Hindus converting to other religions for marriage are wrong, says Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that conversions of young Hindu girls and boys are wrong and that there is a need to instil in them a pride about their own religion and traditions. “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 said in his address to RSS workers and their families at an event in Haldwani in Uttarakhand on Sunday. He urged the people to answer questions in this regard without being confused. “Answer the questions if they come. Do not be confused. We should prepare our children and for that we need to learn,” said Bhagwat. The RSS chief spoke about preserving traditional family values and traditions. He also urged people to visit Indian tourist sites, consume home-grown food and wear traditional outfits. Bhagwat noted that the six ‘mantras’ to stay connected to the roots of Indian culture include language, food, devotional songs, travel, dress and house. While he appealed to people to follow traditional customs, he stressed that untouchability should be abandoned. “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 asked people to hold discussions on these matters including environmental issues pertaining to saving water and planting more saplings.