“Let us, therefore, decide to tread that path, concentrating our attention and strength on reaching the final goal of victory over all the forces of evil. We are to test every act, apparently good or bad, on this touchstone of ultimate victory of the forces of Dharma. That which leads to the victory of the virtuous and the righteous, is alone good and meritorious. And the examples and lessons of the victorious and the great will inspire us with the necessary will to win and awaken in us the right discrimination to achieve ultimate victory in the path of dharmasthapana, i.e., establishing righteousness all over the world, which has been our national life-mission since ages”. – Shri Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar (Shri Guruji), second Sarsanghchalak of RSS, Bunch of Thoughts, The Path To Glory – The Elixir of National Life, Sahitya Sindhu Prakashan, Bengaluru, 2020, p. 224
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has embarked on a remarkable journey of progressive unfoldment, marking its 100th year of foundation on this Vijayadashami. Despite numerous odds and attempts to thwart its mission, RSS has stood the test of time. From being ridiculed to achieving a pervasive national presence through the efforts of Swayamsevaks, RSS, as a national movement, stands at the heart of Bharat and is recognised globally. Many organisations and ideological movements have lost their appeal or compromised their fundamentals, but RSS’s enduring mission has upheld its relevance and influence.
On the contrary, slowly but steadily, RSS has used a brick-by-brick approach to build an organisation and generate transmittable energy for the entire nation for constructive transformation. What is the secret of this success? If we analyse the speech of RSS Sarsanghchalak – delivered on the 100th foundation day – we probably get some insights.
Though Sarsanghchalak started his speech by mentioning the 100th Foundation Day of the largest voluntary organisation in the world, the focus of the speech was not RSS or its achievements for the last 99 years. Generally, a celebratory mood is expected at the centenary celebration. But, Sarsanghchalak continued with the tradition, focussed on the contemporary global and national scenario, and devised practical solutions to address the challenges. Whatever the situation, adverse or favourable, not to get distracted from the fundamentals in thought processes and actions has been the RSS mantra since its inception. Bharat is Hindu Rashtra in civilisational terms, and therefore, organising the entire Hindu society with personal and national character is the precondition for the victorious march of Bharat has been that foundational thinking. RSS stayed tuned to and never diluted this primary thinking, the biggest reason behind the triumphant march for ninety-nine years.
RSS is not about itself but about realising the global destiny of Bharat, as envisaged by Swami Vivekananda. While mentioning the contributions of greats like Rani Durgawati, Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati, Bhagwan Birsa Munda and Shri Shri Anukulchandra Thakur of Satsang Abhiyan, Dr Bhagwat clarified the rationale for remembrance. As these national personalities devoted their lives to the welfare of Bharat, Dharma, Sanskruti and society with utmost honesty and selflessness, taking inspiration from them ‘to have noble attributes, character and firmness on Dharma’ will create an environment like that of Ram Rajya. RSS has been working to build individual and national character on these lines to realise the larger objective of Bharat, which is why it is a distinct and unparalleled initiative.
Bharat is marching ahead in various fields, from agriculture to technology, and globally, Bharatiya values and thought processes like Yoga and Ayurveda are getting recognition and acceptance. Youth are also taking pride in these developments and are urged to connect with their roots. Naturally, both within and outside, the forces are threatened by Bharat’s rise as their traditional narratives of showing this ancient civilisation from a colonial prism are collapsing. They have now invented new designs to create or nurture faultlines in our society through Deep State interventions and ideological constructs based on Cultural Marxism and wokeism. Creating doubts about one’s own culture and constructing a new identity to generate an atmosphere of anarchy, leading to revolution, is the modus operandi of these forces. Excess use of technology and gadgets, degenerating values, increasing crime against women and emerging narratives on caste, region or language-based conflicts are the trends resulting from the successful penetration of these non-Bharatiya thought processes through media, education and other institutions of governance. Fomenting radicalism and the tendency to defy Constitutional provisions and laws are other threats visible across the nation. Sarsanghchalak discussed them in detail and alerted all social sections to be aware of these machinations. Assessing and responding to newer challenges is another strength that allowed RSS to unfold as a national resurgence movement.
Sarsanghchalak underlined that presenting the current scenario is not meant to create fear-psychosis. He presented an action plan to mitigate these challenges. RSS does not intend to celebrate the centenary like any other organisation. By inculcating the five-point transformation agenda among Swayamsevaks and then taking it to all sections of society, Sangh plans to nurture an atmosphere of social harmony and goodwill. Dr Bhagwat proposed small, simple and practical steps to strengthen family values through constructive dialogue, address environmental issues from the individual to the systemic level, create a sense of selfhood, nurture Swadeshi conduct, and be responsible parts of this nation by adhering to constitutional and civic duties. He also emphasised the need for strengthening inherent unity while celebrating external diversity. When combined with Dharmic virtues, collective strength is a guarantee for peace, development, and victory, which is the core message of this speech.
What Sarsanghchalak propounded in this landmark speech is an extension of what his predecessors had always talked about and this is evident from Shri Guruji Golwalkar’s quote. What is significant is how Sarsanghchalak presented the fundamental objective of the RSS and its mechanism in the present context. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh seeks to spread this virtuous yet powerful practice of building the strength of Hindu society so that Bharat can fulfil the destined goal of being the guiding force for the entire humanity. Centenary is not meant to celebrate but to work harder to mitigate the existing challenges and achieve the desired goals. Instead of being a separate organisation, RSS is striving to organise the entire society with virtuous strength so that the victory of Dharma over evil forces is ensured. This simple mantra, which requires regular and therefore, difficult, Sadhana – the penance- has enabled RSS to flourish over ninety-nine years and yet remain young and relevant.
