such as why only the Hindu society experiences such repeated and brazen onslaughts on its symbols of faith, obviously rise in the public mind and lead to unrest. This situation is not at all conducive for the peace and healthiness of the society.
‘Swa’ based systems for an independent nation
Bharat’s progress will have to be achieved by rejuvenating all precincts of national life, being rooted in its eternal ethos. Whatever is available within the country will have to be rectified, reformed or if necessary, completely discarded as per times and situation; and accepting whatever is noble and useful around the world and adapt them as per the requirements of the country; Both these decisions would be based on the same ethos. This is the characteristic trait of our nation. This is ‘Hindutva’. Any country can progress by being resolute and steadfast on its original character, and not by blind copying.
The administrative sensitivity, alacrity, transparency and totality in the implementation of good policies of the Government are still not up to the expectations. Resultantly, the outcome of those policies is not percolating down to the last man standing in the society. The foreign British rule and administration were merely overlords of the land and territories. In the Independent Bharat, our rulers are expected to make the administration people-centric.
Political freedom is not complete in itself. All the dimensions of national life have to be reorganized on the basis of ‘swa’ (self) and self-esteem that inspired us and breathed our life with the sense of ‘we the people’ during the freedom struggle. Aspirations of people of Independent Bharat have been articulated in the four different parts of our Constitution, namely, the preamble, fundamental rights, the directive principles, and fundamental duties. We will have to establish our own model of development in the light of these provisions. Our goals, directions and accordingly all aspects of national life, including the economic one, have to be steered with this spirit. Then all our efforts and policies will be seen as fully implemented and fruitful.
Even after adopting the noble principles from the world, it is absolutely essential for the progress of the nation that we devise our own distinct model of development and corresponding framework based on our philosophical foundation.
Shri Rama Janmabhoomi
In this very same context of honouring the ‘Swa’ of the nation, Sangh has been associated with the sentiments of crores of countrymen, in the efforts of constructing a magnificent Ram temple at the birthplace of Shree Ram who is the personification of the life energy of the nation and an icon of upholding Dharma. The place of Janmabhoomi is yet to be allocated for the construction of the temple although all kinds of evidence have affirmed that there was a temple at that place. There is an obvious game-plan of a few elements to stall the judgment by presenting various newer interventions in the judicial process. It is in nobody’s interest to test the patience of the society without any reason.
The construction of the temple is necessary from the self-esteem point of view; it will also pave the way for an atmosphere of goodwill and oneness in the country.
This matter of national interest is being obstructed by some fundamentalist elements and forces that play communal politics for selfish gains. Despite such machinations, the decision regarding ownership of the land should be expedited, and the Government should clear the path for construction of the grand temple through appropriate and requisite law.
Elections:
Who would lead the nation? Are prevalent policies right or wrong? All these things have to be decided by the ordinary voters every five years, as a part of his ordained duty, in the democratic system of our country. Such five-yearly elections are approaching ahead. In a way, through this right, we the people of Bharat, common citizens become the adjudicators and controllers of our national scenario. But, we also know that the decision we make on that single day of the election makes us bear the brunt of good and bad effects in the short term as well as the long-lasting gains and losses for many years, sometimes throughout the lifetime. We are left with nothing else in our hands after that single day. If we have to get the verdict which will not lead to repentance then the voters will have to rise above self, parochial feelings, petty egos of caste, language and provincial affiliations, keeping in mind that the national interest is supreme. The voters will have to ponder over dispassionately upon the sincerity and capability of the candidate, commitment of the party on the issues of national interest and for the integrity of the nation and experiences of past and present actions of both candidates and parties.
The characteristic of democratic politics is such that no one can be considered as completely right or wrong. In such a situation, non-voting or using the provision of None of the Above (NOTA) goes in favour of the one who is most ineffective. So, 100 per cent voting is essential keeping in mind national interest as supreme without getting swayed by the campaigns of all the sides. The Election Commission of Bharat also appeals for the hundred per cent voting and conscience voting. The RSS swayamsevaks have always been abided by this as a duty as citizens and will do so this time as well.
Since its inception, RSS has kept itself aloof from the party politics and the politics influenced by castes and creeds and will continue to do so. But the number of Swayamsevaks spread all over the country, should fulfill their duty as citizens and stand in favour of putting their strength behind the overall national good. This is an essential task in the national interest.
Appeal
The existence of a powerful, virtuous and organised society based on the distinct axiom of ‘Swa’ of the nation is the fundamental and essential prerequisite of national well-being. That identity is Hindu identity that teaches us to respect all, accept all, unite all and do good to all. That is why Sangh wishes to establish a strong, invincible organised Hindu society and will comprehensively achieve this goal. Those sections of the society who consider themselves ‘separate’ because of their religion, tradition and lifestyle or apprehensive of the word ‘Hindu’ need to understand that Hindutva is the eternal ethos of this country. While keeping its core eternal values unchanged, there had been changes in its content and conduct commensurate with times and situations and will happen so in the future as per the needs. Hindutva has intrinsic identification with the undivided land of Bharat from the Himalayas up to the seas. All the Bharatiyas should immerse themselves in the hue of Bharat’s culture ingrained in its ethos is a sincere wish of the Sangh. The practices of all the sects and traditions of Bharat derive themselves from this cultural ethos. The luminaries, who have toiled hard and devoted their lives to protect and nourish the society, are our ancestors and the symbols of prestige to all of us.
Hindutva is behind Bharat’s capacity to embrace the entire universe with acceptance and appreciation of all its distinct diversities. That is why Bharat is the Hindu Rashtra.
An organised Hindu society is the bedrock of unity, integrity and sustainable progress of the nation. The acceptance of eternal Hindutva ethos is the panacea for fundamentalism, petty selfishness, unrestrained consumerism arising out of hardcore materialism and insensitivity. Therefore, organizing Hindus is a mission leading to universal good, Bharat’s welfare, and wellbeing of humanity.
It is an appeal to all of you to be part of this sacred divine task, in cooperation with the Sangh Swayamsevaks, to carry forward Bharat’s chariot of destiny in order to put Bharatmata at the pedestal of Vishwaguru.