Bhagwat says Hinduism not ‘ancestral property’ of Indians
![Vice-President Hamid Ansari with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the launch of the international edition of Encyclopedia of Hinduism in New Delhi, Friday. ( Source: Express photo by Amit Mehra )]()
Vice-President Hamid Ansari with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the launch of the international edition of Encyclopedia of Hinduism in New Delhi, Friday. ( Source: Express photo by Amit Mehra )
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says all Hindustanis are
![Some giving credit to party, others to some individuals, says Mohan Bhagwat. (Source: Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)]()
Bhagwat asked if inhabitants of England are English, Germany are Germans then why all inhabitants of Hindustan are not known as Hindus. (Source: Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)
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Vice-President Hamid Ansari with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the launch of the international edition of Encyclopedia of Hinduism in New Delhi, Friday. ( Source: Express photo by Amit Mehra )Express News Service | New Delhi | Posted: October 11, 2014 2:07 am | Updated: October 11, 2014 2:08 am
Vice-President Hamid Ansari, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, HRD Minister Smriti Irani, prominent Islamic leaders and a Bollywood actor — they all came under one roof on Friday to launch the international edition of Encyclopedia of Hinduism.
The key message from the function was Hinduism is a global legacy, with Bhagwat saying that it is not an “ancestral property” of Indians, but it is for everyone.
“Religion always unites and what divides people is not religion,” he said. Interpreting the word “dharm”, the RSS chief said it has a wider meaning than “religion”.
According to Bhagwat, the Encyclopedia on Hinduism, a project of India Heritage Research Foundation, would help Hindus as well as Indians answer the questions asked about the religion to the next generation and the outside world.
Swami Chidanand Saraswati, the founder chairman of the IHRF and spiritual head of the Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh, stressed that no one can stake claim on Hindu religion. “The wisdom, truths, teachings and insights of Indian and the Hindu culture are not limited to only Hindus or Indians. Rather they belong to the world and can deeply benefit the world,” he said.
Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, president All India Imams Organisation, and Dewan Syed Zainul Abedin Ali Khan, Ajmer Darga Sharif, said Hinduism is an “assimilative” religion.
Vice-President Ansari, the chief guest at the function, spoke on the history of encyclopaedias. “Available evidence shows that the encyclopaedia ‘industry’ is now flourishing. One count puts the figure of these in the market at anything between six and ten thousand. At this rate, there may even be a need for an encyclopaedia of encyclopaedias,” Ansari said.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says all Hindustanis are
Bhagwat asked if inhabitants of England are English, Germany are Germans then why all inhabitants of Hindustan are not known as Hindus. (Source: Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)Press Trust of India | New Delhi | Posted: August 11, 2014 7:44 pm
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday received flak from non-BJP parties for his suggestion that all Hindustanis are Hindus with many leaders wondering if he has read the Constitution and really believes in it.
Congress leader Manish Tewari said Bhagwat would be well-advised to read the Constitution which very specifically states that India is Bharat, a union of state, and the word “Hindustan” is nowhere mentioned.
Sitaram Yechury of CPI(M) said Bhagwat should make it clear if he believes in Constitution.
“He should make it clear if he believes in it. In our Constitution, the country is Bharat not Hindustan,” he told reporters.
JD(U) President Sharad Yadav said India has come so far since Independence by keeping its faith in the Constitution and its future lies in following the same course.
BSP Chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati while slamming Bhagwat said he does not have “proper knowledge” of the Constitution.
“When Ambedkar ji (Bhimrao Ambedkar) wrote the Constitution he kept in mind that our country comprises various religions and people follow them. So the name Bharat was given, the word Hindustan was not used. The RSS chief does not have proper knowledge of the Constitution. He should learn that and then comment,” she said.
Father Savrimuthu of Archdiocese of Delhi expressed concern over Bhagwat’s comments, saying India is a pluralistic country but the RSS head has tried to put everybody under one umbrella.
“Our nation is great and known for unity and diversity… Now you (RSS) are trying to make one nation, one religion, one culture, trying to put everybody under one umbrella which is not right,” he said.
Seeking to downplay the row over Bhagwat’s comments, BJP leader Vinay katiyar said, “what he(Bhagwat)mneant by ‘Hindu’ was ‘Hindustani’. He never spoke about interfering in religious practices of people.”
Bhagwat on Sunday asked if inhabitants of England are English, Germany are Germans and USA are Americans then why all inhabitants of Hindustan are not known as Hindus.
“The cultural identity of all Indians is Hindutva and the present inhabitants of the country are descendants of this great culture,” Bhagwat said while speaking at the ‘Golden Jubilee’ function of an Odia weekly in Bhubaneswar.
The RSS chief further went on to say that Hindutva is a way of life and Hindus could be of any religion worshiping any God or not worshiping at all.
Encyclopedia of Hinduism
The Encyclopedia has been nearly twenty-five years in the making and it is the first time in history that the depth and breadth of India's great spiritual culture is made available in authentic, academic and scholastic form. It is truly a compendium of thousands of years of history, science, art, architecture, polity, religion, philosophy and culture. Further, the Encyclopedia is not limited to Hinduism as a religion,but rather provides all inclusive treatment of India’s spiritualculture (including coverage of Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism traditions in India).
Encyclopedia of Hinduism
The Encyclopedia has been nearly twenty-five years in the making and it is the first time in history that the depth and breadth of India's great spiritual culture is made available in authentic, academic and scholastic form. It is truly a compendium of thousands of years of history, science, art, architecture, polity, religion, philosophy and culture.
The Encyclopedia has been nearly twenty-five years in the making and it is the first time in history that the depth and breadth of India's great spiritual culture is made available in authentic, academic and scholastic form. It is truly a compendium of thousands of years of history, science, art, architecture, polity, religion, philosophy and culture.