“Like a true doctor examining a patient, diagnosing the disease, and then prescribing the right remedy, Doctor Hedgewar undertook a deep diagnosis of the nation’s illness in 1920’s. While many other great personalities analysed the situation in their own ways, Doctorji’s diagnosis was somewhat different. Doctorji said, ‘the cause of our nation’s present downfall is not the foreign British rulers or the Muslim invaders who came from outside. The real cause lies within within the Hindu society itself, said RSS Sah-Sarkaryavah Dr Krishna Gopal while addressing the gathering on Day 1 of the four-day lecture series ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ki Shatabdi Yatra: Netritva ki Disha aur Bhumika’ organised by Bharatiya Vichar Manch to mark the centenary of the RSS at the Gujarat University Convention and Exhibition Centre on November 11, 2025.
“This lecture series has been organised with the vision that the questions people carry in their minds should be addressed and clarified. With that very purpose, this four-day programme has been arranged,” said Krishna Gopal.
The lecture on November 11, 2025 was on Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, how and why did he start this organisation? What role did he play at that time? Is this organisation a body within society, or does it work to unite the entire society? How does this Sangh, like a small seed, function and grow within the larger society?
What is its objective?
“It is true that today the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has become a subject of discussion not only across the country but also around the world. The reason for this is clear in the beginning, when the Sangh was small, there wasn’t much discussion about it. But as the Sangh grew, some people began to oppose it. However, despite all opposition, the Sangh continued to expand. Then people started feeling that this organisation neither stops because of opposition nor gets affected by neglect. Hence, it must be understood. A growing curiosity developed in people’s minds, how is it that despite facing various kinds of opposition and receiving no Government assistance, the RSS continues to grow? Secondly, why do swayamsevaks, who come to the Sangh’s shakhas, go out into different fields of social life and, along with other brothers and sisters of society, create impactful works? Seeing such efforts, people began to wonder what kind of organisation this after all is, said Dr Krishna Gopal.
From the very beginning, the RSS has never given any special importance to publicity or promotion for its own fame. “In fact, it deliberately avoided it. The Sangh never believed that mere publicity brings growth in work. Therefore, it was quite natural for people to feel curious, how do these people grow? What is their way of working? How do they bring people together? How do they inspire them? And why do people, once they join, continue to work devotedly for 40, 50, even 60 years, sometimes for their entire lives? What is the inspiration behind such lifelong dedication? How does the Sangh create such trustworthy, sincere, and committed individuals”, he said.
“To understand the Sangh, one must first understand its founder. When he began this organisation, what was in his mind? What thoughts occupied him that led to the birth of the Sangh? What realisations or insights did he have that inspired him to start such a movement? We must understand what went on in his mind before the foundation of the Sangh, what thoughts and feelings guided him, and why he felt the need to begin an organisation. Secondly, how did he actually build it? How did he develop the entire working methodology? Otherwise, to sustain any organisation for 100 years is itself a difficult task. To keep it growing continuously is even harder. And thirdly, to earn respect in society while fulfilling its objectives, that is the most challenging of all”, he said.
“As Sangh complete 100 years, we must recall how Doctorji, who began with a single shakha in Nagpur, laid the foundation for what has now become a vast network of about 87,000 shakhas across the country. Lakhs of swayamsevaks are working tirelessly. The special method of functioning that Doctorji started is still being followed by people with great dedication. It is estimated that around 40 lakh swayamsevaks attend daily shakhas, and many lakhs work in different social organisations and institutions inspired by the Sangh. This has led to what we call the creation of a new Sangh Srishti, an entire ecosystem shaped by the Sangh. Hence, it is natural for people to feel curious about it”, he said.
While narrating an anecdote, he said, “The very first thing is that when Doctorji was still a student, a thought had already taken root in his mind, ‘why is our country enslaved? Why is Bharat under subjugation?’ From his very childhood, this question would repeatedly arise in his mind, despite being such a vast and ancient nation, why are we still under foreign rule? He would ask this question to whoever he met and would often engage in discussions on it. See, for an ordinary student to think so deeply at such a young age is remarkable. It was not enough for him to merely accept that the country had become enslaved, the question that truly gripped him was ‘how can we make our nation free again?’. Thus, in various ways, he kept striving for the country’s freedom. Those who have read Doctorji’s biography know these incidents well, how, when there was a ban on saying “Vande Mataram”, he defiantly raised the slogan and was expelled from class. Later, he was even expelled from the college.
“When studying in Nagpur became difficult, he knew that Kolkata was home to great revolutionaries. So, he went there. There, he not only completed his medical studies but also lived and worked closely with the revolutionaries. After completing his medical education, when he returned to Nagpur, the very first decision he made was that he would not practise medicine. He never did. Instead, he began working within the Congress at that time, and was even imprisoned twice. When he was released, a single question continued to trouble his mind ‘what can be done to truly transform the condition of our nation? What is the root cause of its misery and decline?’”, he said.
Dr Krishna Gopal said, like a true doctor examining a patient, diagnosing the disease, and then prescribing the right remedy, Doctorji undertook a deep diagnosis of the nation’s illness. While many other great personalities analysed the situation in their own ways, Doctorji’s diagnosis was somewhat different. Doctorji said, ‘the cause of our nation’s present downfall is not the foreign British rulers or the Muslim invaders who came from outside. The real cause lies within within the Hindu society itself. We are responsible for it. Do not search for the cause outside. We became disorganised. We lost unity. We failed to distinguish between friend and foe. We did not stand together as one against external enemies. The disintegration of Hindu society, its loss of self-awareness, and the destruction of its self-respect, this is the real cause of our present misery’.
“Once this became firmly clear in his mind, Doctorji realised that it was necessary to transform the psyche of Hindu society itself. A society divided by caste, creed, sect, and region had fragmented into isolated groups. Doctorji resolved that this fragmented Hindu society must once again be filled with self-pride, awakened to the glorious consciousness of its identity. For thousands of years, our civilisation has had a grand and glorious history — and it was time to revive that spirit once again”, he said.
“Bharat is the land that gave the world its languages, mathematics, grammar, and the science of astronomy, measuring the motion of stars and constellations. Bharat gave the world algebra. Bharat contributed to numerous sciences. Bharat once stood among the foremost nations of the world in economy and learning. This was the land that established great universities, a land that taught the world the true values of human life”, he said.
“Keep in mind, for thousands of years, the people of this nation have shared knowledge with the entire world. We are the descendants of those great personalities who earned a lofty place in the world through their wisdom, intellect, and life-values. We are their progeny. There is no need to live under an inferiority complex. Yes, it is true over time, some evils crept in, problems arose, and today our condition has weakened. But that only means one thing, first, we ourselves are responsible for our decline. Second, the people who have been the native children of this sacred land for thousands of years, those who have always regarded this soil as their Matrubhoomi, as holy and divine ,they are the ones whose rise determines the rise of the nation”, he further said.
He further said that, “Bharat is the only country in the world that awakened the feeling of devotion toward its very soil. No other nation has ever inspired such reverence for its own land. From Kanyakumari to Kedarnath, every particle of this land is sacred. Every place has a temple; every riverbank is holy; every region has a pilgrimage site. People undertake pilgrimages and circumambulations throughout this sacred land. This is the country that awakened bhakti, devotion to the land itself. This society, which has lived here for thousands of years, which regards every grain of this soil as sacred, its upliftment ensures the nation’s rise, and its forgetfulness leads the nation into decline. When this society stands firm and self-assured, the nation stands tall.”
He then said that, “Who then sustains this nation- The Hindu. Who will raise this nation to the peak of glory- The Hindu. Who regards this land as the sacred Matrubhoomi, Punyabhoomi, Devbhoomi- The Hindu society. In essence, Hindutva is the very nationality of this land. It is through the strength and spirit of Hindutva that Bharat shall march forward”.
“When the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh framed its prarthana, it defined its guiding resolve. Every swayamsevak, while reciting the prarthana, says “Param Vaibhavam Netumetat Swarashtram” (We shall strive until we see our nation attain the highest glory”, he said.
He then says, “Two things become clear here, first, each swayamsevak personally resolves, ‘that I will work for my motherland.’ Second, collectively, they dedicate themselves to the nation’s upliftment, acknowledging its many challenges,poverty, caste divisions, disputes over language and provinces, struggles among rulers, British oppression, and widespread illiteracy. Yet, despite these hundreds of difficulties, the resolve remains, to create the most glorious and prosperous Bharat, surpassing even its ancient splendour.
“Thus, small shakhas kept functioning, little groups of young swayamsevaks kept gathering. Doctorji would guide them, saying, “This is our nation, our Matrubhoomi, our society. No one from outside will come to work for it.
Who will do it? We will.”
While concluding his address he said, “The Sun is one, the petrol we fill in our vehicles is formed because of the Sun. The coal we burn exists because of the Sun. The clothes we wear and dry because of the Sun. The water that flows in the rivers flows due to the Sun. The monsoon rises because of the Sun. The crops grow because of the Sun. The Sun is one, yet its results are infinite. Similarly, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is one, but its outcomes are infinite. Problems may be endless, but there exists a single master key, a universal remedy, that Dr Hedgewar prescribed”.
“This journey of 100 years has been an immensely successful, unique, and extraordinary one with absolutely no parallel in the world. This is a path evolved by the Hindu society itself, born out of the intellect and spirit of Hindu civilisation. Numerous initiatives have emerged from this consciousness and will continue to grow. But one truth must always remain in our hearts, the Hindu society must survive on this earth because the world has much to receive from it. Every society has a duty, a responsibility, and a purpose in life. The purpose of Hindu society’s life is clear, to civilise the entire world, to enlighten humanity with true knowledge, and to demonstrate to all the eternal truth of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam- the world is one family.,” he said.
Gujarat Chief minister Bhupendra Patel said “RSS has been promoting the spirit of ‘Nation First’ for the past 100 years. The RSS presented its nation-building approach with five pledges, which also offer solutions to global challenges”.
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