Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Saturday that it is not India’s nature to get embroiled in controversies. He stressed that the country’s tradition has always emphasized brotherhood and collective harmony. Addressing an event in Nagpur, Bhagwat said that India’s concept of nation is fundamentally different from Western interpretations.
Mohan Bhagwat said in his speech, “We have no dispute with anyone. We stay away from disputes, it is not in the nature of our country to dispute. It is our tradition to live together and promote brotherhood.”
He said that other parts of the world developed in conditions full of conflict. He further said, “Once an opinion is formed, anything other than that opinion becomes unacceptable. They close the doors to other views and start calling it ‘ism’.”
‘We use the word nationality, not nationalism’
The RSS chief said that western countries could not understand India’s national idea, hence they started calling it ‘nationalism’. He clarified, “Our concept of ‘nation’ is different from the Western idea of nation. We use the word nationality, not nationalism. Excessive pride about the nation gave rise to two world wars, that is why some people are afraid of the word nationalism.”
How did nationalistic ego arise?
He stressed that India’s nationalism was not born out of ego or pride, but stemmed from deep interconnectedness among people and co-existence with nature. He also stressed the importance of knowledge and said that practical understanding and living a meaningful life matter more than mere information.
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