India needs to retain its identity, not imitate other countries: RSS chief

The process of preserving identity and connecting with "our glorified past" cannot be undertaken overnight and will require a sustained campaign, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said at an event

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday said India needs to retain its essence and identity by embracing its scriptures and ancient history and should not try to imitate other countries, or else it would become a "laughing stock".

The process of preserving identity and connecting with "our glorified past" cannot be undertaken overnight and will require a sustained campaign, he said at an event.

"If we would take an about-turn suddenly, the vehicle will topple, so we will have to do this slowly and steadily. History is not merely about books, it is very much about geography and people," he said.

Bhagwat said it was unfortunate that people in the country "accepted the narrative of powers that came from outside" and sought to "ridicule our history, ancestors, values and cultural practices."

Speaking at the launch of a book -- Connecting with the Mahabharata -- Bhagwat cautioned against blindly aping other countries.

"There is a need to read and feel proud of our scriptures and history and create a narrative based on them. We cannot be China, Russia or USA. We cannot call it progress, rather we would become a laughing stock," he said.

Bhagwat further said several powers from outside India "tried to run down our past because they wanted to assert their supremacy. We have forgotten our history. When people told us our ancestors are foolish, it was for their own sake, but why did we believe it. This was our fault," he said.

Taking on those who demand evidence to substantiate claims made in scriptures, Bhagwat said, "There cannot be evidence for everything. The process of seeking evidence also becomes ineffective. For example carbon dating is also accurate up to a certain period and after a while it is also not accurate.