RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said those who came to India after the 1947 Partition were not "refugees" but "warriors of struggle" who sacrificed everything out of love for the country and their faith.
Addressing the 75th Foundation Day programme of the Sindhu Education Society in Nagpur, Bhagwat said people who migrated from the newly created Pakistan chose India despite leaving behind their homes, businesses and wealth built over generations.
"They were not refugees, though they were displaced, it was a wrong term used for them at that time. They were warriors (sangharshrath yodha) who struggled out of love for their motherland, out of love for their faith. They lost a battle, not because of their own faults alone. We, all of us, lost that battle to keep India united.
But what did they choose? They did not choose a career, they did not choose wealth. They chose the country, they chose their faith (dharma)," Bhagwat said.
He said those who crossed over after Partition consciously chose to live in Bharat, where they could practise their religion without fear.
Speaking on resilience, he said adversity should be met with determination rather than despair.
"One should not become helpless before circumstances or fate. A person who makes efforts (to come out of difficult times) is the one who ultimately succeeds, while the one who runs away from difficulties has already accepted defeat," he said.
Bhagwat also stressed that education should go beyond preparing students for employment and focus on building character and values.
He said value-based education helps individuals distinguish between right and wrong and is shaped not only by textbooks but also by teachers' conduct and the values they impart.
The ultimate purpose of education, he added, is to nurture good human beings committed to the welfare of society.
(With inputs from PTI)
