After ‘obedience is over’ remark, Bhagwat to meet 2,000 teens

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to interact with 2,000 teenagers in Mumbai on August 6 amid growing youth assertiveness

NEW DELHI: Days after saying that the era of unquestioned obedience was over and young people now sought reasons and logic, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will interact with nearly 2,000 teenagers in Mumbai on August 6, bringing him face to face with the generation he has urged elders to engage through dialogue rather than commands.The students, aged between 15 and 19, will come from schools and colleges across more than 100 cities. The interaction will be held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre as part of the 15th anniversary programme of India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN), a youth-led organisation.The event comes against the backdrop of growing youth assertion in the country, with students increasingly using social media and street protests to demand answers from governments and institutions. The recent agitation over irregularities in NEET-UG and other examinations has also brought questions of transparency, accountability and the role of young people in public debate to the centre stage.Bhagwat did not refer to any particular agitation while speaking recently about changing relations between generations. He had said that, unlike in the past, children today expect reasons, examples and explanations and must be engaged through regular conversation. The Mumbai interaction will, therefore, be watched for the issues raised by students and whether the session allows them to directly question the RSS chief on education, leadership, nation-building and social change.IIMUN founder Rishabh Shah said the gathering was aimed at creating a dialogue between senior leaders and young people.

“Leadership is not only about guiding the next generation, but also listening to it. At this critical juncture in India’s journey, we need this dialogue more than ever before,” Shah said.Bhagwat’s address will mark the opening of the organisation’s annual championship conference, where students will debate national and international issues. This year’s theme is “The Role of Youth in Uniting the World, the Indian Way”.