Bhagwat at Nagpur Vijayadashami event calls for sacrifice greater than the freedom struggle's

RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat spoke on the country's unity, Sanatan dharma, development and the responsibility of the new generation at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Vijayadashami programme in Nagpur. He told countrymen that great men had made sacrifices to protect "sva" (the self), and that a sacrifice even greater than that of the freedom movement is now needed.

Bhagwat raised the issue of India's oneness in his speech. According to him, the words "We, the people of India" in the Preamble to the Constitution symbolise an emotional unity built from diversity. He said the country has many languages, castes, creeds, sects, regions and traditions. Even so, he said, only a way of thinking that embraces everyone and looks upon each person with a sense of belonging can become the foundation of national unity.

Bhagwat said India's Sanatan tradition teaches respect for diversity. Diversity keeps changing, but the element of oneness is eternal across all existence. In his view, it is necessary to understand this element and bring it into everyday life.

He also said that when India ignored the values of its oneness, the country declined and had to endure subjugation for several centuries. Bhagwat said the country won freedom after many great efforts and countless sacrifices. To move forward again on the path of unity and progress, society must understand and adopt its forgotten values.

Bhagwat said the ancestors made sacrifices to protect "sva", and the country must now be ready for a still greater sacrifice for its future. He underlined that the responsibility of making India a "vishwaguru" rests on the shoulders of the new generation.

On the state of the world, Bhagwat said political crises and conflicts between countries are growing globally. According to him, the world is looking hopefully to India's ideas to find solutions to these conflicts. He said India's growing ties with other countries should remain strong in future.

Bhagwat called progress in science and technology necessary, but said discernment is just as important for using information correctly. Information of every kind is easily available today, so everyone should be able to tell right from wrong. Bhagwat also said the government and administration should think about the spread of information.

Citing the natural disaster in Nepal, Bhagwat commented on the approach to development. He said such disasters across the Himalayan region need serious thought. In his words, a situation must not arise in which nature is harmed in the name of development and human existence itself ends up under threat.

Bhagwat stressed national oneness, Sanatan values, the wise use of information and environment-friendly development. The main message of his speech was that the new generation should not merely think but also adopt conduct based on values and social responsibility, so that the country can become a vishwaguru.