by Nava Thakuria
Guwahati: On the occasion of Vijayadashami festival, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat made a fervent appeal to everyone to care for nature and protect the planet for the human race. In his annual address from the headquarter of RSS at Nagpur in Maharashtra on 12 October 2024, Sarasanghachalak Bhagwat observed that the ongoing material developmental journey, inspired by an incomplete ideological basis of consumerism, has emerged as a journey of destruction for the entire creation on Earth
The summer season scorches, the rain takes away everything and the winter freezes life like a dead body. Due to deforestation, greenery got destroyed, rivers dried up, chemicals poisoned food, water, air and even the mountains started collapsing in the last few years. There is no alternative than to build a path on our own ideological basis which will compensate for all these losses and will give us sustainable, holistic and integrated development, commented Bhagwat, adding that it’s possible only when there is a unanimous ideological consensus across the nation.
“We should have made our developmental path on the basis of the complete, holistic and integrated vision based on our Bharatiya tradition, but we did not do so. At present, such thoughts are being heard a little bit, some things have been accepted superficially and a few have been changed. Much more needs to be done. We are also suffering the consequences of blindly following the incomplete developmental path that leads to destruction in the name of development,” asserted the RSS chief
In presence of chief guest Padma Bhushan awardee Kopillil Radhakrishnan, the former chairman of ISRO, many RSS Adhikaris, Swayamsevaks and citizens, Bhagwat urged everyone to practice three small but important initiatives. The first thing is to use water as minimally as possible and conserve rain water. Second thing is to avoid using single use plastic. Third initiative will be increasing the greenery and planting trees which (the particular species) acclimatise easily and will not harm the land & environment. It may take time to resolve related policy issues, but we can start this simple action with immediate effect from our homes, stated Bhagwat.
Speaking about the increasing confidence among Indian youth, women, entrepreneurs, farmers, workers, soldiers, etc on the backdrop of improving Bharat’s image, power, fame and position on the world stage in the last few years, the Sarasanghachalak affirmed that the world community is now accepting our sense of universal brotherhood as well our views towards the environment. The sense of self-pride is increasing in the society, especially among the young people, stated Bhagwat, but he cautioned that some sinister conspiracies also appear before us, which need to be understood adequately.
“It is on expected lines that certain powers whose vested interests are affected by our country’s rise in the world that they would let Bharat grow only within certain limits. This commitment of the countries that claim to be liberal, democratic and committed to world peace vanishes as soon as the question of their security and self-interest arises. Then they do not hesitate to attack other countries or overthrow their democratically elected governments through illegal and/or violent means. All these things can be understood by observing the sequence of events happening, both inside Bharat and around the world,” he pointed out.
Expressing his concern over the relentless atrocities on the Hindu community residing in neighbouring Bangladesh, Bhagwat however revealed that this time the minority communities got organised and hit the streets and hence some defences were ensured. But as long as the tyrannical fundamentalist nature exists there, the sword of danger will hang over the heads of all minority people including the Hindus in the Muslim majority nation. That is why the illegal infiltration from Bangladesh into Bharat and the population imbalance caused by their presence becomes a matter of serious concern for the common people also, avowed Bhagwat.
“The Hindu community which is reduced to a minority in Bangladesh will need the help of all those who are in favour of generosity, humanity and harmony, especially the Union government in New Delhi, and Hindus living across the globe. The Hindus should learn the lesson that being unorganised and weak is like inviting atrocities by the wicked,” mentioned Bhagwat, adding that even God hardly cares about the weak. The Hindu society has a greater responsibility and once the society wakes up to write its destiny with its own efforts, the organizations, institutions, administrations etc come for extending help.
Earlier, the RSS Sarasanghchalak performed Shastra Poojan on the auspicious occasion to mark the its 99th foundation day in gracious presence of Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, former ISRO chief K. Sivan and other dignitaries. Mentionable is that the RSS was founded by first Sarsanghchalak Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925 on the sacred occasion of Vijayadashami and the nationalist movement emphasizes on creating an unparalleled and a character based Hindu society.
