The New Indian Express ·
A nuanced cultural outreach from the East to the West
‘Hindus respect all, Hindus accept all.’ That was the central theme of RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s recent speeches in the US and Canada. The RSS chief’s blunt and forceful elucidation of the Hindu mission and India’s global vision and destiny in the organisation’s centenary-year itinerary generated acclaim. The absence of controversies disappointed the critics who were waiting for Bhagwat to explode an ideological atom bomb. They were disappointed because Bhagwat spoke more like an Indian Hindu statesman than as the chief of a great organisation.
Some expected Bhagwat to be assertive and belligerent on the occasion of the RSS’s outreach as part of the organisation’s centenary year. Rather, he chose to speak less about the RSS and more about the Vedic Hindu tradition and how people of Indian origin should become global in their role as citizens of different countries. The RSS chief, explaining the beauty of the oneness of humankind, India’s natural unity in diversity and pluralism in the West, spoke about the mission of India developed through centuries of living in harmony with nature.
Clearly, Bhagwat has mastered the art of communicating Hindu ideology while admiring the feel-good sensitivities of Western audiences. At every place, his speech had a different theme—fresh and with the underlining message of caring and sharing.
