One Hundred Years of Certitude

THE RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK Sangh (RSS) turns 100 this year. It was founded on September 27, 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, called Doctorji by the Swayamsevaks. After a “hundred years of action” in society, RSS is going to celebrate its centenary through 2025 and also plan its future. It is likely to be a year of seminars and symposiums, publications, etc for RSS and its affiliated social groups. The Sangh’s successes and challenges will be discussed at the grassroots level. So, it’s not just RSS but the entire Sangh Parivar—including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), etc—that will be scrutinised.

The Sangh has been undergoing a positive qualitative transformation over the last few decades in the direction of including more and more sections of Indian society. It has evolved as a vibrant social reform movement but not aggressively, unlike other reform movements. In its century of existence, the Sangh has grown to work in society as per the ‘milk-and-sugar’ model described by Sunil Ambekar, the Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh. The model implies making society sweeter by diluting itself in it. With its seva karya (social work), RSS is bringing in various changes, including attitudinal shifts in India society. Through Vidya Bharati, its educational wing, and Seva Bharati, which works in social service, the Sangh is inspiring social changes.

Indian society has been changing fast since economic liberalisation. The Sangh has taken many steps to respond to these changing times. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat himself has taken socio-political positions that can influence qualitative change in India. It’s through this process that the Sangh tries to renew itself (punarnava). Always remaining punarnava poses challenges for RSS as a section of the Hindutva public might take time to appreciate and accept these changes.

For a coherent Bharatiya Samaj, the Sangh has been trying to include communities like Buddhists and Muslims in its fold too. This shift is difficult for certain sections of RSS’ members, especially the fringe.

The Sangh’s second challenge is stitching existing splits in society and controlling further splits. To this effect, Bhagwat had recently made an interventionist statement saying Hindus should not search and excavate temples under every mosque. The statement did cause some dissent but the redefinition of Hindutva—as inclusive and yuganukul (in keeping with the spirit of the times), an appropriate term suggested by Deendayal Upadhyaya—will be a challenge for the Sangh.

The third challenge is making Indian democracy futuristic, caring for not just humans but also all other species on the planet, including the trees and the rivers. The Sangh is already working on a social campaign for the mission of Panch Parivartan— samajik samarasata (social harmony), kutumb prabodhan (strengthening of families and family values), paryavaran jagrukata (environmental awareness), the insistence on ‘Swa’ (selfhood), and nagrik kartvya (citizen’s duties)—in its centenary year. Aggressive modernity has ruptured our family system, harmed the environment, and weakened social harmony due to the rise of identity politics. The challenge is to recover these social losses from a mistaken modernity.

The Sangh’s fourth challenge is forging a creative and sensitive balance between the state, market and society. RSS may play an important role in nurturing a positive interactive relationship among these.

This may be a year of re-envisioning for the Sangh cadres—for making the organisation a soluble sweetener for Indian society. Incidentally, the Communist Party of India (CPI) was also established in 1925. By their centenary, RSS has expanded across vast sections of Indian society while the communist parties have almost disappeared from sight. In 2025, this fact too may echo across the Indian public sphere.

futureIndian politicskutumb prabodhannagrik kartvyaPanch Parivartan—samajik samarasataparyavaran jagrukataRSSRSS-BJP