New Delhi, Jan 4 (AHN) Dr Manmohan Vaidya, RSS joint general secretary (Sah Sarkaryawah) was one of the distinguished speakers to participate in the final day deliberations of Delhi Shabdotsav 2026 event, held at city’s Major Dhyan Chand stadium.

Dr Vaidya emphasised on the importance of inculcating a Swadeshi mindset among people particularly youth and taking pride in one's roots and heritage.

Sharing his thoughts on the Indian identity, he said that every Indian should first understand who we are.

Dr Vaidya, referring to the book ‘Who Are We?’ by American political scientist and author Samuel Huntington, said, "In the book, the author states that as a nation and a society, we must determine who we are. Until we do this, we cannot determine our priorities and direction."

He stated, "Rabindranath Tagore, in his book 'Swadeshi Samaj,' wrote that first and foremost, we must become what we are. We must know who we are. There is no country in the world that has two names. Every country has only one name, but here in India, the debate is still ongoing: are we India or Bharat?"

Further elucidating the concept, he said, "There is a country next door called Brahmadesh, which later became Burma and then Myanmar, but now it is only referred to as Myanmar. It is still known by a single name. Until we decide who and what we are, our foreign policy, defence policy, education policy, and economic policy cannot function in accordance with our own vision."

"Even after Independence, we continued to imitate the West. After the 2014 election results, the English newspaper 'The Guardian' wrote in its editorial that May 18, 2014, will be specially recorded in the history of India as the day the British truly left India. Therefore, if we want to determine India's direction and play our role in the world, we must first understand who we are," he added.

The RSS joint general secretary further spoke of a Chinese ambassador's candid admission in America named Hu Shih.

“The Chinese ambassador famously said that without sending a single soldier, India dominated China culturally and spiritually for 2,000 years. Therefore, it is essential for us to understand India," he pointed out.