Leading thinker, author Ratan Sharda shares his views on RSS

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Ratan Sharda, PhD, a distinguished author, thinker, and columnist, who has focused on the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh, RSS, gave an exclusive interview to ITV Gold recently, expounding at length on his study of one of the largest movements in the history of India. (Full interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/a-xIpoMsvLw)

Touching on a wide range of subjects in the March 10 interview, Sharda also spoke of the Indian diaspora’s importance for RSS, calling Indians abroad “our assets” and “ambassadors of India.”

Sharda has written nine books including RSS 360 Degrees, and a biography of Guru Nanak Dev.

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He is the founder Secretary of Vishak Kendra which is the center for international studies in Mumbai, and has engaged in  academic discourse. He frequently speaks on Indian culture history and social movements putting him among the leading thinkers when trying to understand India’s evolving sociopolitical landscape.

During his interview by ITV Gold host Nidhi Kathuria, Sharda noted that RSS is one of the biggest social and cultural movements in the world, now 100 years old; it functions internally as a highly democratic and inclusive organization where ideas are discussed thoroughly before any policies and strategies are followed, and decisions are made by consensus. RSS has a structure where ideas and policies “are thrashed out with very strong debates,” he noted.

“For a new organization to have a life of 100 years without splitting, without decaying, to be thriving even after 100 years and growing bigger and bigger is something that must be studied,” Sharda said during his interview.

He praised the RSS for being at the forefront of social work, whether it be the earthquake in Gujarat, or troubles in the Northeast, Punjab, or Jammu & Kashmir where Article 370 was annulled after a “process (that) took 70 years from 1953 to when it was nullified. This is how you build consensus, first among yourself, then among the society, when nearly everybody agrees that this is the right decision,” Sharda noted.

Book on Guru Nanak

Sharda’s biography of Guru Nanak Dev, he said, was inspired by his own background. “I am Punjabi. In my own family my Bhabi or my sister-in-law is a Sikh. I have many cousins who are Sikhs or married to Sikh families,” he said, adding, “So since I am born into this religion, I am part of Sikhism. Also, I didn’t know much,” he said modestly. He researched the philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev who himself studied every religion and debated with many philosophers of other religions and read their holy books.

“That is the beauty of his (Guru Nanak) teaching. He simplified the religion,” Sharda said praising the Guru Granth Sahib.

In the course of the 50-minute interview Sharda dealt with issues ranging from the differences between Hinduism and Hindutva; the National Emergency under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when Sharda spent some time in jail; Hindu society before the British and divisions within Hindus; why RSS may get negative press; communalism; worshipping nature; need for reform within Hindu society; India’s GDP and consumption per capita compared to Western societies, etc.

Essentials Of Hinduism

“The idea of a pluralistic world where you will respect every faith, every belief even if you don’t agree, you still respect the faith. That is Hindu thought, Hindu philosophy. It does not exclude. It includes everybody. It does not say only my truth is truth and every other’s truth is wrong or false. It is a philosophy so it cannot be exclusivist by very thought,” Sharda said, adding, “The idea that Muslims, Syrians, Christians, Jews came to India and settled and thrived, shows that Hindus accept every other faith.”

Sharda also spoke of his many friends across the ideological spectrum. “I have so many friends across the channel. On TV, bitter debates sometimes take place. But all of them are my friends,” Sharda said.

Indian Diaspora

He praised the Indian diaspora and noted how then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee created a ministry devoted to People of Indian Origin, and the start of the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, and the Pravasi awards, all ideas first generated by the RSS, and then the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Drawing attention to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public programs in United States with Indian origin communities, he said, “Many people feel that when Modiji does all the public programs in US or elsewhere, it is for his own glorification. No. What he does is that he brings those people together and shows to the local administration here is a group of people who have struggled hard to reach where they are. They are contributing to society in every possible way and they are assets.”

(Archana Adalja contributed to this report)

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