Dr Bhagwat arrived in London on 2 September for the final leg of his Western outreach. The wider London programme has been led and coordinated by Integral, a UK-based organisation that brings together leaders and communities to strengthen dialogue, collaboration and long-term relationships within the UK and between the UK and India.
It is unusual for an Indian individual other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make headlines in Britain; however, RSS chief Shri Mohan Bhagwat finds himself in that position. The usual suspects have attempted to spoil his message of harmony and pluralism, which he has delivered during the past couple of weeks in America and Canada. It is a fact that most ethnically British and European people know little or nothing about the RSS; however, the Indian diaspora is totally familiar with its ethos and organisational skills, which are focused on good deeds and supporting dharma. The Collins Dictionary describes dharma as “cosmic order, righteous conduct, and personal duty in Eastern spiritual philosophies”. In the UK, there is no equivalent word for dharma and no adequate synonym; the British have a variety of sources to guide them through life. The press release is typical of the RSS’s excellent communication: a celebration of the RSS centenary anniversary, it is targeted towards the innocent British person. It begins with a bit of history and context, then moves on to shaping contemporary society.
The RSS describes its outlook as centred on shared civilisational values (it would have been fun to explore what these are), unity in diversity (the UK could learn something here) and social harmony. RSS work is intended to strengthen social cohesion and reject divisiveness, radicalism and violence in all forms. Central to this is a tradition of individual character-building, which the RSS regards as the foundation for wider community strength. For its centenary, the organisation has set out five priorities that would benefit wider society: social harmony; strengthening family values; environmental responsibility; self-reliance; and civic responsibility. All the above would honestly strengthen any society, especially in the UK, where we have extremes of political division, shove our elderly into old folks’ homes or hospitals, and have an epidemic of fly-tipping. Diplomat Peter Mandelson urinating on a home is not an example of civic responsibility. The concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ , the idea that the world is one family, is essential to a peaceful and prosperous world today.
Dr Bhagwat arrived in London on 2 September for the final leg of his Western outreach. The wider London programme has been led and coordinated by Integral, a UK-based organisation that brings together leaders and communities to strengthen dialogue, collaboration and long-term relationships within the UK and between the UK and India. More than 115 UKbased socio-cultural organisations welcomed Dr Bhagwat and supported his visit to the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Willesden, Khalsa Jatha British Isles Gurdwara, and a Jain temple.
Mohan Bhagwat is the celebrity du jour. According to a press briefing, there was an illustrious and successful event and dinner held on his arrival on 3 September; guests included “members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, billionaires, academic institutions, global organisations and think tanks”. It was said to be a broad church of people, but no further details were given. Apparently, all the “top-notch” “people who matter were there”, but no media. Apparently, RSS General Secretary (Sarkaryavah) Dattatreya Hosabale visited the UK, the United States and Germany earlier this year and met with Chatham House in London, Stanford University and the Hudson Institute in the US, as well as leading German policy institutions in Berlin. From the upbeat tone of the panel, who could not share much information, it seems UKIndia relations are on an upward trajectory.
Due to the lack of any local substance to the briefing, some attendees harked back to incidents of gossip and division, citing Leicester in August 2022 and the South Asia Solidarity Group appeal, along with several others of their ilk, to Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, to ban a Greater London Authority venue for the “Celebration of Oneness”, the main event on Sunday 6 September. The RSS Head of Media and Communication, Shri Sunil Ambekar, deftly brushed these aside with the comment, “Different opinions are not shocking in a democracy.” He also said, “Hindutva is not a fixed concept.”
The visit, intended as an introduction to Dr Bhagwat, will certainly have increased understanding of the RSS. How far that understanding spreads beyond the Indian diaspora really depends on how much the mainstream media is interested in reporting it, when there is so much chaos during the UK conference season. However, the outreach will have given everyone interested an insight into Bharat, and the advance preparation for the 2029 election will have been noted.
