Global indigenous ancient traditions flourishing: RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale

Dibrugarh:  RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Wednesday said the movement of global indigenous ancient traditions is flourishing and spreading as far as its dimensions and coverage is concerned. While participating at the concluding ceremony of 8th International Center for Cultural Studies  for World Elders of Ancient Traditions in Dibrugarh, Dattatreya highlighted on the theme of the conference. “It has the prominent term ‘prosperity’,” he said, the question is how should prosperity be sustained for a long time. Prosperity should not happen at the cost of exploitation of Mother Earth.

Hosabale gave example from a story of “Samudra manthan”. “Lakshmi, that is prosperity, came out of it after lot of churning. Thus churning is required for prosperity. We had churning here in the conference for 4 days, from which “Amrit” will come out. Conch (shankh) is the brother of prosperity. Blowing of conch was particularly done while performing poojas. Our ancient elders have communicated in very gentle way through stories conveying this message to us  that prosperity should be sustainable and equitable. Spirituality is a common aspect of ancient traditions. The presence of divinity is seen in every being. The planet provides to everyone sufficiently. Now, it is our responsibility to preserve this divinity. Spirituality is the soul of our culture and tradition. All culture have commonalities. The ancient traditions are the only ones on earth to have recognized feminine divinity. Also, these traditions emphasize family values and sustainable living in common way of life. Reviving tradition, ecological knowledge and collaborative governance are very much required for shared sustainable prosperity. Sustainable development can be ensured only through sustainable consumption. Complementarity is essential for sustainability. Prosperity has to be shared equitably. Earning and distribution have been the core philosophy in every society which are governed by such ancient wisdom,” he said. The Sarkaryavah emphasized three follow-up action points for the conference.

Firstly, indigenous tradition and culture are not meant to be preserved in decorative museums like antiques. Ancient wisdom and belief systems are continuous living traditions on earth. Nevertheless, these should be in the mainstream and not to be marginalized.

Secondly, indigenous cultures have been experimented for thousands of years on individual and societal lifestyles, thus it is for sure that these are the only ways to save the Mother Earth. This is required for a better and sustainable humanity. Thus, these time tested wisdom must be passed base on these values to next generation. And thirdly, capacity building is required for each community for fine tuning progress and materialistic development.

Hosabale further said, “Spirituality means all is one, and everything living or non-living has divinity. All our ancient traditions see divinity in everything, and we accept and practice a life of living together. In India, we say ‘Satahasta Samahara, Sahastra Hasta Bikira,’ meaning earn by a hundred hands and distribute by a thousand hands. Whatever you earn, you need to distribute ten times more. We have to produce for distribution and live by sharing. That is the message of this conference.”

The conference adopted a resolution named ‘Dibrugarh Declaration’ with a three-point agenda: Reviving Traditions, Ecological Knowledge, and Collaborative Governance. The Dibrugarh Declaration was read by a representative from the Yoruba tribe who lives in the United States.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu congratulated ICCS for choosing this theme of “Shared sustainable prosperity” this year. The declaration that has been made will create a harmonious society. India has been the brightest spot in the world economy and will show the way to the world.  Arunachal Pradesh has 26 tribes, and many of them have lived in harmony for many centuries. Our age-old traditions shape our lives and give us identity. They are the living encyclopedias of Arunachal Pradesh. Preservation and promotion of indigenous culture is the government policy of Arunachal Pradesh.

The newly-inaugurated Greenfield Airport of Itanagar has been named “Donyi Polo Airport” respecting  the tradition for the preservation of the indigenous tradition. In Arunachal Pradesh Donyi means Mother Sun and Polo means Moon god as per the local indigenous belief.

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