The RSS: An Overview

The present book explores the multi dimensional role being played by the RSS in the socio-cultural and political development of the country under the title the RSS: An Overview It is a pioneer research work, which is based on primary and secondary sources. This book gives interesting and vivid information about the organization, ideology. constructive role in the freedom struggle, etc.

The emergence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1925 was an epoch-making event in the history of India. It was founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar at Nagpur on Vijaya Dashami, day as a part of the movement against the British The main purpose behind its formation was to unite Hindus to mobilize them to wage a strenuous fight to rid India of colonial rule and to organize Hindus against external dangers of Islam, Christianity, and other outside creeds which the organizers felt were tending to denationalize Hindus. It has unflinching constant and unequivocal belief in Hindutva. internal humanism, national security and integration, positive secularism cow protection, character building and in the overall development of the country.

The RSS is a pro-Hindu cadre based socio-cultural organization which has a strong social base with its mooring spread across the country in a tangible way. It occupies a distinct position and is force to rekon with that wields the levers of the power in an overt and covert way. Moreover, it has a very effective and sound organizational structure from village level to the all India level, and has a highly committed and dedicated cadre for politics and ethno religious mobilization. At present, it has more than 59,226 shakhas (branches) with more than 6 million members, many of whom are active Karyavaha, Mukhya Shikshak, Seva Pramukh, etc... and are fully devoted to the Sangh.

The RSS has played a significant role in the freedom movement and national integration of India. After its inception, it actively took part in the Gandhian movements and many leaders and swayamsevaks went to jail. Dr. Hedgewar and Dr. Golwalkar not. only expanded the organization during the national movement but also set an example of discipline among the swayamsevaks, who were always prepared to sacrifice themselves at the altar of the nation. The then Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel secured Golwalkar's help to convince Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir to merge his princely state with India. When Indian troops were invited by the Maharaja, the Indian military provided arms to swayamsevaks. The military commander of the Delhi region also sought help from the RSS in maintaining law and order in September 1947.

Dr. Gopal Parshad is currently working as Associate Professor and Head of the Department of History at the Institute of Integrated and Honors Studies, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. He is also working as Deputy Director (additional charge), Centre for Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Studies, Kurukshetra University. He has more than twenty eight years' experience of teaching and research to his credit. His thrust area of interest for research is Modem History of India. He has guided seven students for M. Phil and three students for Ph. D degrees. He has written extensively on the Political, Social and Economic History of Modern India and authored 'Industrial Development in Northern India (1858-1918): A Study of De Punjab and Haryana' (2005), "Modes of Agriculture: A Study of Haryana and Punjab' (2019), Social Harmony and Nation Building: Perspective of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (2019), Revisiting Bhimrao Ambedkar: A Study of Social and Political Justice (2019) and Value-Based Electoral Politics of BJP (2020). Moreover, 18 books of History for undergraduate classes and 26 research articles published in national and international journals have also flowed from his pen. His active participation in national and international conferences is also testified by the fact that he has presented as many as 38 research papers in such conferences. His multifarious interests in various academic and other important activities are corroborated by his ability and initiative power in successfully organizing a number of seminars, workshops, conferences and quiz competitions. He has also chaired and co chaired the various sessions of national and international conferences. He is also the member of Indian History Congress and Punjab History Conference. His name figures on the panels of various committees of the University such as U. G. and P. G. Board of Studies, Inspection Committee, Observer, Selection Committee, Unfair Means Committee, and Complaint Committee. His prolific writings and wide ranging academic interests give us a fairly good ideas about his eminent personality.

This book explores the contribution of the RSS to the socio cultural and political development of the country under the title 'The RSS An Overview'. This study has impelled me to concentrate on the origin, ideology, organization, role national movement and role in politics of the RSS. The role of the RSS in National Movement and Indian politics has not been adequately explored in the right perspective. Indeed, some scholarly pursuits in the field of history and political science with special thrust on social, cultural and political activities of the RSS have, no doubt, been undertaken But historical process highlighting the changes in the nature and growth of the RSS has not been explored exhaustively and analytically by the researchers so far. True, the books The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics, 1925 to the 1990s by Christophe Jaffrelot (1993), The RSS's Tryst With Politics From Hedgewar to Sudarshan by Pralay Kanungo (2002) and The Brotherhood in Saffron: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Revivalism by Walter K. Andersen & Shridhar D. Damle (2019) could be regarded as laudable attempts in this However, these works do not deal with the period and the theme in question. Moreover, Rakesh Sinha's book Understanding RSS (2019) and Sunil Ambekar's The RSS Roadmaps for the 21" Century (2019) also do not deal with the period and the thrust area in question. Hence, the present study is a modest endeavour to bridge this existing gap.

The early indication of Hindu mobilization came to be seen in the nineteenth century as an ideological reaction to the British domination, giving rise to 'neo-Hinduism'. After the establishment of the East India Company rule in Bengal, the British provided the services to compradors as well as to the local upper Hindu castes, who were mostly Brahmins. For this purpose, they introduced modern education in India. Soon thereafter, the new elite of the upper caste British-trained white-collared workers started emerging in the country. Most of the members of this elite class regarded the Western rule as a threat to Indian society. This was the reason why these people wanted to transform the old traditions to some extent without abandoning or abolishing them altogether. Hindu revivalism was started by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Swami Vivekananda, etc.

Newly emerging Hindu middle classes during the colonial rule emphasized the social, economic and political freedom for the citizens. They sought to reform the inherited religious traditions in view of the new norms of rationality, justice and progress which accorded with their class aspirations. In such changed circumstances, a number of Hindu outfits were established in north India At the same time, nationalism which emerged in India as an instrument to wage an anti-imperialist struggle against the British rule acquired a revivalist dimension because of the need to contest the hegemony of the British at the cultural level. Aurbindo Ghosh, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai and Madan Mohan Malaviya, V. D. Savarkar, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, etc. played a significant role in the revivalism and emergence of Hindu nationalism. It is held that the growth of Muslim communalism, especially after the formation of Muslim League in 1906, was causing a serious concern to some Hindus. After that, a broad unity on the basis of a new community consciousness took an organizational form, which led to the establishment of a number of Hindu organisations in various parts of the country during the British rule.

It would be no exaggeration to say that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) occupies the most distinguished space among the socio-cultural organizations operating across the world. Its contribution to ensuring all round development of the country, be it socio-cultural field, upliftment of the tribals, awakening and fostering of nationalistic fervour or promoting national unity and solidarity is so fabulous that it is indescribable in words. This assertion can conclusively be substantiated by the statistics of its strength. The number of daily Shakhas, Saptahik Milans, and Sangh Mandals or monthly Shakhas of the RSS is more than 59,000, 17,000 and 8,000 respectively. A large number of youth after completion of their educational degrees are working as full time workers (Pracharaks). This number is more than 6,000 at present. Is has more than 50 affiliates and more than 6 million members. At about 31,000 places more than 1.65 lakh projects are run by its members. It has expanded its wings in 39 countries including United States, England, Middle East, etc. This statistics clearly indicates it's strength.

The RSS was founded, after years of deliberation and patient. preparation, in 1925 by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (Doctorji) at Nagpur on Vijaya Dashami day as a part of the national movement against the British. The main purpose behind floating this organization was to mobilize Hindus and forge unity and solidarity among them so that they might emerge a force to reckon with in the mission to liberate the country from the shackles of British colonial rule. At the same time, the RSS endeavoured to unite the Hindus under one banner so that the assaults on its socio cultural identity from the western civilization be resisted vigorously to preserve the pristine glory of its culture.

The organizational structure of the RSS is like a pyramid in which Sarsanghchalak (supreme director), who manages Akhil Bharatiya Sabha, is on the top and daily shakhas are at the bottom. In middle, units like kshetras, prantas, vibhags, zilas, nagars and mandals work at the zonal, state, division, district, city and block levels respectively. Dr. Hedgewar and his successors believed that character-building through shakha system could help in achieving the desired goal of socio-economic and political transformation of India. Those who have had RSS training feel enthused and motivated individually to renovate Indian society.

The RSS is not against any community may be Muslims or Christians, etc., but it usually takes up cudgels against their policy of separatism and also their insidious attempt to undermine the demographic structure of India by enticing the Hindus to embrace Muslims religion. Before independence, it was aware of all these negative developments, and it played its role very consciously and enthusiastically to ensure that India remains predominantly a Hindu Rashtra. In the policy framework of the RSS, the attempt for consolidating the unity of Hindus is vigorously made, but it also maintains that secularism should be interpreted as quality for all religions and appeasement for none.

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