RSS born to work towards serving society & nation building, PM Modi says as party marks 100 years

PM Modi paying floral tribute to RSS founder Dr. Keshav B Hedgewar. (Courtesy: X)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was born to work towards serving the society and nation building. Highlighting its foundation on Vijay Dashami 100 years ago, he recalled how innumerable Swayamsevaks devoted their lives towards fulfilling this vision.

Extending greetings to the countless swayamsevaks who are dedicated to the pledge of serving the nation, PM Modi said, "I bow in reverence to the founder of the Sangh, our guiding ideal, Param Pujya Dr. Hedgewar ji".

"A hundred years ago, on the sacred occasion of Vijay Dashami, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was founded. This was not the creation of something entirely new. It was a newer manifestation of an ancient tradition, where India's eternal national consciousness expresses itself periodically, in different forms, to face the challenges of the times," PM said.

The Prime Minister said it is the good fortune of the current generation of swayamsevaks for being able to witness the Sangh's centenary. "In our times, the Sangh is the embodiment of that timeless national consciousness. It is the good fortune of our generation of swayamsevaks that we are witnessing the Sangh's centenary," he wrote.

Just as human civilizations thrived along the banks of great rivers, PM Modi said countless lives have flourished under the influence of the Sangh.

"A river enriches each part of the land that it touches with its waters. Likewise, the Sangh has nourished every part of our nation, every sphere of our society. A river often multiplies into many streams and expands its impact. Something similar has happened in the Sangh’s journey. Through its various affiliated organisations, the Sangh works in every domain of life, such as education, agriculture, social welfare, tribal welfare, women’s empowerment and more. Though diverse in their fields of work, they all embody one spirit and one resolve: 'Nation First'," he wrote.

The Sangh, PM Modi said, has devoted itself to nation-building. "To achieve this, it chose the path of character-building. Vyakti nirmaan se rashtra nirmaan, nation-building through character-building – this has been the Sangh's path," he said.

RSS created the unique, simple and enduring mechanism of 'daily shakha' to achieve nation-building. The shakha is an inspiring place where every swayamsevak begins his journey from 'Me to We' and goes through a process of personal transformation.

Recalling how Dr. Hedgewar fought against social ills such as caste discrimination and untouchability, PM Modi said that every Sarsanghchalak and every karyakarta of the Sangh has since then consistently opposed such evils.

"Param Pujya Guruji constantly carried forward the spirit of 'Na Hindu Patito Bhavet’, meaning 'no Hindu can ever be fallen'. Pujya Balasaheb Deoras Ji declared: 'If untouchability is not wrong, nothing else is wrong in the world'. In the current times, the present Sarsanghchalak, respected Mohan Bhagwat Ji, has given a clear call for unity, calling for one well, one temple, one cremation ground for everyone," he added.