What Smit Machchhar did was ‘Hindu’ consciousness: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat lauded Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar on his efforts to save lives.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his Vijayadashami address on October 20, cited Captain Smith Machchhar to explain how a person’s cultural conditioning shapes their response in difficult situations. Using the flydubai pilot as an example, Bhagwat spoke about how one’s upbringing and values influence their actions, linking this to what he described as the “Hindu temperament”.

Bhagwat described Hindu consciousness as India’s national consciousness, saying it was not defined by religion, food habits or political ideology. “This Bharatiyata is Hindu consciousness. It can take everyone along without changing anyone,” he said, stressing the importance of respecting the country’s ancestors and those who sacrificed for it. He also called on India to develop a new model of development and present it to the world, identifying global fraternity as a key feature of this consciousness.

Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More