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Modi refers to the Sangh as the “banyan tree” of Indian culture during his first visit to the RSS headquarters as an Indian prime minister.

Aditi Pandey
By Aditi Pandey
5 Min Read

An important turning point in Indian political history was reached when Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. He was present when the foundation stone for a new eye institute in Nagpur was laid at the monument of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.

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Influence of RSS on Modi’s lifeSignificance of Historic First

The first Indian prime minister to visit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, was Narendra Modi on Sunday.

At the Sangh’s headquarters in Reshim Bagh, Modi paid a visit to the memorial of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. At the RSS headquarters, he was joined by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Later, Modi laid the cornerstone for the Madhav Netralaya Premium Center’s new addition to the city. BJP is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (RSS) ideological guru. The RSS headquarters in Nagpur has never been visited by an Indian prime minister.

During his speech at the eye hospital event, Modi referred to the RSS as the “vatvruksh,” or banyan tree, symbolizing India’s timeless culture and modernization, with the mission of preserving the national spirit.

During the Eye Institute ceremony, Modi and Bhagwat shared the stage. The PM and the head of the RSS took the stage together for the first time since the 2024 Lok Sabha election and for the third time since 2014.

The RSS volunteers are working selflessly in various spheres in different parts of the country, Modi said on the occasion. “The Sangh is the ‘banyan tree’ of India’s immortal culture and modernisation,” Modi said. ”This large vatvruksh is not an ordinary one,” he said, adding the RSS is synonymous to service.

Madhav Netralaya was founded in 2014 in memory of late RSS chief Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar. Modi described it as an institution serving the society for several decades on the ideals of Golwalkar, the second RSS chief.

Influence of RSS on Modi’s life

Modi has discussed the RSS’s impact on his life on numerous occasions. The prime minister claimed in a recent podcast with Lex Fridman that the principles of the RSS’s service-oriented worldview, Ramakrishna Mission, and Swami Vivekananda were very important in molding him.

More than anything else, the RSS gives you a clear path to what may be considered a life goal. Second, on the March 16 podcast, Modi told Lex Fridman, “The nation is everything, and serving the people is akin to serving God.”

Modi stated on Sunday that as the nation moves closer to its goal of “Viksit Bharat” in 2047, the “tapasya” of the RSS, with its “sanghathan” and “samarpan” during the past century, is bearing fruit.

As the nation fought for independence, the years 1925–1947 were a crisis, and now, 100 years later, the RSS is reaching yet another milestone, he remarked.

The “banyan tree” of India’s timeless tradition and modernization is the Sangh.

Since we have significant ambitions ahead of us, the years 2025–2047 are crucial. “We must set the groundwork for a powerful and advanced India over the next 1,000 years,” Modi stated.

According to Modi, the country is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Constitution this year, while the RSS is marking the 100th anniversary of its founding.

Significance of Historic First

When Modi was Gujarat’s chief minister in 2013, he made his most recent trip to the RSS headquarters. Modi’s visit to the RSS headquarters is significant since it coincides with reports of tensions between the Sangh and the BJP in the days preceding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

BJP President JP Nadda had stated in an interview with The Indian Express that the party no longer needed the RSS’s handholding in order to join them.

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