New Delhi:
Underscoring that "Hindu society's worldview and nature are inclusive", RSS chief Mohan Bhagwant on Tuesday said Captain Smit Machchhar's courage in averting a catastrophe on a flydubai flight has its roots in these very Hindu values passed down from generation to generation.
Captain Smit Machchhar became the toast of the nation for his courage in thwarting a disaster by fighting off his co-pilot who was allegedly attempting to crash the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight with 174 people on board.
"Since the Hindu society's worldview and nature are inclusive, we must understand that such efforts will only strengthen the emotional unity, goodwill, and good conduct among all of us. It is this very nature and these values, passed down from generation to generation, that inspires Captain Smith Machchar to put his own life in danger and devote himself to protect human lives," Bhagwat said during his annual Dussehra address at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur.
The 76-year-old Bhagwat said the "unity of Indians is rooted in heart and therefore unconditional".
"The Unity of us Bharatiyas - Intrinsic and Unconditional The bond we share with one another and our relationship with Bharat are living bonds, rooted in the heart and therefore unconditional. They are one-sided in nature, as expressed in the words: 'May your glory remain eternal, O Mother; whether we live for a few more days or not'," Bhagwat said.
Relationships founded on a sense of belonging, affection, and kinship, Bhagwat said, are never subject to conditions.
"We simply need to remain steadfast on these foundations on which relationships develop," he said, adding that the freedom fighters too exhibited that during the freedom struggle.
"Our freedom fighters demonstrated this very spirit of complete and unconditional devotion to the nation. It was this devotion that ultimately compelled the British government to leave Bharat," Bhagwat said, adding that the RSS is working to awaken this very Hindu spirit and build the entire society into a well-organised and strong society.
Captain Smit became a hero when, despite stab wounds, he fought off an attack from his co-pilot, saving the lives of 174 people on board flydubai plane.
Videos of the violent cockpit confrontation in the Boeing 737 and a bloodied Machchhar did the rounds, propelling the Dubai-based pilot from Ghatkopar in Mumbai to a global sensation.
He initially thought something had broken off the roof of his aircraft and struck him on the back of his head before realising he was being attacked by his co-pilot aboard a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv last month.
His first response was to protect himself from further blows. He unbuckled his seat belt, tried to block the attack and sustained an injury to his hand.
Machchhar said he was screaming his colleague's name and trying to operate the switch to open the door when he lost consciousness for the first time.
He remembered managing to open it, but the door shut again after the attacker threatened to hit the others as well.
Soon afterwards, he heard the engines slow down and felt the aircraft go into a dive. Drawing on his experience as a pilot, he said he could recognise the change in engine sound and the aircraft's movement without looking at the instruments.
His recollection of the next moments remains fragmented, said the flight captain, adding that he remembered making an effort to reach the cockpit door, locking his legs somewhere and pushing himself forward.
His next memory was of the door being open and himself lying between the cockpit and the galley, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene and restrain the attacker.
The co-pilot was taken into custody, while Machchhar was initially treated at a hospital in Tabuk before being transferred to Abu Dhabi for further medical care.