There was a time when speaking about the country was looked at with hate but that colonial mindset has now ended and India was moving towards intellectual freedom, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said on Monday.

He was addressing a gathering of teachers and professors at the 'Akhil Bharatiya Shishak Samman Samaroh' organised by Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shaishik Mahasangh here.

"When darkness goes away, then opposing powers do make some noise as they don't want to see the sun. We are the ones who love light and believe in bringing light. Society should neither be afraid nor bow down to opposing elements," he said at the event.

"The auspicious time to awaken the 'swa' (self) of Bharat has arrived. Hence, the correct history of India has to come forward," he said, adding that one guest at the event shared her experience of facing difficulties while writing a book on Ayodhya.

There are several such examples where students were stopped from pursuing Ph.D on subjects concerning "rashtra" (nation) and "rashtra sanskriti" (national culture), while some were not allowed to pursue Ph.D on the "correct history" of India, Hosabale said.

"I know many such incidents. There was a time when speaking about the country in the country itself was look at with hate. It was not considered wise to speak about 'rashtra' in the nation. The colonised mindset which continued for decades has now ended," he said.

"With efforts towards decolonisation, we are moving towards intellectual freedom. Hence, there is much need for intellectuals in this intellectual struggle," Hosabale added.

Underlining the importance of teachers in shaping the youth, he said it is now time for individual and mass efforts to make the country a 'vishwa guru'.

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