Culture and practice are needed more than training for dealing with disaster or emergency scenarios. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh does not provide any formal training to the public for tackling disaster scenarios but encourages the culture espoused by Hindu philosophy which enables a person to face such scenarios without much difficulty.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who is on a two-day tour of disaster affected areas in Uttarkashi district, said this while addressing volunteers at the Keshav Sevashram in Maneri. He said that Sangh volunteers are encouraged to face not only disasters but varied problems faced in any sphere of life. This is why RSS volunteers are seen fighting against disasters and varied problems in the society successfully.
“The Sangh volunteer gives to the society, doesn’t take from it. This was evident after the recent disaster in Uttarakhand when RSS volunteers and the locals themselves struggled against odds to help stranded pilgrims from outside Uttarakhand. They exhausted their own food stocks to feed the stranded visitors,” said Bhagwat while praising the people of Uttarakhand for the manner in which they set a commendable example by helping those affected by the disaster.
He said that every person must get used to facing such disasters on his or her own in stead of giving in to the tendency for taking all assistance from the Government.
The RSS chief appreciated the service being rendered by Keshav Sevashram in the Yamuna Valley and extolled its founder Dr Nityanand for facilitating service and awareness in the region.
“It was the wish to see the elaborate service works set up by him which brought me to Uttarakhand. The disaster experienced in this State is a lesson for human society. Hindu philosophy always cultivates a mentality which encourages efforts with unity and support of the society in such situations,” he said.
Bhagwat stressed on the need for raising awareness in society so that people adopt the culture which prepares them to face such situations efficiently.
“Western thought States that similar appearance is needed for unity but Bharatiya thought has shown that we are one in spite of the varied appearances and languages,” he added.