1 min readUpdated: Oct 20, 2026 10:04 AM ISTRSS chief Mohan Bhagwat lauded Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar on his efforts to save lives.RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his Vijayadashami address on October 20, said India must develop a new model of development and present it to the world. He described Hindu consciousness as the country’s national consciousness, saying it had nothing to do with religion, food habits or political ideology, and identified global fraternity as its most important feature.“This Bharatiyata is Hindu consciousness. It can take everyone along without changing anyone,” Bhagwat said, adding that respecting the country’s ancestors and those who sacrificed for it was essential. Citing Captain Smith as an example, he said cultural conditioning shaped a person’s response in difficult situations, describing this as the “Hindu temperament” that could contribute to national and global unity.This is a developing story. Please refresh periodically for more updates.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdVikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More Tags:Mohan BhagwatRSSAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement