All communities support their volunteer organisations, which work to uplift the poor, spread their philosophy and undertake social work. Christians have their missionaries, they run charities in underdeveloped countries, work for the needy, and spread education the Christian way. Sikhs do sewa, and feed the hungry through langars run out of gurudwaras. Muslims provide free Islamic education to children through madrassas. Hinduism, despite pre-dating all the above religions and individuals engaging in the activities of service to the society, did not have a similar platform for such cooperation and coordination, until 1925, when the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was launched by a Maharashtrian doctor, Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur.
‘Swayamsevak’ means selfless worker, and the idea behind the RSS was selfless service to society, the Hindu way. The founder “anticipated the need for strengthening the foundations of the Hindu society and preparing it for challenges on social, economic, cultural, religious, philosophical and political planes”. As the RSS celebrates its centenary year, let us decode the philosophy behind the organisation. How it has maintained relevance over the years in spite of challenges posed by the malicious campaigns run by biased individuals and institutions.
Foundations of nationalism
RSS was established to give the nationalist movement a strong cultural foundation. Our centuries old ancient civilisations, which were based on the tenets of dharma, ahimsa and bhakti, were losing their voice in the clamour of colonialism. Muslims in pre-Independence India, despite having the same ancestry and DNA and ethnicity as the rest of the country, were convinced that a pro-caliphate movement called the Khilafat movement best represented their interests. It suited the British imperialist philosophy of divide and rule.
RSS sought to unite the people of India under a cultural umbrella, under the aegis of a nationalist movement, and this did not sit very well with the elitists who had eschewed their cultural identity in favour of aping the West with their foreign education and their exposure to Western values. Turning their backs on their rich heritage, they were schooled to believe that Indian values were primitive and backward and the country could only be saved by denouncing the Hindu way of life. In fact, so threatened were the leaders of the Indian National Congress (INC), that they prohibited their members from joining the RSS cadres. Taking pride in one’s national identity was the foundation stone of the RSS.
Cultural connection
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a Hindu nationalist argued that culturally, all inhabitants of this glorious ancient land share the same cultural identity and ancestry. He promoted the ideology of ‘Hindutva’, meaning the people of Hind (the land beyond the Indus River). This ideology aimed to unite all these culturally connected people, without discrimination on the basis of caste, creed , colour or religion. Hindutva included not just followers of the Hindu religion, but also atheists, Jains, Buddhists, Dalits, Sikhs, tribals, nature worshippers, and followers of Islam and Christianity.
Discipline and development
The very foundation of the RSS is rooted in discipline and dedication, inspired by the Vedic traditions. Shakhas or branches sprouted all over the country after the first shakha was established in Nagpur in 1925. They promoted discipline by getting together a bunch of young men in an ‘assembly’ type of gathering where they engaged in indigenous games, some yoga via Surya Namaskars, listened to some pravachan (positive discourses by learned people) and then sang the national anthem or the Swayamsevak anthem, quite similar to the system of ‘morning assembly’ conducted in all schools or educational institutions.
There were also discussions on topics of national and international significance, creating an exposure for the ‘swayamsevaks’(participants) to current affairs and politics. The meetings would end with a resounding non-denominational cry of Bharat Mata ki Jai or Hail the Motherland, going back to centuries of traditional association of Mother Earth. My grandfather was a Pracharak—a senior leader who leads a shakha. I would watch him don the attire of the RSS, khakhi shorts and white baniyan, and head out early in the mornings to participate in the shakha, he came back energised and invigorated to face the day.
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United we stand, divided we fall
The westernised elitist leaders of the Indian National Congress were busy hobnobbing with the British and disdaining their own history. Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘friendships’ with the imperialist British Rulers has been a subject of much discussion.
What is not common knowledge is that he was able to leverage his ‘associations’ with the powers that be to get access for his ailing wife in a Swiss Sanitorium and was released from the jail ahead of completion of his jail term by close to a year so that he could accompany his wife for her treatment. Sarvarkar and Hedgewar, both freedom fighters, were incarcerated during the war for Independence, in much worse conditions than Nehru. Yet Savarkar’s incarceration at Kaala Paani has been glossed over, as it did not serve the Congress narrative of ‘anti-national’ RSS.
Nehru’s hunger for power and interest to hold on to the chair is indicative of the demand for separate homeland for Muslims by the Muslim League. Rather than making space for Jinnah at the top, it was Nehru’s actions and Jinnah’s ambition that promulgated the divide and rule policies of the British, and ultimately led to a very bloody Partition of India. The Western media continued to lap up the anti-RSS rhetoric, portraying them as cow-worshipping, sun bathing heathens, the very same ideologies are now finding voice in the West. RSS was punished throughout the history of Independent India for being too nationalist. Being a nascent organisation and its membership composed primarily of middle-class Hindus, RSS never had the financial wherewithal to combat the narrative set against them.
Foundations of history
RSS was established to unite the nation and the people of Bharat under a cultural flag based on the history and geographic boundaries of this ancient land. The idea was to promote patriotism and a deep sense of pride in our ageless beliefs while grounding ourselves in our own traditions. Hundred years after the launch of the RSS, Hedgewar stands vindicated as the world today accepts that the tenets of Hinduism as a valuable resource and people in the West start to embrace the philosophies of Bharat.
Yoga is our biggest export and it is heartening to see Yoga Day being celebrated in far flung corners of Latin America, Canada, Europe and Australia. The enunciation of the Hindu divine chant ‘Om’ as the primordial sound has resonated globally. Medical studies have been conducted to show that a sensation of vibration is experienced during audible ‘OM’ chanting. This has the potential for vagus nerve stimulation through its auricular branches and the effects on the brain thereof. Vegetarianism is becoming a popular choice to combat global warming and the effects of methane on climate change have been well documented.
India’s food consumption patterns have been declared to be the most sustainable by a 2024 World Wildlife Fund Report and it has been suggested that the world embrace India’s eating habits to combat climate change. Today, as the world embraces the Bhartiya way of life, we owe it to the RSS for highlighting on the world’s stage, the traditions that bind our generations.
Modern day values
As we see how modern day values are engulfing our society, RSS ideologies are ever-more valuable. The fabric of our society is being shredded by drugs, exhibitionism, voyeurism, porn—all social ailments impacting the whole world. It has become even more imperative to embrace the discipline of RSS. Shakhas to impart Indian values and familiarise the youth with Indian culture.
Sangh is engaged in many different social activities and the term used for the same is called prakalps. RSS today runs more than a million of them. The work under these prakalps could wary from cleanliness to climate change, from education to empowerment and from health to water. All these prakalps are voluntary services and have a strong volunteer spirit of the community to back up such activities.
RSS has a very strong women’s wing in addition to the presence of women in all these prakalps or service activities. Women are organised separately under the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, with its own area of work, from parivar prabodhan (family counselling) to Medhavi Sindhu Srijan (women intellectuals). There’s not an area of life where a swayam sewak or sevika is not present and thus it is only appropriate to say that they are serving Ma Bharti by serving and working in all walks of life.
I would like to conclude by mentioning the Sangh’s prayer, which describes the innate ability and desire of all swayam sewaks.
नमस्ते सदा वत्सले मातृभूमे
त्वया हिन्दुभूमे सुखं वर्धितोऽहम्।
महामङ्गले पुण्यभूमे त्वदर्थे
पतत्वेष कायो नमस्ते नमस्ते ।।1।।
I bow to you my motherland,
You are the one who has provided me with all the luxuries and comforts, I bow to your grace my pious motherland and pray that I continue to serve you till eternity.
Meenakshi Lekhi is a BJP leader, lawyer, and social activist. Her X handle is @M_Lekhi. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
RSS economics continues to damage India just like socialism.