Guwahati: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the largest nationalist fourm of Bharat and the ideologue of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, plans to increase the number of Swayamsevaks (volunteers) by its centenary year in 2025. RSS Sarkaryavah (general secretary) Dattatreya Hosabale, while addressing the media in Bhuj of Gujarat on 07 November 2023 after completion of three-day Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal Baithak, commented that the current number of daily and weekly Shakhas conducted by RSS Swayamsevaks across Bharat is 95528.
The target has been set to extend the Sangh work to 59060 Mandals of the country by next two years. “People of all age groups come to the Shakha. Generally, Swayamsevaks do not have membership in the Sangh. This year, more than 37 lakh Swayamsevaks participated in Guru Pujan, who are Swayamsevaks belonging to our daily Shakha,” said Hosabale.
The annual meeting was attended by 357 representatives of 45 provinces and 11 regions including Sanghchalaks, Karyavahs, Pracharaks, all members of executive committee and representatives from different organizations. On 5 November, RSS Sarsanghchalak (president) Dr Mohan Bhagwat and Hosabale inaugurated the meeting with offering of floral tributes to Bharat Mata.
Tributes were paid to the individuals who have given great contribution to the nation and society at large including Pracharak Ranga Hari, Madandas Devi, Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak, Tarek Fatah, Bishan Singh Bedi, Balkrishna Jaiswal, Sushila Baluni, N. Vitthal, etc. Condolences also paid to the victims of recent earthquakes in Nepal.
Talking about Ram Janmabhoomi temple at Ayodhya, Hosabale mentioned that Shri Ram Lalla’s Pran Pratishtha is going to take place in the newly constructed site on 22 January.
Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sarsanghchalak Bhagwat to grace the occasion. To ensure that people across the country become witnesses of this historic moment from 1 to 15 January, Swayamsevaks will conduct door-to-door Sampark Abhiyan inviting people across India carrying pictures of Ram Lalla and worshiped Akshat provided by the Teerth Kshetra, added Hosabale.
Since the inception of RSS in 1925, its founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar had begun this work which is continuously growing for 98 years. On the occasion of RSS’s centenary year, efforts have been made to present issues like social harmony, rural development, environmental protection, Gau sewa and Kutumb Prabodhan in front of the society. To unite the society through social harmony, the cultural values should be passed on to the next generation through family education. In the context of environmental protection, planting trees, reducing the use of single-use plastic and conserving water should be emphasized, commented Hosabale.
In Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Sangh workers travelled 14,000 kilometer and planted 15 lakh trees. Plan to plant one crore saplings through seed ball method in Karnataka is also on the cards, revealed Hosabale. He also recalled the catastrophic earthquake of 2001 and the rehabilitation & service work inspired by the Sangh, which is still going on continuously with the efforts of swayamsevaks and the cooperation of the society. Swayamsevaks of Saurashtra-Kutch assist in the schemes running in Assam and Tripura. Thus it connects the ends of the east and west of Bharat.
In presence of RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar during the press meet, Hosabale also stated that in view of the security of border areas across the country, efforts have been made through Seema Jagran Manch regarding health facilities, education, security, self-reliance, civic duty in those areas and this work will be carried forward at greater speed. Special efforts will also be made to increase coordination with local civil & security forces in the border areas. He also informed that the training curriculum of the Sangh has been changed, in which the curriculum will be different for every age group including youth and adults.
