Rashtriya Swaysevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat has argued that Britain took the traditional Indian education system and tried to pass it off as the county education system in England — and harmed Indian education in the process.
During a speech at the concluding ceremony of Vishva Sangha Shivir, Bhagwat said that although the British tore apart the education system in India, they then took the same system back to their own country for implementation there as the county education system, reports Tarun Pratap for Newsgram.
He went on to say that there was a 70% literacy rate in India when the British first came while at the same time Britain had a literacy rate of only 17%. He noted that due to a foreign education system being forced onto India, that literacy rate dropped while the rate in Britain rose to 70%. He suggested that Britain did this on purpose in an effort to keep the country as a colony forever.
The RSS chief said that the British believed the education system in India should undermine the confidence of the citizens and cause them to become “mentally emasculated.”
His speech suggested that the true strength of the country lies in its culture, and that India should push forward in the world through its religion, which is the way to truth and non-violence.
“To become fearless one does not only need physical strength, but the strength of humility. The real strength of India is its culture. All religions in our country teach us to adopt truth and non-violence,” he said.
He added that India’s youth need to be taught lessons in ethics in order to make the country “truly great,” going on to say that the teachings of the saints should be used first within student’s own lives and homes before being spread throughout the world.
Over 150,000 Hindu nationalists, all wearing khaki shorts, white shirts, and black hats, gathered at the massive rally where the RSS chief gave his speech to the largest gathering of the RSS group. Participants marched together, chanting and carrying wooden staffs. A mass prayer was held just before the speech, which was given in a room designed to look like a fort.
The event featured a giant saffron flag, the color that is most associated with Hinduism, flown while 2,000 RSS volunteers played in a marching band.
The RSS style is meant to protect the Hindu culture, although critics argue it is an anti-Muslim pseudo-fascist organization that has historically increased religious tensions. The group is secretive, with volunteers not formally registering as members and communications typically kept to word of mouth. The recent event is unique considering its large size and openness to the media.
Meanwhile, former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said that India needs to make more use of science and technology in order to increase the development of agriculture and rural areas.
Nair also suggested that the cost of medical treatment in the country was becoming too high.
