Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], November 9 : Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday recalled that when an attempt was made in the 1930s to impose the first ban on the Sangh in the Central Province Assembly, there was no swayamsevak to defend it, and the only voice in its support was that of a man named Ibrahim.
Speaking after inaugurating the newly constructed auditorium at the renovated headquarters of Nagpur Nagrik Sahakari Bank Limited, Bhagwat said no one was supporting the Sangh's ideology at the time. Ibrahim argued that the Sangh should not be shut down and that it was not communal.
"In the '30s, when an attempt to impose the first ban on the Sangh was made -in the Assembly of Central Province- there was no Swayamsevak to defend the Sangh; there was no one supporting the Sangh ideology either. There was one Mr Ibrahim who spoke in support of Sangh - that Sangh should not be shut down, that it is not communal," he said. 
"While speaking, he said, "I believe that those who say Hindustan is 'Hindu rashtra' should be sent to a mental hospital. I know Dr Hedgewar; he is not mental; he is a good person. So, Sangh cannot be communal." It had been a few years since the formation of Sangh. It wasn't well-known, but everyone knew Dr Hedgewar...When Sangh began, Swayamsevak became its identity. Even today, after 100 years, Swayamsevak is Sangh's identity," he added. 
Speaking about a book on pracharaks, Bhagwat said such lives were being written about out of gratitude and affection, and not for any material gain. "No pracharak ever expected this, nor ever will, because there is nothing material to be gained," he said.
"For a pracharak, there is only the Sangh. The Sangh is everything, and nothing else exists for him," he said, adding that a natural reverence and respect develops towards such people.
"Their devotion and dedication cannot truly be written. It is something that is felt through experience. Only those who came into direct contact with them know it," he said.
Describing the life of a 'swayamsevak' as "swimming against the tide," Bhagwat said it is a principled life with no selfishness, ego or personal expectations. "His only thought is: how much good can I do for society?" he said. 
Acknowledging that not every volunteer lives up to this ideal fully, he said, "There are degrees and variations, but everyone's direction remains the same."