Nagpur: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday urged swayamsevaks to lead exemplary lives and contribute towards strengthening the country, saying India has a significant responsibility in the current global climate. Underscoring the expectations the international community has of India, Bhagwat said, “The world has its hopes pinned on us,” adding that the country must fulfil those expectations while enriching the lives of its people. “Consider that in the current circumstances in the country and across the world, one needs to lead a similar life. The world has its eyes on our country in this context. Whatever position we might be in over the happenings around the world, however we might view our position, the world has its hopes pinned on us,” Bhagwat said while speaking after inaugurating the newly constructed auditorium at the renovated headquarters of Nagpur Nagrik Sahakari Bank Limited. Underscoring the need for individual responsibility in achieving India's national aspirations, Bhagwat said the country must fulfil the expectations placed on it while working towards its growth and the betterment of people's lives. He stressed that achieving these goals would require individuals to lead exemplary lives and draw lessons from those who had already set such examples. “We have to fulfil those hopes, make our country big and enrich our lives. If all three of these tasks are to be done, we have to lead a life — the examples of such lives and the results of such lives are before us,” he said. Describing the life of a 'swayamsevak' as "swimming against the tide", Bhagwat said it was a principled way of life, free from selfishness, ego and personal expectations. "His only thought is: how much good can I do for society?" he said. Bhagwat also recalled that when an attempt was made in the 1930s to impose the first ban on the Sangh in the Central Provinces Assembly, no swayamsevak came forward to defend the organisation. The only person who spoke in its support was a man named Ibrahim. “In the '30s, when an attempt to impose the first ban on the Sangh was made in the Assembly of the Central Provinces, 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 the Sangh — that it should not be shut down and that it was not communal,” he said. “While speaking, he said, 'I believe that those who say Hindustan is a Hindu Rashtra should be sent to a mental hospital. I know Dr Hedgewar; he is not mental; he is a good person. So, the Sangh cannot be communal.' It had been only a few years since the formation of the Sangh. It wasn't well-known, but everyone knew Dr Hedgewar... When the Sangh began, the swayamsevak became its identity. Even today, after 100 years, the swayamsevak is the Sangh's identity,” he added. Sumit Sharma is a Deputy News Editor at Times Now with around a decade of experience across print, electronic, and digital media. Previously, he worke... View More