NAGPUR: Founder of
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh KB Hedgewar was a renowned social and political reformer while Arnold Toynbee was a British historian. The common thread between them was that they both stood for organized efforts for sustaining a civilization, said noted thinker
Rambhau Tupkari on Saturday.
He was delivering a talk on ‘Hedgewar and Toynbee’, organized by Hedgewar Vyaspeeth as part of Dnyanyoddha lecture series, at Shahapurkar Hall of Dharampeth Mulanchi Shala.
“Toynbee’s literary works mostly included religion and its influence on the society. He specifically wrote about 25 civilizations out of which 23 are extinct. The remaining two are Indian and Chinese,” said Tupkari.
Toynbee was curious to find the cause for the decline of civilizations. His extensive research concluded that lack of collaboration between members of the society and conflict of interests led to their fall.
“The writings of Toynbee praised diversity in culture which could be one of the major reasons for the progress of the Indian society. He portrayed the culmination of different faiths and beliefs as the strength of the country,” Tupkari added.
Toynbee also highlighted the demerits and stated that lack of organized efforts could also lead to the decline of cultures.
Tupkari was of the view that humans are governed by a strong will which leads them to achieve the impossible. He said, “Hedgewar was a great revolutionary whose work inspired the youth to come closer to preserving the true essence of the nation. His works are being looked upon even today as they form a combination of socialism, patriotism and good governance.”
Tupkari said that Toynbee segregated the society into two portions. The first was termed as “creative minority” which, according to him, had the potential to make a difference. They comprised 10% of the population while the other 90% were the followers. These minorities influenced the functioning of the society and Toynbee suggested that if both parties worked together, the nation will prosper.
“The workflow should resemble the sergeant blowing the whistle and rest undergoing the drill,” he said.
