“Hindutva is secularism and it is reflected in the Constitution. Hindutva is not any religion or -ism but 5,000-year-old tradition of unity in diversity that accommodated changing traditions, various faiths and ways of life,” said Dr Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Dr Bhagwat was delivering a lecture on ‘Hindutva and National Integration’ organised to mark Golden Jubilee of Nagpur edition of Marathi daily ‘Lokmat’. Vijay Darda, Chairman of Editorial Board of Lokmat and former member of Rajya Sabha, was prominently present. At the outset, a two-minute silence was observed to pay tributes to ‘Bharat Ratna’ Lata Mangeshkar. Quoting Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India, Dr Bhagwat said that there was nothing as uniform stationary unalterable Hindutva. It is a growing tradition and not a fixed belief. Lord Mahavira, Lord Buddha, Guru Nanak and Kabir all espoused Hindutva, he said.

 

“Hindutva teaches you to find truth and treat joys and sorrows of others as your own,” he added. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said that fraternity was religion and India could not survive without fraternity. “Hindutva believes in fraternity. Indians may worship different gods and have different ways of life but all are sons of Bharat Mata,” Dr Bhagwat observed. Stating that Hindutva believed in ‘Janapada’, the basis of nationalism, he stressed upon the need for Indians to imbibe four qualities of Dharma -- truth, compassion, purity, and tapasya -- and live life accordingly. Dr Bhagwat called views expressed at Haridwar Dharma Sansad a distortion of Hindutva. He said, “Hindutva believes in allowing people of various faiths to co-exist and prosper.”

 

Dr Bhagwat, Vijay Darda; Dayashankar Tiwari, Mayor; industrialist Manoj Jaiswal, Justice Vikas Sirpurkar, former Supreme Court judge; Dr Jay Deshmukh, Kirit Bhansali, Rajendra Purohit, Managing Director of ‘The Hitavada’; and Krupal Tumane, Ramtek MP, lit ceremonial lamp and paid their respects to founder of Lokmat Media group and veteran freedom fighter Jawaharlal Darda. Mateen Khan, Assistant Vice-President, Lokmat Media Group, compered the function. Shrimant Mane, Executive Editor of ‘Lokmat’, proposed a vote of thanks.