New Delhi [India], September 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for an "unprecedented and inspiring" journey as the organisation will complete 100 years on the occasion of Vijayadashami.
Addressing the 126th episode of his monthly radio broadcast, Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said, "This Vijayadashami is very special for another reason. This day marks 100 years of the foundation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. This journey of a century is as amazing, unprecedented, and inspiring as it is."
Prime Minister Modi, who had earlier been part of the RSS, added that the Sangh was formed amid an identity crisis in India before Independence.
"100 years ago, when the RSS was founded, the country had been bound in the chains of slavery for centuries. This centuries-long slavery had deeply hurt our self-respect and self-confidence. The world's oldest civilisation was facing an identity crisis. Our citizens were becoming victims of an inferiority complex," he said.
"The most revered Hedgewar ji founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami in 1925. After Hedgewar's passing, Guruji carried forward this great mission of serving the nation," PM Modi added.
Lauding the teachings of the RSS, he praised the Sangh for lending support for relief work amid a natural disaster in the country.
He hailed RSS' "nation first" approach and offered wishes for the centenary celebrations.
PM Modi said, "The spirit of sacrifice and service and the teachings of discipline are the true strength of the Sangh. Today, the RSS has been tirelessly and unstoppably engaged in serving the nation for a hundred years. That is why we see that whenever there is a natural disaster anywhere in the country, RSS volunteers are the first to reach there."
"This spirit of 'Nation First' always remains paramount in every action and every endeavour of the lives of millions of volunteers. I offer my best wishes to every volunteer who is dedicating himself to the great yagya of serving the nation," he added.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will celebrate its centenary year from Vijayadashami (Dussehra) 2025 to Vijayadashami 2026, marking 100 years since its founding in 1925 by KB Hedgewar.
Earlier, in his 79th Independence Day speech from the Red Fort, PM Modi had hailed the Sangh, describing it as the "biggest NGO in the world".
"Today, I would like to proudly mention that 100 years ago, an organisation was born - Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). 100 years of service to the nation is a proud, golden chapter. With the resolve of 'vyakti nirman se rashtra nirman', with the aim of the welfare of Maa Bharati, swayamsevaks dedicated their lives to the welfare of our motherland...In a way, RSS is the biggest NGO in the world. It has a history of 100 years of dedication," PM Modi said on August 15.