By Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said the organisation’s approach to character-building and youth development is attracting growing international attention, with people from several countries expressing interest in adopting similar training models. Speaking in Nagpur, Bhagwat said visitors from around the world have been approaching the RSS to understand how the organisation functions and prepares young volunteers for social service and nation-building.
Addressing a programme organised to honour the contributions of RSS pracharaks, Bhagwat said the Sangh’s century-long journey has sparked curiosity beyond India’s borders. According to him, many international visitors have conveyed that they would like to develop youth leadership initiatives in their own countries based on the RSS’s organisational model.
Bhagwat said the RSS continues to focus on building individuals who can contribute positively to society and strengthen the nation. He noted that everyone who identifies with the idea of a Hindu Rashtra shares the responsibility of protecting and practising the values of dharma. He added that preserving dharma is not limited to defending it from external challenges but also requires individuals to reflect those values in their daily lives.
The RSS chief stressed that India must first demonstrate the ideals it wishes to promote globally. He said the world increasingly looks towards India for guidance, but such expectations can only be fulfilled if the country itself lives by the principles it advocates. According to Bhagwat, India’s cultural and civilisational values must be visible through its actions rather than merely through speeches.
Reflecting on the country’s social outlook after Independence, Bhagwat said many people gradually lost confidence in India’s traditional systems of knowledge and philosophy. He observed that Western ideas and lifestyles came to be viewed as the primary path to progress, leading to a weakening of faith in the country’s own cultural heritage.
He argued that rebuilding national confidence requires reconnecting society with its civilisational roots while proving that Indian values remain practical and relevant in today’s world. Bhagwat maintained that cultural confidence can only grow when people experience the success of these values in modern life.
Recalling the example of RSS founder Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, Bhagwat said leadership begins with personal conduct. He described Hedgewar as someone who never expected others to do what he himself was unwilling to undertake, adding that he believed in leading by example rather than offering advice from the sidelines.
Bhagwat credited generations of RSS volunteers for carrying forward the organisation’s work over the past hundred years by following that principle. He said the Sangh’s culture encourages volunteers to support one another instead of finding faults. If someone falters, he said, others step forward to help, allowing everyone to progress together in the larger mission of nation-building.
Concluding his address, Bhagwat said that although the RSS has completed a century of its existence, its work is far from over. He emphasised that the organisation still has significant responsibilities ahead and will continue working towards its long-term vision of social transformation and national development.
