Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj showed us the way to push out invaders: Bhagwat

Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said it was Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who showed the way to expel invaders from the country. He was speaking at a function to release the book ‘Yughandhar Shivraya'. The author, Suman Tekade, passed away during the pandemic, and the book was published on his death anniversary.

"India had faced invasions since the time of Alexander. Later, as invaders disrupted the country's fabric, a number of efforts were taken to counter them. The Vijayanagar Empire was one of them. However, no relief was on the horizon. It was Shivaji Maharaj who achieved success and also showed the way to others. By the time of his coronation, India had begun throwing off the foreign yoke. Bundelkhand was free under the leadership of Maharaja Chhatrasal, and Durgadas Rathore united all the kings of Rajasthan. The Mughals could never step into their areas again," said Bhagwat.

Even in the east, the King of Cooch Behar Chakradhar Singh wrote to another ruler about throwing the invaders into the Bay of Bengal. This was because Shivaji Maharaj had shown the way, said Bhagwat.

The RSS chief also reiterated what he often mentions, that if at all RSS workers idolise any personality, it is Lord Hanuman, or Shivaji Maharaj from modern times. "RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and the two sarsanghachalaks MS Golwalkar and Balasaheb Deoras used to say that the organisation believes in principles and not individuals. However, if at all anyone can be an ideal to draw inspiration from, it can be Lord Hanuman or Shivaji Maharaj," he said.

Shivaji also promoted the ideas of justice for all social segments and equality. "Back in his era, Shivaji had presented a vision of preventing unjust distribution of wealth, which people these days may call socialist or progressive. At the same time, he also had full clarity about the nation and its structure, which was non-negotiable," said Bhagwat on Wednesday.

Bhagwat said, so much did Shivaji inspire the generations to come that even Rabindranath Tagore wrote about him. Even a South Indian actor who played the role got the Shivaji suffixed before his original name, which was simply Ganesan before that, said Bhagwat.