Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that converting young girls and boys is wrong, and that they need to be taught pride in their own religion and traditions.

While addressing RSS workers and their families at an event in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, Bhagwat asked: “How do conversions happen? How do Hindu girls and boys adopt other religions for petty selfishness, for marriage? Those who are doing it are wrong but it is another matter. Don’t we nurture our children?”

“We need to give them these values at our home. We need to instil pride in them for ourselves, our religion and respect towards our tradition of worship,” Bhagwat added.

The RSS chief further underlined that people should answer questions without being confused about it. “Answer the questions if they come. Do not be confused. We should prepare our children and for that, we need to learn,” said Bhagwat.

He also spoke about preserving traditions and traditional values. Furthermore, he encouraged people to see Indian tourist sites, eat homegrown food, and wear traditional attire.

According to Bhagwat, there are six ‘mantras’ to stay connected to Indian culture: food, devotional songs, language, travel, dress, and house.

In addition to encouraging people to follow traditional customs, he stressed the importance of discarding nefarious customs, such as untouchability.

“Do not differentiate on the basis of caste. There should be no untouchability. Society is habituated to guessing religion from names. Differentiation of people should be completely removed from the heart,” he said.

He also suggested that people should discuss these topics, including environmental issues related to saving water and planting more trees.

“When the Hindus awaken, then the world will awaken,” said the RSS chief. 

The RSS chief also emphasised that parents should be careful about what their children were watching on OTT platforms.

“The OTT platforms show all kinds of things. What comes in the media is not from the perspective of what will be good for children and for our value system. We have to teach our children what to watch and what not to at home,” said Bhagwat.