New Delhi: Ahead of the RSS completing 100 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the spirit of selfless service and the lesson of discipline are the true strengths of the Sangh, with ‘Nation First’ being the priority in every action of its countless volunteers.
In his 126th Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, the prime minister made another strong push for Swadeshi and urged people to buy a Khadi item on Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.
Modi also said the government is working towards getting the ‘Chhath mahaparv’ included in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Modi also spoke about the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The Prime Minister noted that Mahatma Gandhi always emphasised the adoption of Swadeshi goods, among which khadi was the most prominent.
“Unfortunately, after independence, the charm of Khadi was fading away, but during the last 11 years, the country’s attraction towards Khadi has increased significantly,” Modi said. “Khadi sales have seen a surge in recent years. I urge all of you to buy one Khadi product or the other on the 2nd of October. Say it with pride: these are Swadeshi.”
Speaking about the ongoing festive season, the Prime Minister also mentioned that the ‘GST Bachat Utsav’ is also going on, referring to the GST rate cuts implemented on September 22.
“You can make your festivals even more special by taking a resolution,” Modi urged. “If we decide to celebrate this festival only with Swadeshi products, you will see the joy of our celebrations rise manifold.”
“Resolve that, for all times, you will buy only what is produced in the country,” he added. “When we do that, we don’t just buy goods; we bring home hope to a family, honor the hard work of an artisan, and give wings to the dreams of a young entrepreneur.”
During his conversation with Lt. Commanders Dilna and Alagirisamy, Modi applauded them both for their feat and spoke to them about the difficulties they faced.
The duo sailed approximately 47,500 kilometers, travelling for 238 days, leaving Goa on October 2, 2024, and returning on May 29, 2025.
“I want to say the most memorable moment of this trip was that we hoisted the Indian flag at Point Nemo,” Lt. Commander Dilna explained. “Point Nemo is the most remote location in the world. The closest person to it is at the International Space Station.”
She added that the duo became the first people in the world to reach this point in a sailboat.
“This Vijayadashami is special for another reason,” Modi noted. “This day marks 100 years of the foundation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. This journey of a century is as amazing and unprecedented as it is inspiring. When the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded 100 years ago, the country had been bound by the chains of slavery for centuries.”
He added that this “centuries-long slavery” had deeply hurt the self-respect and self-confidence of Indians, with the world’s oldest civilization “being made to face an identity crisis”.
“Therefore, along with the country’s independence, it was also important that the country be freed from intellectual slavery,” he said. “In this context, the most revered Dr. Hedgewar began to ponder over this issue; and for this herculean task, he founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami in 1925.”
The Prime Minister noted that, after the passing of Dr. BR Ambedkar, it was M.S. Golwalkar who carried forward this “great yagya of service to the nation”.
“This spirit of sacrifice, service, and the discipline it teaches is the true strength of the Sangh,” Modi said. “Today, the RSS has been relentlessly and tirelessly engaged in national service for over a hundred years. That is why we see, whenever a natural disaster strikes anywhere in the country, RSS volunteers are the first to reach there.”
