25-day RSS Third Year Summer Training Camp begins in Nagpur on May 16. Over 800 swayamsevaks from all states are participating in the camp
Virag Pachpore
Nagpur: “The annual Third Year Training Camp of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) provides an opportunity to the participants to know, understand, experience and imbibe ‘Bharat’ in their hearts,” observed RSS Sahsarkaryavah Shri Dattatreya Hosabale on May 16. He was inaugurating the 25-day camp known as ‘Sangh Shiksha Varg’ in RSS parlance. Sarvadhikari of the camp Prof Dr Vanyarajan, Varg Karyawah Shri Harish Kulkrni, Guardian Adhikari Shri Swant Ranjan and Sahsarkaryawah Bhagaiahji were also present on the dais. Over 800 youth swayamsevaks drawn from all states are participating in the camp.
Shri Hosabale said the training camp presents ‘Mini-Bharat’ in itself as swayamsevaks drawn from various provinces, speaking different tongues, having varied food and clothing habits and coming from different climates stay together for 25 days, thus, providing a chance to interact, learn and understand the real ‘Bharat’. He said the RSS is not known for its uniform or prayers, but it is known for its comprehensive, all-encompassing attitude towards the diversity in Bharat and its attempt to understand and experience the unity in that diversity.
He said the training imparted to swayamsevaks in the camp empowers them to experience Bharat with all its diverse peculiarities and distinctions. Recalling Swami Ramteerth’s analogy with Bharat Shri Hosabale said Swamiji used to say: “Bharat is my body, Kanyakumari is my feet, Himalaya is my head, the Ganga flows through my hairs, Brahmaputra and Sindhu originate from my both hands, Vindhyachal is my waistline, Coromandel is my right leg and Malabar is left. I am Bharat in its wholeness…”. Quoting this, he asked the participants whether they would be able to experience Bharat like Swamiji did?
Tracing the history of the summer training camps in RSS, Shri Hosabale said the RSS summer training camps have a special position in the RSS annals of history with their distinguishing tradition and history. He said earlier the duration of the camps used to be for 40 days, which was later reduced to a month and further to 25 days. This means that the syllabus that used to be taught in 40 days is now completed and learned by the participants in 25 days.
The RSS Sah Sarkaryavah said though the RSS was started in 1925, the daily shakha began in 1926 and the training camp started in 1929. In those days this was known as ‘Officers’ Training Camp’ (OTC). The camp which initially began in Nagpur later spread to different cities. Pune having the honour of being number two in the hierarchy. The RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar used to visit both the camps. The 1940 camp at Nagpur, where swayamsevaks from all provinces participated, was the first such camp held in Dr Hedgewar’s presence.
Shri Hosabale said the 2016 Sangh Shiksha Varg may be the 82nd summer camp though RSS completed 90 years of its existence. This is mainly because the camps could not be held in 1948 and 49 when the RSS was banned; later during the 1975-77 internal Emergency as the organisation was banned again and also during the third ban imposed in the aftermath of demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya in 1992-93. He said after completing the training no degree is given to the swayamsevaks, but this training is necessary for them so that they can perform their roles more effectively.
He appealed to the participating swayamsevaks to take advantage of this sadhana and tapasya of Sangh Shiksha Varg and enhance their life along with the RSS mission and vow to follow this life long. Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat, Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi and other senior Sangh functionaries will be guiding the participants on different aspects of RSS during the training camp.
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