Washingtom: RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale outlined a civilisational vision of India rooted in unity, diversity and sustainability, arguing that the country is positioned to play a decisive role in shaping a more harmonious global order.
Addressing an exclusive dinner reception on “India’s Global Vision and Role in the Emerging World” in the Washington area, Hosabale said India’s philosophical traditions offer a framework to address modern global challenges, from social fragmentation to environmental stress.
“The vision of India… is that there is a oneness of unity and the oneness is present in all being, living and non-living,” he said, stressing that this idea forms the basis of India’s worldview.
He argued that while humanity has made material progress, it faces deep contradictions. “We have multiplied our possessions, but our values… we have not,” he said, describing a world with “more knowledge, but less judgment… more experts, but more problems.”
Hosabale said India’s approach differs in its attempt to balance material advancement with spiritual understanding. “India philosophy being that recognises nature as mother… enough for our need… but not to fulfil our greed,” he said, linking traditional thought to contemporary debates on sustainability.
He emphasised that diversity should be a strength, not a source of conflict. “Diversity should be celebrating… the beauty of human society,” he said, adding that cultural uniqueness must coexist with a broader sense of unity.
Expanding on the idea of global harmony, Hosabale said human society has long experimented with faith and relationships at multiple levels — “human to human… human being and nature… and the human being and the creator” — but stressed that these paths ultimately lead to a common truth. “The truth is one, and there will be many ways to approach,” he said.
Framing India’s global role, Hosabale said the country’s civilisational experience supports the idea of a shared human future. “When India say the world is one family, it says it from some experience of practice,” he said, pointing to historical examples of religious communities living peacefully in India.
He added that India’s rise must be anchored in internal strength. “If India has to play that role, India has to be a self-confident, prosperous society,” he said, underlining the need to combine “modernity” with “cultural ethos and civilisation values.”
Hosabale also said India’s global engagement has historically been non-expansionist. “India has never invade anything. India has not enslaved anybody,” he said, adding that Indians abroad have “contributed in nation building” while maintaining harmony in their host societies.
Foreign policy scholar Walter Russell Mead reinforced the argument, saying a “strong, fully developed self-confident, outward looking India” could reshape global geopolitics and reduce the risk of conflict, particularly in Asia.
“The world needs a vibrant, developed, harmonious, strong India,” Mead said, adding that India’s growth is “critically important for all of humanity.”
Academic Walter Andersen, who has studied the RSS for decades, described the organisation as a “stabilising influence” in India, citing its emphasis on “patriotism” and its ability to adapt to changing social needs.
Hosabale also highlighted India’s potential to offer solutions beyond geopolitics, including in health and lifestyle. He said the world is increasingly looking to India “on the ways of yoga” and other traditions that promote balance and wellbeing.
The event brought together community leaders, scholars and policymakers for a discussion on India’s expanding global footprint and its philosophical contributions to international discourse.
India’s growing global role has been shaped by its economic rise, demographic strength and increasing diplomatic engagement across regions. In recent years, New Delhi has also projected civilisational themes such as “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” — the world as one family — in multilateral forums.
(IANS)
