Dattatreya Hosabale
There is a "new-found" awareness and awakening among Hindus across the world, a top RSS leader has said, emphasising that as a "civilisational community", it has a historical role to spread the message of universal brotherhood.
RSS joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said on Sunday that Hindus should provide "quality and constructive leadership" not only to their own community but also to the world in areas like education, intellectual activities, academic activities, media, political leadership and science and technology.
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"They are capable of doing this (providing leadership),” the top RSS functionary told PTI on the sidelines of the second World Hindu Congress that concluded here on Sunday.
For three days more than 2,500 delegates and 250 speakers from over 60 countries brainstormed on various issues related to the world Hindu community, reviewing the progress and preparing a blueprint of progress for the next four years.
"Already (RSS Chief) Mohan Bhagwat has said that we have to give a message by our action; that unity shall prevail in spite of the diversity of the religion, which (Swami) Vivekananda gave from this very city (Chicago) 125 years ago and that is the message which Hindus should give even today, because it is more relevant today,” Hosabale said.
Hailing from a family of RSS activists, Karnataka-born Hosabale is considered the most powerful official in the RSS after Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.
"There is a new-found awareness, awakening among the Hindu community all over the world,” he said.
He said, "As a civilisational community, Hindus have this historical role to provide a positive, constructive message of universal brotherhood. They can provide this leadership."
He underscored that Hindus should provide this spiritual content and age-old cultural message according to the modern times.
"For example, today, environment, family life, yoga these are the things which are our heritage. That heritage can be very beautifully blended with modern times. With little bit of research, little bit of articulation and more of action at personal, family and social level, if they can do it, Hindus have to spread this message,” he said.
The World Hindu Congress is one of such efforts in that direction, he said.
"We are confident. And most of the Hindu cultural, religious leadership are for this. And they all have supported this effort. That’s why their minds are also attuned to these types (of efforts)," he said in response to a question.
“Unless it (India) becomes 'Samarth Bharat, Smarridh Bharat, Shaktishali Bharat' you can’t give a message. People will not take the message of a weak person. People will take the message of a strong person,” he said.
Hosabale said that Hindus today are at a turning point.
"If they can show that yes, we are capable of delivering this message, because of our own strength, this is possible. These efforts today are heading towards that,” the RSS leader said, referring to the gathering of eminent Hindu leaders from more than 60 countries.
Responding to a question, Hosabale said India can "definitely" play a role in global knowledge economy.
"What is Yoga? It is India’s traditional knowledge and practice,” he said, adding that there are many number of things like this. Many scholars in India and outside India have worked on this, he noted.
"Indian knowledge system and Indian knowledge heritage are being researched and studied...These things are the experiences of our ordinary people,” he said.
Later this month, he said, the RSS is organising "Lokmanthan" in Ranchi.
"What Lokmanthan is that you need not to have university scholar to speak these things but ordinary people have been speaking this wisdom of our civilisation of which we call it Lok. Lok is folk,” he said.
He said that "ordinary Lok or folk" had traditional knowledge system but it was destroyed during the British period. "And unfortunately, in independent India we have not revived it."
"I am not saying everything is available in India. We have to take knowledge from all parts of the world,” he said.
