NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday called on people tostrengthen India’s independence by making the country happy, prosperous, and secure so that the country becomes “Vishwaguru”, noting that many people and forces are working against this goal.“We must make the nation happy, prosperous and secure, and ensure that it makes its rightful contribution to the world. However, many people and forces are working against this goal and creating obstacles. Without abandoning our principles, we must face these challenges and work to make India a ‘Vishwaguru’ — a guide to the world,” Bhagwat said at a gathering after hoisting the national flag at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur.Bhagwat emphasised that Independence Day is a matter of pride for all Indians. The Sangh chief stated that if the freedom struggle is traced to 1857, India’s ancestors made sacrifices for nearly 90 years to secure independence.“We feel proud of their (freedom fighters’) sacrifices and are happy that their struggle reached a successful conclusion. But along with this, we must also remember that preserving the freedom achieved through so much effort and sacrifice is our responsibility,” he stressed.Saffron, he noted, represents action, knowledge and sacrifice. “The freedom of a nation is achieved through hard work and sacrifice, and after independence, these qualities help make the nation prosperous and secure.”White represents purity and discipline, while green symbolises prosperity. When sacrifice, commitment, hard work and knowledge become part of people’s lives, society remains peaceful and minds become pure, he added.
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Bhagwat also emphasised that individuals may hold different views, but this diversity reflects unity. “The Ashoka Chakra has many spokes, but all of them emerge from a single central point.”The Ashoka Chakra represents individual and social awareness, with its spokes kept within the limits of dharma, or discipline. “That is why we have placed this Dharma Chakra at the centre of our national flag,” he added, urging people to reflect on the flag’s symbols and incorporate their values into their lives.India will remain an independent nation, Bhagwat asserted, but its responsibility extends further: “This is our duty today” to make the country a meaningful contributor to humanity.(With PTI inputs)
