Don’t judge by caste, wealth or language: Mohan Bhagwat's new words of wisdom

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday delivered a lecture on social harmony, urging people not to judge others by caste, wealth or language — notably leaving out religion — while asserting that the country belongs to everyone.

Addressing a Hindu Sammelan in Sonpairi village of Chhattisgarh’s Raipur district, Bhagwat said the first step towards harmony was removing feelings of separation and discrimination from one’s mind. “The entire country belongs to everyone and this spirit is true social harmony,” he said, listing several categories Indians should stop judging each other by, with religion conspicuous by its absence.

The RSS chief advocated samajik samrasta (social harmony), calling on people to treat everyone as their own. “Do not judge people by caste, wealth, language or region. The entire India is mine,” he said, leaving listeners to fill in the missing blanks themselves.

Bhagwat also offered lifestyle advice, urging families to spend at least one day a week together, eat home-cooked food, pray according to their faith and engage in what he called mangal samvad — meaningful conversations.

Loneliness, he warned, often pushes people into bad habits.

On social equality, he said temples, water bodies and cremation grounds should be open to all Hindus, describing this as work of unity, not conflict. He also called for strict adherence to the Constitution, civic discipline and regular reading of the Preamble and fundamental duties.

Touching upon climate change, Bhagwat urged people to save water, reduce plastic use and plant trees, while promoting swadeshi, Indian attire and the use of one’s mother tongue at home.

Reflecting on the RSS’s growth, he said the organisation that began from a small shakha in Nagpur had now spread everywhere — apparently including into advice on diet, dialogue, discipline and selective definitions of harmony.

With PTI inputs