Social harmony intrinsic to Indian society; need collective efforts to strengthen it: Bhagwat

Bhopal, Jan 3 (PTI) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat said on Saturday that social harmony was intrinsic to Indian society, stressing the need for sustained dialogue and collective efforts to strengthen it.

He was addressing a social harmony meeting at Kushabhau Thakre Auditorium in Bhopal.

Attempts are being made to create divisions by spreading confusion among tribal and other communities, even though people living in the subcontinent for thousands of years share the same DNA, the Sangh said in a release, quoting Bhagwat.

The RSS chief underlined the need for continuous engagement and mutual understanding, and said the strong must support the weak, it added.

He said that while laws can regulate society, it is goodwill that truly connects and sustains it. Bhagwat emphasised that unity amid diversity is India’s core identity. Social harmony is intrinsic to Indian society, he said.

“We may appear different externally, but at the level of nation, culture and spiritual temperament, we are one,” he said, as per the release. He also described the Hindu society as one that embraces unity in diversity.

Representatives from various social groups and organisations from 16 administrative districts of the RSS’ Madhya Bharat region participated in the meeting, which was held in two sessions.

In the first session, spiritual narrator Pandit Pradeep Mishra said social groups are active at their respective levels, but they must also reflect on their contribution to the nation. He said the Sangh continues to work with restraint and in the national interest despite criticism from some quarters.

Mishra cautioned against religious conversions, describing them as a serious conspiracy that "impacts not only the present generation but also future ones".

Earlier, representatives from various communities presented reports on initiatives related to education, healthcare, environmental conservation, women empowerment, economic support and cultural promotion.

The meeting ended with a resolution that society would address local issues through collective efforts without waiting for government intervention, with speakers emphasising the goal of strengthening society as a whole, the release added. PTI LAL NR