RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, during his speech at the Shri Vijayadashami Utsav 2023 celebrations on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, cautioned about the dangers of Cultural Marxists or Woke. It was the first time a person of such high standing had spoken openly about Wokeism in Bharata, prompting the need for further dialogue and analysis on Wokeism.
The Woke-ism
The term “woke” is an adjective used to describe awareness of racial prejudice and discrimination. It originated from Western political hip-hop culture and has spread to various aspects of life. The movement is fuelled by universities in the United States and funded by wealthy individuals worldwide.
However, these so-called “awakened ones” are creating a “vicious cycle of fear, confusion and hatred”.
The concept of freedom held by these individuals is shaped by Western political hip-hop culture, and it has gained significant popularity among millennial and Generation X African-Americans and those on the political left, to the extent that Oxford has included the term “Woke” in its dictionary.
Nonetheless, RSS Sarsanghchalak viewed Cultural Marxists or Woke activists or the awakened ones as the “destructive, all-devouring forces, who have forgotten Marx since the 1920s”.
Mantra Viplav – The Woke Agenda
These self-styled “awakened” people oppose all forms of order, morality, beneficence, culture, dignity and restraint in the world. They promote and spread anarchy and indiscretion, often by taking control of the media and academia and sowing confusion, chaos, and corruption in education, culture, politics, and society.
Sarsanghchalak warned that a society divided by conflicts and confusion “becomes weak and easily and unknowingly falls prey to these destructive forces that are seeking their dominance everywhere”. According to him, this type of environment, characterized by fear, confusion, and hatred, is known in the Bharatiya tradition as Mantra Viplav.
Bharat as a Laboratory of Woke
Rajeev Malhotra’s book “Snakes in the Ganga” sheds light on the uncomfortable truth about the Woke movement and its potential to harm our Nation. He argues that there is a coordinated campaign, driven by global forces, to undermine Bharat’s integrity through Marxist ideology and Critical Race Theory. This movement, backed by elite funding, aims to dismantle Bharatiya civilization by launching an unrelenting attack on the Government, educational institutions, culture, industry, and society. In addition, many of the few Bharatiya universities are importing this ideology from Harvard University, which poses a threat to our Nation’s stability.
Rajeev Malhotra elucidated the infiltration of the Woke, depicting Bharat as the global student, with a multitude of its citizens functioning as global labourers and soldiers in this ecosystem.
Mohan Bhagwat has pointed out the reasons for the influx of the ideology of Woke into our country as a result of allying with undesirable forces to “achieve narrow political gains”.
“This is unwise and harmful for the country. The society has already become amnesiac, ravaged by all sorts of divisions, and is caught up in a deadly pursuit of selfish interests steeped in jealousy and hatred. That is why these demonic powers are able to get the support of internal or external forces who want to break the society and the Nation,” stated the RSS Chief.
Woke and mayhem in Manipur
From the annals of history to the present day, there is no dirt of treason. Manipur is not an exception. A few names might have cropped up in your mind, whose words are seemingly true, provocative, and anti-establishment and left us in a confused mindset.
“If we look at the current situation of Manipur, this fact becomes obvious. How did this mutual discord and hatred suddenly erupt in Manipur, which had been peaceful for almost a decade? Were there extremists from across the border also among those who committed violence? Why, and by whom, was an attempt made to give a communal tinge to this conflict between the Meitei and Kuki,” the Chief of RSS questioned during his speech. These are the issues that we need to ponder over.
He also raised serious questions – Which foreign powers may be interested in taking advantage of such unrest and instability in Manipur, located between Nagabhoomi (Nagaland) and Mizoram in this border area? Does the geopolitics of Southeast Asia also have a role in these events? Despite there being a strong Government in the country, on whose strength and instigation has this violence continued unabated for so many days? Why did this violence erupt and continue even though there was a State Government that wanted to maintain the peace that had prevailed over the last 9 years?
Now, when people on both sides of the conflict are seeking peace, which are these forces that are attempting to trigger hatred and violence by causing an incident as soon as any positive step is seen being taken in that direction?
The Sarsanghchalak mantra
Multidimensional efforts will be required to solve this grave problem. To resolve this vexed problem, we would need a strong political will, concurrent actions and efficiency.
Simultaneously, the enlightened leadership of the society will also have to play a special role in bridging the gap of mutual distrust that has arisen due to the unfortunate situation between the two communities.
The right answer to this ‘Mantra Viplav’, has to be found only through the unity of the society. This constant and unfailing sense of unity is the key element that keeps the conscience of the society awake.
The Chief of RSS also pointed out the need for a multidimensional effort- strong political will, concurrent actions, and efficiency to solve the ongoing violence and issues in Manipur.
He also appealed to the enlightened leadership of society to play a special role in bridging the gap of mutual distrust that has arisen. “Unity of the society” is the key to finding answers, as it keeps the conscience of the society awake.
Lesson from Israel
At present, Manipur is in armed conflict with “foreign militant” groups. Since independence, our country has been battling various terrorist organizations. Some political leaders were observed to be preoccupied with argumentative debates rather than finding solutions to the problem. They don’t even have a qualm to insult the armed forces and demand white papers from the Government on terrorist attacks reflecting the extent of freedom they have.
In Israel, a War Cabinet is formed with Opposition leaders to fight against Hamas militants, while all parties are united in support of the Government.
In Bharat, a Nation-first approach is often talked about, but not always implemented in practice. Why can’t we have a similar approach in Manipur and Bharat?
By Wahengbam Rorrkychand Singh
