RSS to mark centenary with year-long events

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will mark its centenary with year-long celebrations across Himachal Pradesh. Preparations are underway nationwide to commemorate 100 years of the RSS’s ideology and work.

“To make the centenary year’s historic occasion memorable and socially beneficial, various programmes have been planned in Himachal,” revealed Pratap Samyal of the RSS.

He said the RSS has divided Himachal Pradesh into seven divisions—Chamba, Kangra, Bilaspur, Mandi, Rampur, Shimla and Solan—comprising 26 districts. “The RSS journey began in Nagpur on Vijayadashami in 1925 and reached Himachal Pradesh in 1938. Direct branches in Himachal Pradesh were set up in Kangra and Mandi in 1942,” he added.

Special emphasis will be placed on the ‘Five Pledges’ during the centenary: environmental protection, social harmony, family enlightenment, awakening of the feeling of self and civic duty. “Through these five pledges, the goal is to bring about the necessary changes in society for the nation’s revival,” Samyal said.

The centenary year will open with the “Vijayadashami Utsav” on October 2, featuring marches by volunteers in uniform carrying traditional weapons. This will be followed by a ‘Griha Sampark Abhiyan’ from October 20 to November 20, where volunteers will distribute leaflets, stickers and books. Hindu Sammelans will also be organised across the state.