KOLKATA: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat, while addressing the gathering at an event titled ‘100 years journey of RSS – New Horizons’ on December 21 said that while the Sangh is recognised across the world, the true nature of its work and functioning is still not fully understood, even within India. Addressing a gathering, Dr Bhagwat highlighted that the RSS follows a unique style of functioning that has no parallel globally.
According to Dr Bhagwat, delegations and individuals from Africa, Europe, and several Asian countries regularly visit the Sangh to understand its organisational model and explore how similar societal structures could be developed in their own nations. “There is no organisation like the Sangh. Trying to understand it by comparing it with other institutions leads to incorrect conclusions,” Dr Bhagwat said.
Rejecting the frequent portrayal of the RSS as a paramilitary organisation, Dr Bhagwat clarified that the Sangh’s uniform, or Ganvesh, and its disciplined daily activities should not be misinterpreted. “Sanchalan in Ganvesh is a symbol of discipline, not militarisation,” he noted.
During the address, Dr Mohan Bhagwat also recalled the organisation’s ideological roots, citing the involvement of its founder, Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, in the Vande Mataram movement in Nagpur and his revolutionary engagements with the Anushilan Samiti in Kolkata.
Dr Bhagwat er stressed that the Sangh does not see itself as a competitor, reactionary force, or opposition. “Sangh has not come to destroy or to achieve power; it has come to fulfil,” he said, adding that the organisation believes in organising society itself rather than creating parallel structures.
Referring to civilisational unity, Dr Bhagwat remarked that people living on the Indo-Iranian plate have shared cultural and genetic continuity for nearly 40,000 years, underscoring the centrality of social cohesion to national strength.
