Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday released a special Rs 100 coin and a commemorative postal stamp at the centenary celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in New Delhi. He stressed that the coin features an image of Bharat Mata seated on a lion in “varad mudra”, with swayamsevaks bowing before her for the first time in independent India. The postal stamp depicts RSS swayamsevaks participating in the 1963 Republic Day Parade, symbolising the organisation’s historic role in national service
Addressing the gathering at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, PM Modi cautioned about threats to India’s unity and social harmony. He said, “Unity in diversity has always been India’s soul. If this strength is broken, India will weaken… Social harmony faces a big threat from infiltrators, causing a demographic shift. This question concerns our internal security and future. This is why I announced the Demographic Mission from the Red Fort. We need to stay alert and fight this challenge.”
RSS establishment on Vijayadashami no coincidence
The Prime Minister also linked the establishment of RSS to the symbolism of Vijayadashami, a festival that marks the triumph of good over evil. “Tomorrow is Vijayadashmi, a festival which symbolises the victory of good over evil, victory of justice over injustice, victory of truth over falsehoods, and victory of light over darkness… The establishment of RSS as an organisation on this great day 100 years ago, was no coincidence,” PM Modi said.
Tribute to Hedgewar and Sangh volunteers
Paying tribute to RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, PM Modi praised his vision of national service. He remarked, “It is the fortune of the volunteers of our generation that we have the opportunity to witness such a great occasion as the centenary year of the Sangh. On this occasion today, I extend my best wishes to the millions of volunteers dedicated to national service and congratulate them. I pay my humble tribute at the feet of the founder of the Sangh, our revered ideal, the most worshipful Dr. Hedgewar ji.” The RSS, founded in 1925 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, was created as a volunteer-driven organisation to promote cultural awareness, service, discipline and responsibility towards society
