Foreign capital, whenever necessary, is a good thing. But foreign capital also enslaves. On the other hand, Swadeshi is all about viveka and the freedom of a nation to contribute to world affairs, according to Mohan Bhagwat, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief.
Dominant nations serve their own interests in the name of the global market. “That will not do. That, we oppose,” said Bhagwat, while addressing the Chennai International Centre Fellows on the RSS and its vision for tomorrow.
“Swadeshi does not mean rejection of knowledge and ideas. It means, ‘I should not go to the market for what I can prepare in my home. Whatever I can obtain in the local market, I should not buy in some other market. Similarly, I will be self-reliant in whatever I can produce in my country. Whatever I have to take from outside, I will take it on my own conditions. Nobody can hoodwink me into purchasing anything’. No. That is swadeshi. Good ideas should come to us from all over the universe. That is our prayer,” he said.
The aim of the RSS is to work for society and to put society and country before oneself. This methodology is something new that The RSS founder had experimented with this for nearly 10 years before introducing it. “People feel that there is enigma around the Sangh. Instead of information, people have perceptions. Clearing of minds is a necessary task for us,” he added.
According to the RSS chief, Hindutva means Bharat Mata, Bharatiya sankriti and Bharatiya purvaj . “We can unite society based on this. For the last 95 years, the RSS has worked to imbibe good qualities in individuals. The evidence is before you,” he added.
“We are all sons of Bharat Ma. We uphold that culture by sacrificing, and by our behaviour. We worship, try to follow in the footsteps of those ancestors who have strived to nurture and grow this culture. That is our idea. This is what we call Hindutva,” he said.
People say the RSS is a service organisation. No, it is the Swayamsevaks who are servicing people. This is all done by them. The Sangh does not plan centrally for this. If you want to know about the Sangh proper, you have to come to the Sangh because Swayamsevaks do many things, and work for the good of the nation.
“In our prayers, we say that on the basis of our organised strength, we will take the country to the pinnacle of glory. We want to be able to do that. We are trying to equip ourselves. That is what the Sangh is,” he said.