RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday challenged one of the best-known observations of Mahatma Gandhi-that Indians lacked unity before British rule-at a national book festival in Nagpur. This, Bhagwat said, was not a perception that was peculiar to Gandhi but was the result of a narrative created by colonial teaching.
Speaking before a full house, he said Gandhi’s remark in Hind Swaraj was influenced by what Indians had been taught under British education. “Gandhiji wrote in Hind Swaraj that we were not united before the British came, but that is a false narrative taught to us by them,” Bhagwat argued.
Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj and Its Colonial Context
Hind Swaraj-written originally in Gujarati in 1908 and then translated into English by Gandhi himself in 1909-was a dialogue between a reader and an editor, comprising 20 chapters. Bhagwat explained that Gandhi’s perspective came when Indians were consistently made to believe that they were divided and could not rule themselves, which the British fostered to justify their rule.
‘India Has Always Been a Rashtra’
Bhagwat explained that India’s concept of rashtra was essentially different from the Western nation-state model. He termed it an ancient, cultural, and organic identity that survived through periods of foreign rule and political fragmentation.
India has always remained a civilizational nation, whoever happened to rule its territories, he said: “India has always been a rashtra, even under different regimes. Our unity wasn’t created by any ruler,” he said.
‘Fraternity, Not Conflict, Is Our Tradition’
Bhagwat spoke of Indian traditions and traditions, labeling the conflict-driven evolution of the West.
He said Indians have always put ‘living together, building fraternity, and avoiding disputes’ ahead.
“Having a dispute is not in our country’s nature. Being together is our tradition,” he said. Other parts of the world developed, he noted, in environments shaped by constant conflict that produced rigid ideologies and exclusivist thinking.
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‘Nationality, Not Nationalism’
Bhagwat then differentiated between nationality and nationalism. He explained the Western form of nationalism, born out of pride and competition, led to two world wars — the reason why many today view the term with caution.
He said that India doesn’t follow this model. “We use the word nationality, not nationalism,” he remarked.
A Larger Debate on History and Identity Bhagwat’s comments contribute to a long-running debate on how colonial education shaped Indians’ understanding of their past. His remarks suggest that India was not divided before British rule, but rather shared a deeper cultural underpinning than political boundaries.
With debates continuing around national identity and historical narratives, Bhagwat’s construction of Gandhi’s writing brings into fresh focus the ways in which early nationalist thought was moulded by colonial perspectives.
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