"Hindu is a 'geo-cultural identity'", says RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat in Meghalaya

Shillong, Sept 26: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS ) Chief Mohan Bhagwat, while stating that there is "no particular definition of Hindu", said that the terms "Bharatiya" (Indian) and "Hindu" are synonyms, and added that Hindu is a "geo-cultural identity".

 

 

 

 

Bhagwat said that India had lost its freedom in the past because of "forgetting" its "civilizational motto and values". Addressing a public meeting in Shillong on Sunday (Sept 25), Bhagwat said, "We are an ancient nation since time immemorial, but due to forgetting our civilizational motto and values, we lost our freedom. Our binding force among one another is our inherent faith in our age-old values which lies in spirituality.

 

  

These values of this country's eternal civilization had been named as Hindutva by people outside our country. We are Hindus, but there is no particular definition of Hindu, although it's our identity. Both the terms Bharatiya and Hindu are synonyms. It is a geo-cultural identity in fact". The RSS chief said that the organization teaches to make sacrifices for the country while also giving up one's "individual selfish ends".

 

 

 

 

 

"In the one-hour Sangh shakhas, people learn about these benevolent values and duty to the motherland," Bhagwat said. "The RSS draws this tradition of sacrifice from this country's ancient history. Our ancestors had visited different lands beyond and had departed the same values to Japan, Korea, Indonesia and many other countries. We are following the same tradition even today."

 

 

Among the audience, many educationists, leaders as well as spiritual and social representatives participated. The two-day Meghalaya visit of Bhagwat which will end today will include his meetings with different Sangh functionaries and socio-cultural leaders.