India’s tradition rooted in fraternity, dispute not in our nature: Bhagwat

Mumbai, Nov 29: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said engaging in disputes is not in India’s nature and asserted that the country’s tradition has always emphasised fraternity and collective harmony.

Speaking at the national book festival in Nagpur, Bhagwat said that India’s concept of nationhood differs fundamentally from Western interpretations.

“We do not have any argument with anyone. We stay away from disputes. Having a dispute is not in our country’s nature. Being together and fostering fraternity is our tradition,” he said, adding that other parts of the world evolved in situations filled with conflict.

“Once an opinion is formed, anything apart from that thought becomes unacceptable. They close doors to other thoughts and start calling it ‘…ism’,” he remarked.

Bhagwat also said that India’s concept of nationhood differs fundamentally from Western interpretations.

“They do not understand our views about nationhood, so they started calling it ‘nationalism’. Our concept of a ‘rashtra’ is different from the Western idea of a nation. There is no difference of opinion amongst us about whether it is a nation or not — it is a ‘rashtra’, and it has existed since ancient times,” he stressed.

“We use the word nationality, not nationalism. Excessive pride about the nation led to two world wars, which is why some people fear the word nationalism,” he claimed.

Bhagwat observed that if we consider the definition of a nation as understood in the Western context, it typically involves a nation-state with a central government managing the region. However, India has always been a ‘rashtra’, even under different regimes and during periods of foreign rule.

The RSS chief said India’s nationhood was not born out of arrogance or pride but out of deep interconnectedness among people and their coexistence with nature.

We are all brothers, as we are children of Bharat Mata, and there is no other human-created basis such as religion, language, eating habits, traditions or states. Despite diversity, we remain united as that is the culture of our motherland, he said.

He also stressed the importance of knowledge that leads to wisdom and underlined that practical understanding and living a meaningful life matter more than mere information.

True satisfaction, he said, comes from helping others — a feeling that stays throughout life, unlike temporary success.

Meanwhile, interacting with young writers at the event, Bhagwat said that the advent of technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be stopped, but we should remain its masters and maintain our dignity while dealing with it.

AI should be used for the benefit of mankind, to make humans better, he said.

To a query on the challenge of globalisation on language and culture, the RSS chief said, “It is an illusion currently. The real era of globalisation is yet to come, and India will bring it.”

India has had the concept of globalisation right from the beginning, and it is called ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), he said.

“We don’t make a global market, but we will make one family, which will be the real essence of globalisation, and that era is yet to come. Hence, remove the fear or misunderstanding about globalisation from our hearts,” Bhagwat said. (Agencies)