True Service Free Of Ego, Fear & Self-Interest: RSS Chief Bhagwat

Nagpur: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said true service begins only when a person forgets self-interest, while warning that much of what passes for seva today is driven by ego, fear or electoral ambition rather than genuine selflessness. Bhagwat was speaking at the inauguration of the Gangadharrao Fadnavis Memorial Diagnostic Centre, an initiative named after CM Devendra Fadnavis' late father. On Gangadharrao Fadnavis, Bhagwat said he worked with complete honesty and without selfish motive, and because of this, his work was never touched by personal interest.The RSS chief said the highest form of service was to absorb others' suffering into oneself without expectation of return. He listed hope of reward, ego and fear as three unsustainable motivations for service. "Once self-interest is fulfilled, a person quietly withdraws," he said. Taking a veiled dig at electoral seva, he noted that service organisations often swell with participants around election time, but the real test was how many remained committed after the votes were counted.Bhagwat said service was not charity but a duty, and one that purified the person performing it. "Through service, this purity of thought is maintained. Because in service, we forget ‘I' and ‘mine'," he said and added that the one whom we serve actually does us a favour. "We are not doing a favour to them," he said.On what true service demanded, Bhagwat said its purpose was to turn the tears of suffering into tears of joy, and that the person who strove for this was truly a saintly individual. He urged those present not to wait for large opportunities. "It is not necessary that one must achieve something big. Even small things can be done," he said, citing the example of caring for the education and health of children of domestic workers. Consistent small contributions in education, health and employment, Bhagwat added, would reduce existing gaps and accelerate national progress.Recalling his close association with Gangadharrao Fadnavis, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said he contested the West Nagpur assembly election while still in his third year of law, staying at Gangadharrao's house and eating meals there. "I fought that election under his guidance," Gadkari said. The city MP added that Gangadharrao made significant contributions to expanding the BJP's work in Nagpur during years when electoral success seemed almost impossible. Highlighting gaps in diagnostic healthcare, Nitin Gadkari said, "After AIIMS became operational, we believed there would be no further shortage, but today even that infrastructure is falling short." Gadkari added that conditions in many govt hospitals remain inadequate, often forcing economically weaker patients to seek treatment at private facilities and bear high costs. MLC Sandip Joshi, who is a close aide of CM Fadnavis, led the project. Fadnavis said it was an honour to have the facility dedicated to his father's memory.