Rashtra Sevika Samiti more relevant today than even 90 years ago: Bansuri Swaraj

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj on Wednesday said the Rashtra Sevika Samiti is perhaps "more relevant today than it was even 90 years ago", saying it offers young women education, structure, camaraderie and sisterhood. She was addressing a 'Sankalp Diwas' programme organised by the Delhi Prant unit of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti on the birth anniversary of its founder, Lakshmibai Kelkar (Mausiji), at the Sir Shankar Lal Concert Hall here. National Commission for Women Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar attended as the chief guest, while RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Team member Mukul Kanitkar and Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) president V S Negi, Alka Inamdar, joint general secretary of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti were among those present. "...I was asked whether an organisation that now runs more than 4,300 branches and works in numerous areas, from education to disaster management and women's empowerment, remains relevant to today's youth. I replied that it is perhaps even more relevant today than it was 90 years ago," Swaraj said referring to the Rashtra Sevika Samiti. "The biggest challenge in life today is distraction... The kind of education, structure, camaraderie and sisterhood that young women need can be found in a Rashtra Sevika Samiti shakha," she said, urging young women to join the organisation. Swaraj said feminism and equality did not need to be "imported from the West" and asserted that Indian history was replete with examples of women's leadership and empowerment. "In our country, if someone is named Lakshmibai, she can go to the battlefield with her child tied to her back and fight for the country's freedom. And when another Lakshmibai came in 1936, she founded an organisation like the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, rooted in love for the nation," she said. She said when values and culture are spoken of, it does not mean that the modern aspirations are opposed. "It means that we want to ensure that women do not become disconnected from their roots while embracing modernity," she added. "I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi because he does not merely speak of women's empowerment. He speaks of "women-led development", meaning nation-building under the leadership of women, the BJP MP said. She also called upon young women not to turn away from politics, saying women's participation in policy-making and governance was essential. "Leadership is not limited to politics. Yet I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the Nari Shakti Vandan Act and opening the path for women's political empowerment," she said. "From this stage, I want to make an appeal to the young women of the country. Politics today is often described as a dirty job. But if it is dirty, whose responsibility is it to clean it? This country belongs to you," she added. Addressing the gathering, Rahatkar said the world would not judge India's strength solely by its economy but also by its values and the strength of its women. "If the nation is to be empowered, then the nation's 'matrishakti' must be organised," she said, recalling Lakshmibai Kelkar's vision and the founding of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti in 1936. Rahatkar said Lakshmibai Kelkar's life showed that "vision is greater than time" and while individuals pass on, their ideas continue to guide generations. "If someone asks what Mausiji's greatest legacy is, the answer would be: organisation, values, nation and all of you, the matrishakti (maternal power)," she said. She said a developed India could not remain merely the government's vision and must become the mission of the entire society. "The greatest strength of this mission is India's matrishakti. When values exist within families, there is harmony in society. When there is harmony in society, there is strength in the nation. And when the nation is strong, India will not merely become developed -- it will guide the world," she said. Calling for collective action, Rahatkar said, "Let us resolve to build an India where every daughter is safe, every woman is respected, every family is guided by values, and every citizen becomes a participant in nation-building." She said Lakshmibai Kelkar had not asked women "to stand against anyone" but had instead urged them to "stand for the nation", showing the path of "collaboration, not competition". Delhi Prant (Provincial) Sanchalika of the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti Charu Kalra and Sharanya president Anju Ahuja also shared the dais. PTI KSH KSS KSS