New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has been synonymous with patriotism and service since its inception, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday as he participated as the chief guest at an event to mark the organisation’s 100th-anniversary at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.
Modi said that since its formation, the RSS has moved forward with the grand objective of nation-building, and works on the principle of nation-first. Its 100-year journey is an example of “sacrifice, selfless service, nation-building, and discipline”, he remarked.
The PM also released a special commemorative postage stamp and a coin highlighting the Sangh’s contribution to the nation. The coin carries the RSS’s motto “Rashtray Swaha, Idam Rashtraya, Idam Na Mama”, which translates to “everything is dedicated to the nation, everything is the nation’s, nothing is mine”. The 100-rupee coin features the national emblem on one side, and a majestic image of Bharat Mata in the varada mudra with a lion on the other side.
“For the first time in the history of independent India, the image of Bharat Mata features on Indian currency, which marks a moment of great pride and historical significance,” Modi said.
He further said that just as human civilisations flourish along the banks of vast rivers, in the same way, along the banks of the Sangh and in the flow of the Sangh, hundreds of lives have blossomed and flourished.
The establishment of RSS on Dussehra 100 years ago was not just a coincidence, but a “resurrection of a tradition” which had been continuing for thousands of years, the prime minister added. “We are lucky to be witnessing the centenary of the Sangh.”
Modi had also spoken of the Sangh’s “unprecedented and inspiring” journey over the past century in the latest episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Sunday.
At Wednesday’s event, he said, “When the agony of Partition left millions of families homeless, the volunteers served the refugees. Unity with society and faith in constitutional institutions have… kept the Sangh’s volunteers equipoised in every crisis… and maintained their sensitivity towards society.”
Modi further said that in the journey of national dedication, the RSS had to endure several attacks. “It is not that the Sangh has never faced attacks. Nor is it that conspiracies have not been hatched against it. We have witnessed how, even after Independence, attempts were made to crush the Sangh. Countless plots were designed to prevent it from entering the mainstream. Highly respected Guruji (M.S. Golwalkar) himself was falsely implicated in a case and even sent to jail. Yet, when he came out, he said with calm wisdom: ‘At times, the tongue may get caught under the teeth, but we do not break teeth.'”
During the Chimur (Maharashtra) agitation of 1942, RSS swayamsevaks suffered at the hands of the British, and again after Independence, the organisation suffered at the hands of the Nizams of Hyderabad, the PM noted, adding that a clear path of individual-building, and a simple and vibrant system of a Shakha, became the foundation of the Sangh’s century-long journey. “The Sangh has given countless sacrifices. But the sentiment remained the same—Nation First…The goal remained the same—One India, Great India”.
Modi said, “From Doctor Sahab (K.S. Hedgewar) to this day, every great luminary of the Sangh, every Sarsanghchalak, has fought against discrimination and untouchability.”
Speaking on the evils of untouchability, Modi said that the present RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has carried a clear message to every village: “One well, one temple, and one cremation ground. With this vision, the Sangh has reached every corner of the country, fostering harmony by removing divisions of caste or creed and rejecting differences of heart. This is the resolve of an inclusive society, and the Sangh is continuously giving it new strength and energy.”
The PM said it is often said about the Sangh that ordinary people come together to accomplish extraordinary and unprecedented tasks. The organisation is a “prernabhoomi” (land that inspires) where members embark on the journey from “Aham—I to Vayam—We”, he added.
“This beautiful process of individual development is still witnessed in the Sangh’s shakhas today. The Sangh shakha ground is an inspirational land where the journey of a volunteer from ‘I’ to ‘we’. The Sangh’s shakhas are the sacrificial altars of individual development.”
The prime minister also remarked that economic dependence on other countries is a conspiracy to undermine our unity. “As a PM, I humbly say that I am very satisfied that our government is quickly addressing these challenges,” he said, pointing out that as an RSS volunteer, the Sangh also identified the challenges and created a roadmap to counter them.
He said that the Sangh has continued to work in those regions of the country that are remote, where access is the most challenging. “There are approximately 10 crore tribal brothers and sisters in our country. The Sangh is constantly striving for their welfare. For a long time, governments did not prioritise them. Still, the Sangh has given utmost priority to their culture, their festivals, their language, and their traditions,” he said, lauding the efforts of RSS affiliates, such as Seva Bharti, Vidya Bharti, Ekal Vidyalaya, and Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation, was founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a physician from Maharashtra, to promote discipline, unity, and a sense of identity among Hindus at a time of communal tensions in colonial India.
It identifies as a cultural organisation and is the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, started out as workers or pracharaks for the RSS.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)
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