S
-Mohan Bhagwat
“Faith should not be individual-centric; faith in one´s goal should be life´s prime objective and it should reflect in one´s life and conduct. People come and go, but the nation remains for ever. Rambhakta Hanuman, Chhatrapati Shivaji and Dr Hedgewar are ideals of seva dharma and everyone should acquire inspiration from them,” said Mohan Bhagwat, Sarkaryavah of RSS. He was speaking at a function held in Kolkata to present the Dr Hedgewar Pragya Samman to Babasaheb Purandre recently. The function was organised by Shree Burrabazar Kumarsabha Pustakalaya. The Samman consists of a shawl, a memento, a coconut and cash of Rs 51,000. Shri Bhagwat said that Dr Hedgewar infused self-confidence into the Hindus and united them. He said a strong commitment was needed for betterment of the nation.
Babasaheb Purandre, after receiving the award, described the moment as the most important in his life. Describing Shivaji as a true Hindu, he said that Shivaji wanted to establish an independent Hindu nation right from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari. He pointed out that he even inspired poets like Bhushan to arouse the feeling of Hindutva among the countrymen. He emphasised the need to write an exposition on the life of great personalities, like Dr Hedgewar.
Bapu Apte, chief guest at the function and an MP, praised the work of Babasaheb Purandre. Coming down heavily on those who recently raised a hue and cry over saffronisation of history, he stressed the need to write the history in a right perspective. “Correct information should reach the society and the next generation,” he said.
Maa Purnanandji, the chief disciple of Swami Chinmayananda, described spirituality and culture as important as a backbone in the body. Presiding over the function, Dr Pratap Chandra Chunder praised the work of Babasaheb Purandre for propagating the life of Shivaji to the masses. Shri Jugal Kishore Jaithalia proposed a vote of thanks.
