RSS progressed from neglect and ridicule to curiosity and acceptance: Hosabale

New Delhi: Starting as a movement of "national reconstruction", the RSS has progressed from neglect and ridicule to curiosity and acceptance, its general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said on Sunday, as he urged people to join the organisation in fulfilling its resolve.

In an article titled RSS at 100 published on the Vishva Samvad Kendra Bharat website, he said, "The Sangh does not believe in opposing anyone and is confident that, some day, anyone opposing the Sangh's work will join the Sangh fold."

When the world is grappling with multiple challenges, ranging from climate change to violent conflicts, Bharat's ancient and experiential wisdom is "eminently capable" of providing solutions, Hosabale underlined.

"This gigantic but inevitable task is possible when every child of Bharat Mata understands this role and contributes to building a domestic model that inspires others to emulate," he said.

"Let us join this resolve to present a role model before the world of a harmonious and organised Bharat, taking the entire society together under the leadership of righteous people ('sajjan shakti')," he added.

The Vishva Samvad Kendra is a media centre affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Revisiting the journey of the RSS since its inception on Vijaya Dashami in 1925, Hosabale said, "In the last hundred years, the Sangh, as a movement of national reconstruction, has travelled from neglect and ridicule to curiosity and acceptance." With the RSS set to complete its hundredth year of service this year, there is an "evident curiosity" about the way the Sangh perceives this landmark, he said.

"It has been crystal clear for the Sangh since its inception that such occasions are not meant for celebration but provide us with an opportunity to introspect and rededicate to the cause," he added.

Hosabale said it was also a chance to acknowledge the contributions of the "stalwart saintly figures" who guided the movement and the series of 'swayamsevaks (volunteers)' and their families who "selflessly" joined the Sangh's journey.

"There cannot be a better occasion than the birth anniversary of Sangh founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, which happens to be Varsh Pratipada -- the first day of the Hindu calendar -- to revisit the (organisation's) journey of hundred years to resolve for the future a harmonious and united Bharat for world peace and prosperity," he added.