Seeking the invincible Hindu: World Hindu Congress wants more defenders of the faith

New Delhi: Top leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday pitched for the invincible and fearless Hindu to protect Hinduism and its philosophy. They also underlined the need for an all encompassing Hinduism, which would work for world peace, apart from providing leadership to the world.

On the first day of the World Hindu Congress in New Delhi, the leaders underlined the need to protect India’s (Bharat’s) values, cultural heritage and archaeological sites like ‘Ram Setu’. The right wing meet steered clear of any fundamentalist talk.

Taking a cue from the famous saying of Swami Vivekananda based on the Upanishad: “Arise, Awake and Stop not till the goal is reached”, the RSS Sarsanghchalak, Mohan Bhagwat said, “Let us rise in unison as a Hindu society that depicts values in every sphere of life and demonstrate our capabilities to provide leadership to the world. We’ve to do it till our goal is reached.”

“Be a true Hindu, but before that there is a need to introspect, assess our abilities and develop ourselves, so that our lives can be a lesson for others. Our tradition and values could be a guiding force for the world,” added Bhagwat.

Addressing the inaugural session of the three-day Congress, the Dalai Lama said among the three ancient civilizations of the world – Egypt, China and India, it was the Indus Valley Civilization of India that produced the greatest thinkers.

“Today due to lack of oneness and self-centric attitude, the world is facing problems like war, violence, terrorism etc. India can play a very important role and make a big contribution towards world peace through its philosophy of a_himsa_ (non-violence), spiritualism, knowledge and religious harmony,” he said.

He added that in every corner of a city or town, temples and places of worship are found; there should be study centres to impart knowledge instead, and this could bring a significant revolution in the world.

“There should be less of routine rituals, and more of intellectual rituals,” the Dalai Lama said.

The session also witnessed an aggressive and assertive tone for the revival of Hinduism and the idea for a Hindu superpower was mooted.

“We need invincible and fearless Hindu, so that the Hindu can emerge as a superpower to protect Hinduism and philosophy. We got independence and Swaraj, but we have to strive to achieve our nationalism and cultural freedom,” asserted former international president of VHP, Ashok Singhal.

Hailing the Tibetan spiritual leader, Singhal said Dalai Lama should be conferred with Bharat Ratna for the latter’s contribution towards world peace. The VHP leader stressed on protection of cows, save Ganga and prevent Hindus from conversion, as a part of Hindu revival programme.

The participants in the session emphasized the need for providing leadership role to Hindu youth for resurgence of Hinduism. The Hindu Congress, in which representatives of 50 countries are participating, witnessed brainstorming sessions on Hindu organization, economy, politics, women and media.

In the economic discussions, the thrust seemed to be the growth of the country. A growth rate of eight per cent was the highlight of the speeches of the leaders of the right wing organizations, ministers and economists who opined that India should take advantage of the new government at the Centre and the ‘Make in India’ drive to catapult India’s growth.

“We’re in the cusp of history, where we have a government with a clear majority. With this mandate we can move ahead with responsibility. The propelling of Indian economy has to be done cautiously,” remarked Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, and also Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman.

Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari hinted that government has almost firmed up a solution to implement the Sethusamudram shipping canal project without demolishing ‘Ram Sethu’.  “It’s our cultural heritage and we need to protect it. Our development should be based on our history, culture, values and our family system – our biggest capital.”

Giving a call for investment, innovation and technology, Gadkari said India had the power and capabilities to lead the world with its knowledge. However, he agreed on the rampant corruption in the existing system and said introduction of new acts won’t help; instead existing acts needed to be altered and streamlined.

Economist Bibek Debroy observed that 1960s and 1970s were a “lost opportunity for India.” “Government intervention led to a suffering. A heavy-handed government interference since 2004 blocked development. According to Mahabharat and Kautilya, Hindu enterprises never depended on government. If we can ensure government gets out of way, Bharat’s economy will do exceedingly well.”