As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) commemorated its centenary today, the clear message from Mohan Bhagwat, the Chief Mentor (Sarsanghchalak) of the world’s largest voluntary organisation, is India needs an indigenous development model as current models are failing across the globe.
The RSS was set up on Vijayadashami in 1925. The Sarsanghchalak addresses the swayamsevaks on every Vijayadashami. This address is seen as the guiding framework of the Sangh’s work for the forthcoming year. It also represents Sangh’s worldview on various issues and underlines challenges faced by society from its perspective.
This year’s Vijaydashami speech was watched with keen interest by both Sangh supporters as well as its critics as one expected this to indicate the direction that Sangh is going to take over the next few decades.
Current global challenge
The Sarsanghchalak’s view on the prevailing model of development may be seen in this context. He said, “The flaws of the prevailing economic system, such as: the widening gap between rich and poor, the concentration of economic power, the strengthening of new mechanisms that enable easier exploitation by exploiters, degradation of the environment, and the rise of transactionalism and inhumanity instead of genuine interpersonal relationships, are globally exposed.”
“We will need to reconsider our approach on some issues to ensure that these flaws and the tariff policy adopted by America, based solely on its self-interest, do not pose a challenge for us. The world operates through mutual interdependence. By becoming Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) and being cognizant of global unity, we must ensure that this global interdependence does not become a compulsion for us, and we are able to act according to our own will. There is no substitute for Swadeshi and Swavalamban (self-dependence),” he added.
An indigenous model of development that does away with consumerism
It may be recalled that this isn’t the first time that a Sarsanghchalak has talked about self-reliance and a Bharatiya model of development rooted in that. Post-independence, four Sarsanghchalaks -MS Golwalkar, Madhukar Dattatreya Deoras, Professor Rajendra Singh and KS Sudarshan repeatedly talked about it.
The current Sarsanghchalak has also been mentioning this in his public speeches for more than a decade now. The core principle of the indigenous model of development, according to the Sangh, is to do away with consumerism and regulate consumption to protect nature and the environment.
This is diametrically opposite modern economic models which are driven by increasing consumption. The more a nation consumes, the more wealthy it is. According to the Sangh this has led to an increasing imbalance in the society.
Adapting an existing model to contemporary needs
Sangh strongly believes that Bharat's indigenous model of economic development is not a new or an innovative concept. It has existed for several thousand years. Ancient India thrived primarily because of this development model. However, it needs to be adapted to the contemporary context to make it relevant. And Sangh is ready for that.
Bhagwat emphasised this and categorically said: “The harmful consequences of the materialist and consumerist development model adopted worldwide, based on a materialist and compartmentalized approach, are increasingly becoming evident everywhere. In Bharat too, due to the same model, irregular and unpredictable rainfall, landslides, drying up of glaciers, and other similar effects have intensified over the last 3-4 years. The entire water supply of Southwest Asia originates in the Himalayas. The occurrence of these disasters in the Himalayas should be considered as a warning bell for Bharat and other countries of South Asia.”
Indian model is global in relevance
One of the key tenets of RSS’s worldview as it completed its 100 years is its global outlook. The RSS believes that the Hindu philosophy and the Bharatiya model of society can help in conflict resolution across the world and hence it is not a matter of choice but it is a compulsion for India to go back to its roots and tap Indian Knowledge System (IKS) and develop a model society, governance structure and economic philosophy based on these learnings.
That is why Bhagwat said in his speech, “Across the globe, scientific progress, the ability of technology to make many aspects of human life more convenient, and greater interconnectedness between countries due to communication and global trade present a positive picture. However, there is a considerable difference between the pace of scientific and technological progress and the pace at which humans adapt to these. Due to this, ordinary people may end up facing numerous problems. Similarly, we are also witnessing other problems, such as the ongoing wars and conflicts (both large and small) across the globe, the fury of nature due to environmental damage, weakening of social and family bonds, and growing misconduct and hostility towards others in everyday life.”
Reiterating the effectiveness of Bharatiya model, the Sarsanghchalak elaborated upon the RSS’ global outlook, “Efforts have been made to address all these problems, but they have failed in stopping their progression or providing a comprehensive solution. All countries are facing a threat from perverted and hostile forces that believe that the complete destruction of all bonds that unite, such as culture, faith, tradition and the like, is necessary for resolving these problems. These forces will aggravate the social ills, conflict and violence affecting humanity. In Bharat too, we are experiencing all these circumstances in various ways. The world is eagerly awaiting solutions that are based on Bharatiya philosophy.”
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