We and the World Around

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As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh prepares to commemorate the centenary of its A existence, this one of its kind landmark work is a timely mirror into the thought process of the Sangh on varied issues. It offers an insider's view on Sangh, layered with a nuanced understanding of the concept of 'Bharat' as it was conceived by our ancient rishis, as practiced by myriad generations of inheritors and as it will be in the grand scheme of human existence.

There is great depth to Bharatiyata which is illuminated with incisive discourse over complex concepts like Dharma, Swattva (selfhood), Hindutva and Sanatanta. With references ranging from the Upanishads to lives of great contemporary luminaries, the author re-awakens the very soul of Bharat and provides insights into much-talked-about contemporary issues like 'secularism', 'liberalism' and the concept of 'Akhand Bharat'.

Dr. Vaidya's simple language, anecdotes, erudition and a lived-connect with the Bharatiya society immerse the reader in deep contemplation on who we are and who we want to become.

D r. Manmohan Vaidya, born in Nagpur in 1955 holds a doctorate in Radiochemistry; a part of Nuclear Chemistry from Nagpur University. He was a lecturer before embarking on his journey as RSS pracharak in 1983. Since then Dr. Vaidya has held various responsibilities which have taken him from the remotest parts of Bharat to the foremost corners of the world. He is a voracious reader and frequently writes on contemporary issues in various magazines and newspapers. He is well-versed in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, and English. With the guidance of the legacy of his father Shri M.G. Vaidya one of RSS' stalwart ideologues his own experience as Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh (All-India Incharge of Media Relations) and a long stint abroad with HSS (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh), Dr. Vaidya emerged as one of the critical voices of Bharatiya intelligentsia. In 2018 he was appointed as Sah-Sarkaryawah (Joint General Secretary) of RSS.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, an organisation working in Bharat, is well known among people either by its full name or by the initials, RSS. However, when discussing its goal, activities, and modus operandi, let alone the general public, even scholars lack accurate information about RSS. Those whose selfish motives are impeded or exposed by the Sangh activities churn out false information against Sangh and try to put a spanner in its activities. Such propaganda is saturated with malicious lies, irrational claims and misleading misnomers because Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh does not work against anyone or as a reaction to any incident. In the past, misleading people with such disinformation was possible in the absence of information or direct contact with Sangh. But now, with the ever-expanding ambit of Sangh activities, more and more people have a first-hand experience of the reality, hence spreading misleading messages is no longer as easy. Another factor may be responsible for doubts or confusion arising in one's mind about Sangh. Languages that have emerged from Bharatiya traditions contain words that encompass complex and distinct emotions of Bharatiya life experiences. Many concepts of Bharatiya thought are special and unique. Exact synonyms or near approximates of those concepts are not to be found in other languages of the world, which makes it impossible to find corresponding words that convey the right meaning of these concepts. Unfortunately, while the people of Bharat are in the process of losing the tradition of getting to know Bharat through the medium of Bharatiya languages, viz. their mother tongues, and their ancient texts, they make attempts to understand Bharat through inaccurate translations of foreign languages which inadvertently convey the wrong meaning. This obviously leads to errors in comprehension. This book is an attempt to remove that veil of confusion and ignorance by taking cognizance of the mistakes in expressions about Sangh and Bharat made knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, while offering the correct meaning in its stead.

It is imperative for every nation to know who they are as people to decide about their priorities and tread the future path of progress. After the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, in the USA there was much churning about "who we are" as USA. In the book "Who Are We published in the aftermath of September 11, Samuel Huntington notes that- "We Americans" face a substantive problem of national identity epitomised by the subject of this sentence. Are we a "we," one people or several? If we are a "we," what distinguishes us from the "thems" who are not us? Race, religion, ethnicity, values, culture, wealth, politics, or what? Is the United States, as some have argued, a "universal nation," based on values common to all humanity and in principle embracing all peoples? Or are we a Western nation with our identity defined by our European heritage and institutions? Or are we unique with a distinctive civilization of our own, as the proponents of "American exceptionalism" have argued throughout our history? Are we basically a political community whose identity exists only in a social contract embodied in the Declaration of Independence and other founding documents? Are we multicultural, bicultural, or unicultural, a mosaic or a melting pot? Do we have any meaningful identity as a nation that transcends our sub-national ethnic, religious, racial identities? These questions remain for Americans in their post-September 11 era. They are in part rhetorical questions, but they are also questions that have profound implications for American society and American policy at home and abroad. In the 1990s Americans engaged in intense debates over immigration and assimilation, multiculturalism and diversity, race relations and affirmative action, religion in the public sphere, bilingual education, school and college curricula, school prayer and abortion, the meaning of citizenship and nationality, foreign involvement in American elections, the extraterritorial application of American law, and the increasing political role of diasporas here and abroad. Underlying all these issues is the question of national identity. Virtually any position on any one of these issues implies certain assumptions about that identity. So also with foreign policy. The 1990s saw intense, wide-ranging, and rather confused debates over American national interests after the Cold War. Much of this confusion stemmed from the complexity and novelty of that world. Yet that was not the only source of uncertainty about America's role. National interests derive from national identity. We have to know who we are before we can know what our interests are."

**Contents and Sample Pages**