Greetings, I'm Dr Nitish Bharadwaj.
Welcome to the final episode of 'Kesariya @ 100'.
This docu-series is brought to you by the Zee Group.
From 'Sagar to Sarayu'.
It means, from Kanyakumari to Ayodhya.
One is a seashore,
and the other is the bank of the river Sarayu.
In one place, we find the convergence of three oceans.
And in the other place,
there's a confluence of three rivers.
In both places, two grand temples were built.
One was a temple of spirituality, the other was of faith.
What was the thought process of the RSS
behind constructing these two temples?
What struggles did the RSS undergo to make this a reality?
The story on the last episode
of Kesariya @ 100
is about this struggle.
"One colour, one union, one mind, one vow."
"One voice, one song, one melody, one mantra."
'Victory to... - Mother India!'
"One colour, one union, one mind, one vow."
"One voice, one song, one melody, one mantra."
"One vision, one ideology,"
"we have just one goal."
"It's our pride and honour,"
"our country dwells in our very soul."
"Your nation calls, adorn it with your love sincere."
"With faith and courage, in serving our nation, let us persevere."
"Your nation calls, adorn it with your love sincere."
"With faith and courage, in serving our nation, let us persevere."
"Kesariya!"
'This is the current map of India.'
'From North to South,'
'we can trace a line connecting a whole nation.'
'On the one end of the line'
'there is a memorial for Swami Vivekananda'
'the icon of modern Hindutva.'
'And on the other end is a monument of Hindu faith.'
'The Ram Mandir.'
'The Ram Mandir, for Hindu devotees'
'waited 500 long years.'
'On 22 January 2024,'
'the grand Ram Mandir'
'was dedicated to the nation.'
'This was the second time the citizens'
'of independent India saw a scene like this.'
'73 years ago, India's first president,'
'Dr Rajendra Prasad,'
'inaugurated the Somnath Temple and presented it to the nation.'
'On that occasion, the honourable President said,'
'Even in our scriptures,'
'the Somnath Temple is considered one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.'
'That is why, in ancient India,'
'this temple devoted to Lord Somnath'
'was a symbol of India's faith, culture and prosperity.'
'Its feet were flanked by the ocean.'
'It's pinnacle touched the sky.'
'Today, once again, this temple'
'is holding its head up high'
'and announcing to the world'
'that the place that is loved by people,'
'a place for which'
'people have unwavering faith and devotion in their hearts,'
'can never be demolished.'
'Today, a ceremony is being held for'
'of the deity in the temple.'
'And for as long as'
'the people continue to have faith in this temple,'
'it will continue to stand tall.'
Reconstruction of the Somnath Temple
was never a political move.
Then why did the reconstruction take place?
Why did President Dr Rajendra Prasad
take part in the event to mark the completion of its construction?
It's the same with Ram Mandir.
The Ram Mandir has never been
a political move for the RSS.
It has always been a subject of Hindu faith and devotion.
That is why, the members of the RSS
continued to push for its construction for many decades.
One important thing
that the public is unaware of
at least, before this documentary was made
is that the RSS voluntarily held 70 to 80 meetings
with various Muslim groups and organisations in India.
And both parties agreed
that the Hindus will gracefully accept the decision
if the court ruled in favour of the Muslim community.
And if the court ruled in favour of the Hindus,
the Muslims will accept its decision
and maintain peace.
'On the day of Vijayadashami, the RSS came into existence.'
'But the story doesn't end there.'
'To know the whole story,'
'you have to go to Ramtek,'
'situated around 50 km away from Nagpur.'
'It is believed that Lord Rama'
'stayed in Ramtek during his exile.'
'He spent around 4 months here.'
'This is when Lord Rama met'
'Sage Agastya.'
'Sage Agastya didn't just train Lord Rama'
'in scriptures.'
'He even gave him the divine weapon'
'that Lord Rama used to slay Ravana.'
'This temple in Ramtek'
'is 600 years old.'
After the RSS was formed in Nagpur in the years 1925,
the first programme it undertook
was in Ramtek, and that too, on the day of Ram Navmi.
The formation of the RSS on Vijayadashami,
and its first event held in Ramtek
might seem like trivial details.
But for the volunteers,
Rama, Ramtek, and Vijayadashami
hold a special and emotional value in their hearts,
even if these might just be details for others.
When the British ruled over India
and it was difficult to say
whether India will become independent or not,
no one even wondered about elections,
votes or coming to power.
At such a time, the RSS chose Ramtek
as the venue for its first event.
It was because of their faith in Lord Rama.
Be it the fact that the RSS was formed on Vijayadashami,
or that its first event on Ram Navmi was organised in Ramtek...
Many events related to the RSS
are linked to Lord Rama.
The second head of the RSS,
Guru Golwalkar, was born in Ramtek as well.
Then how could the RSS let go of the matter
concerning Lord Rama's birthplace?
'Dr Hedgewar, Guru Golwalkar'
'and the Sangh had faith in Lord Rama.'
'This faith brought Dr Hedgewar'
'who was the Chief of RSS then, to Ramtek in the year 1926.'
'And the same faith brought'
'Dr Mohan Rao Bhagwat'
'to Ayodhya in the year 2024.'
'It's just that the period between the two events was 98 years.'
'Almost a century passed.'
'A lot changed in that period.'
'The British left India. We became independent.'
'Science made advancements.'
'Tall buildings were built.'
'Huge dams and reservoirs were built.'
'India made many innovations.'
'Many things changed.'
'But what didn't change'
'was the faith of people.'
'Faith is eternal,'
'which doesn't change with time.'
'This is exactly what Dr Rajendra Prasad,'
'the first President of India'
'said in his speech 73 years ago'
'during the inauguration ceremony of the Somnath Temple.'
'After the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple,'
'the speech given by Dr Rajendra Prasad'
'was not broadcast by Akashvani (radio).'
'As if his speech was censored.'
'Some years later, Dr Prasad visited Somnath Temple again.'
'At that time, the entire nation'
'heard his speech on Akashvani.'
'Perhaps, it was Akashvani's way'
'to make amends for its past mistake.'
During the construction
of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari,
there were some controversies, or they were created.
'The place where the Vivekananda Rock Memorial was built...'
'It is the sacred confluence'
'of the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean'
'and the Arabian Sea.'
'There is a rock in that confluence.'
'The plan was to build the memorial there.'
'Swami Vivekananda swam towards a rock in the sea.'
'He meditated there'
'for three days.'
'Why did he choose this rock to meditate?'
'As per the Hindu belief, this is the same rock'
'where Parvati meditated upon Lord Shiva.'
'Vivekananda chose the same rock for his meditation.'
'So, there couldn't be a better place than this'
'to build a memorial for Swami Vivekananda.'
But the local Christians
believed that it was the Rock of the Cross.
One night, the cross was removed
and the situation there became tense.
Security forces were deployed,
but all the enlightened and influential people
of the Hindu and Christian communities sat together
and solved this problem.
And the RSS succeeded in building the memorial there.
'Eknath Ranade'
'laid its foundation stone on Vijayadashami in 1967.'
Just like Lord Rama is important to the Sangh,
Swami Vivekananda also holds an important place in their hearts.
Dr Hedgewar studied in Kolkata.
It was natural for him to be influenced by Vivekananda.
Guru Golwalkar had a close relationship
with Nagpur's Ramakrishna Ashram.
Golwalkar was also a disciple
of Vivekananda's brother-disciple, Swami Akhandananda.
So, it was natural for Guru Golwalkar
to be keen on building Swami Vivekananda's memorial.
It felt like
destiny blessed him with the duty of creating history.
'In the year 1962,'
'Swami Vivekananda's birth centenary was around the corner.'
'During this time, when the idea of constructing'
'Swami Vivekananda's memorial in Kanyakumari was proposed,'
'Guru Golwalkar agreed immediately.'
'He handed over the responsibility of the memorial's construction'
'to an experienced and diligent volunteer,'
'Eknath Ranade.'
'Prime Minister Pandit Nehru had to intervene in this matter.'
'Lal Bahadur Shastri also'
'was in favour of building the Swami Vivekananda Memorial.'
'He asked Eknath Ranade, the leader of the memorial committee,'
'to come to Delhi and gather the support of the MPs.'
In just three days,
323 MPs signed the proposal
in favour of the construction of the Swami Vivekananda Memorial.
This proposal was submitted to Prime Minister Nehru.
After receiving the proposal,
Pandit Nehru spoke to Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister, Bhakthavatsalam.
And Bhakthavatsalam had to give permission
to construct the memorial.
"In houses, courtyards, forests and gardens..."
"The lamps are spreading divinity everywhere."
"The auspicious pot is overflowing."
"The pot of divine light is overflowing."
"The sky is showering us with vermilion and rice."
"The flowers are smiling at the trees."
"The dew is shining."
"The pot of divine light is overflowing."
'On 2nd September, 1970,'
'President VV Giri'
'inaugurated the Vivekananda Memorial.'
'Just 15 days after that, the then Prime Minister,'
'Indira Gandhi, also visited the memorial'
'and paid homage to Swami Vivekananda.'
Ancient India's man of reverence, Lord Rama's birthplace, Ayodhya.
And the great man of modern India,
Swami Vivekananda's meditating place, Kanyakumari.
A national bridge that connects the south to the north.
The RSS played an important role in building this national bridge
which will be remembered forever.
This 2,540-kilometre national bridge is a bridge
that cannot be destroyed
by any force, national or international.
100 years ago,
this national bridge's foundation was laid based on three words.
'I was alone!'
In these 100 years, the RSS witnessed many ups and downs.
And inspired by those incidents,
the volunteers wrote some songs and sang them.
Listen to some of those songs.
"Even your enemies were disarmed"
"by the radiance of your character."
"Your pure conduct silenced"
"even those who spoke ill of you."
"On this path filled with hardships,"
"your sacred memories guide our way."
"All thorns shall fall away"
"and even foes shall turn into friends."
"Grand us strength, O sage,"
"so we may keep moving forward"
"and bring to life, O master, the vision you once held."
"Humbly, we pray, revered Guru. Bless us with the Lord's grace."
They have been serving people in every corner of India.
When there's a war-like situation,
or any natural calamity,
the RSS has always
fulfilled its duties towards the country and society.
'The main characteristics'
'of the 'Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are...'
'Discipline. Through regular attendance,'
'physical exercises and group activities,'
'the volunteers are taught the importance'
'of discipline and punctuality.'
'Character development.'
'One important goal of the RSS'
'is to develop high moral values,'
'honesty and patriotism in the volunteers.'
'Organisational Power.'
'The RSS has a strong'
'and comprehensive organisational structure,'
'so that the volunteers can work together'
'during any challenge'
'or emergency.'
'Spirit of service.'
'The volunteers are taught'
'to serve society selflessly.'
'Especially, during natural calamities,'
'to solve social problems'
'and to help the underprivileged.'
'Harmony.'
'It means'
'encouraging unity and oneness'
'among all the classes and castes in society.'
'It also aims to put an end to discrimination.'
'Patriotism. Love for the country'
'and dedication towards the country'
'form the core of the RSS ideology.'
'The volunteers are taught'
'to be proud of India's culture, history and traditions.'
'Cultural awareness.'
'The RSS stresses on preserving'
'India's culture and traditions'
'and promoting them.'
'Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.'
100 years ago, Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar
sowed the seed of this banyan tree.
And in 100 years, this tree
established new standards of faith, service and patriotism.
I hope that 'Kesariya @ 100',
this docu-series,
has inspired you.
With my best wishes,
I, Dr Nitish Bharadwaj,
bid you goodbye.
Goodbye! Jai Hind! Glory to Mother India!
"We think about bringing everyone together."
"With the help of new actions and practices,"
"you must finish incomplete tasks."
"No matter how many problems we face,"
"we must move ahead with no fear."
"We must do great deeds and make our nation proud."
"Your nation calls, adorn it with your love sincere."
"With faith and courage, in serving our nation, let us persevere."
"Why do you seek a ray of light?"
"You have immense hope and courage within yourself."
"Knowledge is your weapon. You are an example of bravery."
"Dreams are your strength. Your thinking drives you."
"You can win over everything in this world."
"Knowledge is your biggest strength."
"Your nation calls, adorn it with your love sincere."
"With faith and courage, in serving our nation, let us persevere."
"Kesariya!"