Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat will be in Mumbai on February 7 and 8 to deliver a two-day lecture series at the Nehru Science Centre in Worli. As part of its centenary celebrations, the Hindutva organisation will initiate a drive from November 23 to December 21 with the aim of connecting with every household in Mumbai.
On Friday, a senior RSS office-bearer in Mumbai spoke about the RSS chief`s visit to Mumbai early next year. “Like his lecture series in Delhi, Bhagwat will be delivering speeches, holding talks and interacting with sections of society,” the office-bearer added.
As the RSS completes 100 years, the RSS has laid a road map on issues that need to be touched upon as part of its celebrations. “These include environmental issues [like the importance of avoiding the use of plastic, protecting and planting trees and saving water]. Other topics that will be covered are social harmony and improving civic sense while commuting via train or by road,” the office-bearer mentioned during a candid interaction with the media at the RSS’s office in Lower Parel.
The RSS is also working on improving its ground in Mumbai and the Konkan region. As part of this drive, Sangh workers and office-bearers will try to visit every household in the city in a strategic move to connect with every citizen. “Not every citizen visits RSS shakhas or offices. To connect with this segment, explain and promote the importance of Hinduism, our members will visit every household,” the office-bearer added.
Asked about any specific targets of how many households would be covered during the drive, the RSS leader said, “We have not set any target, but we aim to reach almost every household.”
Besides connecting with every household, the RSS plans to have weekly or monthly meetings in every area with a population of 10,000 in urban pockets and 8000 citizens in rural segments.
Citing the ongoing unrest in Ladakh, the RSS worker stated that besides these activities, the Sangh would be focusing on removing negativity from society.
Growing interest
The RSS website has a section called Join RSS to explain to potential members why they should become a part of the organisation. According to the RSS, every year, through this section, nearly one lakh people show interest in joining the Sangh. In the last three years, 11,000 such applications were received from Konkan Prant, which stretches from Palghar to Mumbai and covers the entire coastal Konkan region and Goa.
Asked whether the RSS was finding it difficult to get recruits, the office-bearer claimed that earlier it was difficult to convince people to join the organisation , but now, the situation had changed. “People are willingly showing interest. Also, explaining to them why one should join the RSS has become easier. People are experiencing [seeing and reading] the contributions and social work done by the Sangh for the upliftment and unity of society,” the RSS leader stated.
