Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said the organisation’s work is founded on the philosophy of ‘Shuddha Saatvika Prem’, or pure and noble love, rejecting claims that intense hatred underpins its activities.

Speaking at a civilisational dialogue in London yesterday, during the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s centenary outreach, Bhagwat said a sense of belonging and oneness is central to Hindu thought and the RSS’s approach. He explained that this sense of belonging extends beyond the individual to family, community, society and humanity, while also underlining the Hindu civilisational connection with nature.

On Hindu civilisation’s relevance amid global conflicts, Bhagwat said Hindu thought recognises diversity while viewing existence as fundamentally one. Different ways of life and beliefs, he said, need not result in separation.

Bhagwat also addressed the question of loyalty among Hindus living in Britain, saying Hindutva does not ask individuals to abandon their responsibilities towards the country where they live and work, adding that a person’s ‘Karmabhoomi’, the land where they live and fulfil their duties, determines their primary loyalties.