‘Ran’ evokes imagery of battle, ‘Samwad’ points towards dialogue’: Rajnath Singh

DR AMBEDKAR NAGAR (Madhya Pradesh): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing the Ran Samwad in Dr Ambedkar Nagar, emphasised the meaning of the event’s name stating that “Ran” evokes the sense of battle and conflict, whereas “Samwad” refers to dialogue and discussion.

He mentioned that at first glance both the words would sound contradictory, referring to the impossibilities of dialogue. Singh stated that the deeper meaning of the word embodies most relevant truths of the previous times.

“The very title of the programme, Ran Samwad, strikes me as quite interesting. The name itself is a subject to think about and reflect on. On one hand, ‘Ran’ evokes the imagery of battle and conflict, and on the other hand, ‘Samwad’ points towards dialogue, discussion, and reconciliation. At first glance, the two words seem contradictory. Where there is a battle, how can there be a dialogue, and where dialogue is taking place, how can there be a battle? But if you look deeper, this very name embodies one of the most relevant truths of our times”, Rajnath Singh said while addressing the event.

#WATCH | Mhow, Madhya Pradesh: At the Ran-Samwad 2025, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, “The very title of the program, Ran Samwad, strikes me as quite interesting. The name itself is a subject to think about and reflect on. On one hand, ‘Ran’ evokes the imagery of battle and… pic.twitter.com/n4W3PxLM0F

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2025

The Defence Minister stressed that in Indian culture, dialogue is not separate from battle and takes place before it. Referring to the Mahabharat, Singh stated that Lord Krishna went as a messenger of “peace” and went to engage in dialogue so that the war could be averted; however, Duryodhan, who was the “antagonist” of the Mahabharat, refused dialogue, and the war became “inevitable”.

“Ran Samwad also has a historical basis in India and reminds me of many incidents from our history which show us how civilizational battles mean ‘Ran’ and dialogues mean ‘Samwad’ and in India were intertwined. In our culture, dialogue is not separate from battle. It comes before the battle. It happens during the battle, and it continues even after the battle. Take the Mahabharat, for instance, to prevent the war, Lord Krishna went as a messenger of peace. He went to engage in dialogue so that the war could be averted. When Duryodhan, the antagonist of the epic Mahabharat, refused, the war became inevitable”, Defence Minister asserted.

Rajnath Singh noted that India has never been a nation which seeks war or initiates aggression against anyone. He said that in the present time, the geopolitical reality is quite different, due to which even if India doesnt harbour any aggressive intent, if anyone challenges the country, it becomes imperative that India responds with strength. He further stressed the importance of technological advancement and sustained dialogue with partners.

#WATCH | Mhow, Madhya Pradesh: At the Ran-Samwad 2025, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, “Under the visionary leadership of our Honourable Prime Minister, the government has made many policy reforms in recent years. Such strong steps have been taken to promote indigenous… pic.twitter.com/8GEiZrNLCo

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2025

“India has never been a nation that seeks war. We have never initiated aggression against anyone. However, the present geopolitical reality is quite different. Even though we do not harbour any aggressive intent, if someone challenges us, it becomes imperative that we respond with strength. To do so, we must continuously enhance our defence preparedness. This is why training, technological advancement and sustained dialogue with partners are of utmost importance for us”, Singh said.

The Defence Minister emphasised that future wars will not just be a battle of weapons, but a combined play of technology, intelligence, economy, and diplomacy. He said that in the present world, a nation which “masters” the triangle of technology, strategy and adaptability will emerge as a true global power.

“Future wars will not merely be battles of weapons; they will be a combined play of technology, intelligence, economy and diplomacy. In the times ahead, the nation that masters the triangle of technology, strategy and adaptability will emerge as the true global power. To put it simply, this is the moment to learn from history and write a new one; this is the moment to anticipate the future and shape one”, he said.

Singh mentioned that the war doctrines have evolved with time, and in the past 20 to 30 years, the pace of change has been very rapid. He said that circumstances and challenges change at such speed due to which every nation is compelled to keep its strategy flexible and responsive.

“If we observe closely, systems and doctrines of war have evolved with time. In just the past 10-20 years, the pace of these changes has been so rapid, that fixing any permanent pattern has become almost impossible. It would not be wrong to say, “The age we live in has just one doctrine – that there is none.” Circumstances and challenges change with such speed that every nation is compelled to keep its strategy flexible and responsive,” Singh said.

He said that in the present time, whichever nation decides the battlefield has an advantage and controls the “game” and its “rules”. “Our endeavour must be to define the battlefield and the rules of the battle so that the advantage remains with the country”, he said.

“Today, in the world, whichever nation decides the battlefield is the one that controls the game and its rules. Others have no option but to respond to this and step into the arena on terms that are not of its own choosing. Our endeavour must be to define the battlefield and the rules of the game ourselves compelling the adversary to fight there, so that the lead advantage always remains with us,” Rajnath Singh added.

The Defence Minister lauded the success of Operation Sindoor, mentioning that the “swiftness” and “bravery” with which the Indian forces acted like terrorists is an action which they could never have imagined. He further termed Operation Sindoor as a demonstration of technology-driven warfare.

“The success of Operation Sindoor is a perfect example in itself. The bravery and swiftness with which our forces carried out action against the terrorists sheltered in Pakistan was something those terrorists could never have even imagined. I firmly believe that every war leaves us with some important learnings. In the course of battle, we are able to realistically assess the level of our preparedness. If we speak of Operation Sindoor, it was indeed a striking demonstration of technology-driven warfare,” he said.

The Defence Minister stressed the importance of cyber warfare in the present age. He stated that while enhancing the country’s defence capabilities, it is equally vital to ensure that its information and cyber infrastructure are made even more robust.

“Operation Sindoor has also taught us another crucial lesson — the importance of information and cyber warfare in today’s age. While enhancing our defence capabilities, it is equally vital to ensure that our information and cyber infrastructure is made even more robust. I believe we must give this matter deep thought and careful consideration,” Singh said.

He noted that Operation Sindoor emerged as a great example of demonstrating the success of India’s indigenous platforms, equipment, and weapon systems. Singh further asserted that self-reliance is an absolute necessity in the present time.

“Operation Sindoor has emerged as a great example demonstrating the success of our indigenous platforms, equipment, and weapon systems. Its achievements have once again underlined that in the times to come, self-reliance is an absolute necessity. We have indeed made significant progress on the path of self-reliance but there is still a long way ahead that we must travel,” he said.

The Defence Minister noted that Operation Sindoor taught the Indian forces a wealth of lessons. He said that the operation provided India with a glimpse of the kind of challenges and responses that could serve as valuable guidance for any future conflict.

“Be it offensive or defensive techniques, operational practices, quick and efficient war logistics, the seamless integration of our forces or matters of intelligence and surveillance– Operation Sindoor gave us a wealth of lessons. It provided us with a glimpse of the kind of challenges and responses that could serve as valuable guidance for any conflict in the future”, he said. (ANI)