Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Thursday rejected allegations of Hindu supremacism and spoke about India's global image during an interaction at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC.
RSS as a People's Movement
Speaking about the functioning of the RSS, Hosabale said, "RSS is a people's voluntary movement inspired by cultural ethos and civilisation values of the ancient society of India, which is generally known as Hindu culture. To create volunteers with character, self-confidence, a sense of service to the community and for organising the society, the RSS organises daily assemblies and weekly assemblies for one hour."
He added, "Through these one-hour gatherings, we inculcate values of life. To create human social capital for the purpose of society's betterment and the nation's oneness, RSS renders services like relief activities during natural calamities. RSS volunteers have created civic institutions numbering nearly 40."
Hindu Identity: Civilisational, Not Religious
Explaining the organisation's view on identity, he said, "In RSS's view, Hindu identity is a civilisational identity, not a religious one. RSS has always emphasised cultural ethos and civilisational values which do not have anything to do with a religion directly."
Responding to claims of RSS being a Hindu supremacist organisation, he said, "Hindu philosophy and culture are not always supremacist. We see the oneness in everybody, be it a living or a non-living thing. When that is the basic philosophy of Hindus, the supremacist nature of Hindus cannot be there. In history, Hindus have never invaded any country or enslaved any people. Hindus have nothing to apologise for."
India's Global Perception
Hosabale also spoke about India's global perception, saying, "America's misunderstanding is not only about the RSS. America's misunderstanding about India is that it is overpopulated, full of slums, poverty, and is the land of snakes, slums and swamis. India is also a tech hub. India is the fourth-largest economy in the world."
He added, "These things are somehow missed in the common American perception. About RSS, also, the narrative that has been created, knowingly or unknowingly, or as a part of an agenda, is that RSS is a Hindu supremacist and in a way anti-Christian, anti minority, anti-development of women and anti-modernisation. What is pro is not always told."
Dialogue and Regional Tensions
On regional tensions and dialogue, Hosabale said, "Tensions have been there on and off because of political interests, wrong interpretation of history and other mechanisms. RSS believes that continuous and comprehensive dialogues with all these groups will definitely help in clearing the misgivings. RSS is engaged in such dialogues with a group of minorities and their leadership."
He further said, "Tensions between neighbouring countries are there because of various factors, because of the political leadership of neighbouring countries. Many times the mutuality and trust were damaged in the past decades. The problem is only with one neighbouring country, which was born out of the Indian womb. It has become a neighbouring country, but many people are behind that country to create problems."
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