Sangh banyan tree of Indian culture: PM on 1st visit to RSS headquarters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday likened the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the “Akshay Vat” (immortal banyan tree) of India’s enduring culture, during his first visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur since assuming office 11 years ago.
Modi, now in his third term as Prime Minister, became only the second sitting PM to visit the RSS headquarters after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who did so in 2000 during his own third term.
During his visit, Modi paid homage at Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Reshimbagh, a memorial dedicated to RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and its second chief, MS Golwalkar. In a message penned in Hindi, he described the memorial as a “source of inspiration” for lakhs of swayamsevaks committed to nation-building.
“I am overwhelmed to visit the Smruti Mandir which cherishes the memories of Param Pujaniya Dr Hedgewar and Pujya Guruji,” he wrote. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari accompanied him during the visit.
Later on X, Modi reflected on the significance of his visit coinciding with Varsha Pratipada and the birth anniversary of Dr Hedgewar, calling it a “profoundly special experience”.
The Prime Minister also visited Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where BR Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956, calling it a “symbol of social justice and empowerment of the downtrodden”.
He reiterated his government’s resolve to realise Ambedkar’s vision of “an inclusive and developed India”, stating that building such a nation would be the true tribute to the architect of the Constitution.
In the visitors’ diary, Modi wrote, “I am overwhelmed that I got an opportunity to visit Deekshabhoomi, one of the five ‘Panchthirth’ of Dr Ambedkar. The sanctity of Deekshabhoomi resonates with Babasaheb’s ideals of equality, justice and social harmony.” This was his first visit to the site since 2017.
Modi also laid the foundation stone for the Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, an extension of an eye care institute named after former RSS chief Madhavrao Golwalkar.
Addressing the gathering, he praised RSS volunteers for their selfless service. He said the work of the RSS with its “sangathan” and “samarpan” in the last 100 years was showing fruits as the country approached its target of “Viksit Bharat” in 2047. “The period from 2025 to 2047 is crucial. We must lay the foundation for India’s next thousand years… The nation is celebrating 75 years of the Constitution this year and the RSS is completing 100 years (of its formation),” he noted.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat echoed this sentiment, stating that “selfless service is the RSS’ life mission”.
Nation