UNDERSTANDING

RSS
(RASHTRIYA
SWAYAMSEWAK
SANGH)

M.G. Vaidya

Vichar Vinimay Prakashan

T-2263, Ground Floor, Ashoka Pahari,
Faiz Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005
Tel. - 011 - 28754271, 28754935
E-mail: [email protected]
UNDERSTANDING
RSS

Writer :
M.G.Vaidya

© Writer

Publisher :
Vichar Vinimay Prakashan
T-2263, Ground Floor, Ashoka Pahari,
Faiz Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005
Tel. - 011 - 28754271, 28754935
E-mail : [email protected]

ISBN : 978-81-930892-3-1

First Edition :
September 2015

Price : 20.00
 Contents

1. Keshav - The Patriot 5

2. Working for the public cause 11

3. The founding of RSS 15

4. Coining the name 19

5. Swayamsewak 23

6. Rashtriya 27

7. Sangh program 33

8. The growth of RSS 37

9. The methodology of Sangh functioning 42

Appendix - 1. Sarsanghachalaks of RSS 46

Appendix - 2. RSS Prarthana 53

Appendix - 3. Ekatmata Mantra 55

 Keshav - The Patriot

Our Sangh’s full name is Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh.

It was established on the Vijayadashami day (Dussehra), in 1925,
at Nagpur by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.

Who was this Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar?

Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar was born in an ordinary

Brahmin family on the Ugadi day (New Year Day) in 1889. Dr.
Hedgewar had two elder brothers. The name of his eldest brother
was Mahadev Shastri and the name of the second brother was
Sitaram Shastri. Dr. Hedgewar was the youngest of the family.

The Hedgewar family’s roots were in Telangana Region

(Andhra) from where they had migrated and settled in Nagpur.
Doctorji was born in Nagpur. Doctorji’s father was a priest by
profession. Though the family was not wealthy in terms of money,
they never had any feeling of inadequacy. They were blessed with
the wealth of great values - self-respect and family pride. Doctorji
(Keshav) imbibed the virtue of self-respect along with his mother’s
milk itself.

Here is a casual, yet symptomatic incident that happened in

the year 1897. England’s Queen Victoria had completed her 60th
year of coronation to the throne and The British Empire had decided
to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the coronation on a grand scale,
with pomp and gaiety. At that time, our country, Hindustan, was a
slave and dependent nation, ruled by the British. The British
6 | Understanding RSS

Government had ordered for celebrations on a grand scale in

Hindustan also. As per the order, Government buildings were
decorated with lights, speeches eulogising the Queen were made in
schools and colleges. Also sweets were distributed to the children
in schools, and the school where Keshav studied was one among
them. All the children ate the sweets except Keshav, who threw it
away into the dustbin. Keshav was not interested in celebrating an
event in commemoration of the coronation of a foreign ruler. Do
you know how old Keshav was then? Just Eight years old! Even at
that young age, he had the fierce spirit of patriotism glowing in him.
There is a similar incident from his life in the next four years.

Keshav was just twelve in 1901, when King Edward VII

became the king of England upon the demise of Queen Victoria.
King of England meant the Emperor of Hindustan, too. So the
coronation was celebrated with the same pomp in Hindustan, as in
England. There was a textile mill in Nagpur by the name ‘Empress
Mill’. It is not there now. The factory management decided to
celebrate this occasion on a grand scale, by profusely decorating
the factory premises and entertaining the people with fireworks at
night. A large number of people had gathered to see the event,
including very many children. It was the entertainment that appealed
to all of them. However, Keshav did not go. His friends compelled
him to accompany them to watch the show. He refused, saying that
it was really shameful to celebrate the coronation of a foreign ruler.
Such was the degree of patriotism displayed by Keshav at that
young an age.

After completing his primary education, Keshav was admitted

to Neil City High School for learning English education (presently
Neil City High School is known as Dada Saahab Dhanvate School).

Keshav was dismissed from this school. Do you know the

fact and the reason behind it? To know and fully comprehend it, we
 Understanding RSS | 7

need to look at the circumstances prevailing then.

Year 1905 witnessed turbulent upheavals in our country. Lord

Curzon was the Viceroy of our country then. The Viceroy was the
representative for the King of England and he ruled the colony as if
he were a King himself. He ordered the partition of Bengal province.
People strongly protested against this order. Though the partition
was only related to Bengal, it ignited protests all over the nation.
Around the same time, the slogan ‘Vandemataram’ had started
inspiring people. The song Vandemataram had appeared in the novel
‘Anand Matha,’ authored by late Bankim Chandra. The song
extolls the glory of our Bharat Mata. During the partition of Bengal,
people listened to this song and started singing it. It got deeply instilled
in their minds.

Vandemataram means “Hey Bharat Mata, I salute you!”

This slogan kindled patriotic fervour in crores of our countrymen.
The slogan symbolized the people’s protests of anger against the
British rule, in the cities and villages of our country. The British
government banned shouting of the slogan Vandemataram and
punished whoever chanted it. However, the ever increasing protests
caused the British government to abort the partition plan of Bengal.

How unfortunate was our country? Within 40 years of this

victory, we accepted the partition of Bengal.

In 1905, it was an offence to protest against the partition of

Bengal, from the perspective of the British Government. At that
point of time, Vandemataram had created a wave of national
consciousness across the nation. How could the students of Neil
City High School stay away? They too joined the protests with
enthusiasm.

In 1908, Keshav Hedgewar, who was doing his

8 | Understanding RSS

Matriculation, formulated a plan. An educational officer from the

Government was about to visit the school for inspection. The students
decided that they would welcome the official with the slogan
Vandemataram. Accordingly, when the inspecting official stepped
into the Matric class, he was greeted with the cries of
Vandemataram. He went to the next class; the greeting continued
there too. The officer stopped the inspection and lelt in a huff. An
enquiry into the incident was started. Investigations as to who was
behind the plan and who was the leader were made. However,
nobody revealed anything. So, the Headmaster announced the
decision to dismiss all the students of both classes from the school.
However, all the students boycotted the school protesting against
this decision. Finally, the parents and school management came to
an agreement. It was decided that the Headmaster would ask each
student whether he had committed any mistake and the student
would simply nod his head in answer to this. As per the answer, the
students would be allowed to attend the classes without any
punishment. As per the decision, the students were questioned
individually and then re-admitted to the school. However, Keshav
Hedgewar, neither nodded his head nor accepted what happened
was a mistake at all. Hence, only Keshav was rusticated from the
school.

At that time, a nationalistic school - ‘Vidyagruh’ had been

established in Yavatmal (district headquarters of Vidarbha) through
the efforts of Sri Bapuji Ane and Sri Baba Sahab Paranjape.
Keshav Hedgewar got admission into this school. Unfortunately,
before Keshav could appear for Matriculation, the school attracted
British Government’s ire and got closed. These hurdles did not
impede Keshav, who was very determined. He went to Pune with
some of his friends. Around the same time, some nationalists had
established a National University in Kolkata. The Matriculation exam
of that university was scheduled for July. Keshav and two of his
 Understanding RSS | 9

friends decided to appear for that exam. He started intense

preparations for the same. The exam centre was in Amaravati.
Keshav and his friends went to Amaravati and attended the exams.

In 1909, Keshav Hedgewar successfully passed his

matriculation. Do you know who signed his matriculation certificate?
It was Ras Bihari Bose; the same Ras Bihari Bose, who had gone
to Japan to run Bharat’s freedom movement and who helped Netaji
Subhashchandra Bose in every possible way to establish the
Indian National Army.
10 | Understanding RSS
 Understanding RSS | 11

Working for the public cause

At that time, Kolkata was the nucleus of the revolutionary

freedom movement. Keshav Hedgewar had got acquainted with
some of the revolutionaries in Nagpur itself and he was one of the
associates. In Kolkata, there was a popular revolutionary group
called ‘Anusheelan Samiti’. Keshav Hedgewar naturally became
a member of this group, on reaching Kolkata. Keshav Hedgewar
joined the National Medical College in Kolkata to become a doctor.
And his Medical education and revolutionary activities commenced
at the simultaneously.

In 1916, Keshav Hedgewar returned to Nagpur as Dr. Keshav

Hedgewar. However, he neither established a practice nor got
married and started a family. He did not return to Kolkata because
the First World War was taking place in Europe then. England was
fully embroiled in the war. The revolutionaries were planning to
take full advantage of this scenario and wanted to add more fuel to
the fire. These plans did not succeed. The war came to an end in
1918, with England emerging victorious. England became more
powerful and it was almost impossible to wage an armed revolution
against the British Empire. One thing became clear; it was
impossible to free a big country like Hindustan from the clutches
of the British by sacrificing a few lives. To attain freedom it was
inevitable to awakening the national consciousness of the entire
people. At that time, Congress was the only political organisation in
the country. It was established to fight for a few rights of the people
of Bharat from the British Government through appeals and
12 | Understanding RSS

representations. In Congress sessions, resolutions supporting the

British Government were invariably passed first before the
resolutions demanding people’s rights were moved.

Lokmanya Tilak brought about a radical change in the Congress

ideology. He proclaimed that the country wanted complete
independence and not merely certain rights. He coined the slogan:
‘Independence is my birthright’. This slogan radically altered the
atmosphere in the Congress and gave a fresh lease of enthusiasm
to the people. However, this also led to a split in the Congress into
two groups. One group was called moderates while the other,
extremists. In Congress, the moderates group had more members
than the extremists. Their politics was in support of the British
Government. The general public was attracted towards the
extremists group. Lokmanya Tilak was rightfully respected and
was well-known for his political views. The British Government
could not digest the public love for Tilak. It filed a case against
Tilak, citing some of the articles written by him in the newspapers.
He was imprisoned for 6 years and sent to Mandalay prison in
Brahmadesh (Myanmar). He was released from the jail in 1914.
During those 6 years, the politics of extremists had cooled down a
lot. Lokmanya Tilak restarted his work with the chanting of yet
another slogan, ‘Punashcha Hari Om’. He received a lot of support
from the youth of the nation and Dr. Hedgewar from Nagpur was
one of his chief supporters. Eventually, Dr. Hedgewar became a
Congress leader.

There was a group called ‘Rashtriya Mandal’ in Nagpur,

and Dr. Moonje and Barrister Abhyankar were its members. Dr.
Hedgewar enrolled himself into this group and was its youngest
member. It was decided to hold a Congress session at Nagpur in
December 1920. Dr. Hedgewar was given the responsibility of
making arrangements for this session. Members of Rashtriya
Mandal wanted Lokmanya Tilak to become the President of
 Understanding RSS | 13

Congress. Their wish might have come true but for the unfortunate
and quite unexpected death of Lokmanya Tilak on August 1st,
1920. The leadership baton of Congress was thus passed on to
Mahatma Gandhi.

The entire nation got drawn towards Congress because of its

two successful agenda : Non-cooperation to British Government
and the call to use of Swadeshi goods. Doctorji also plunged himself
into these programmes. He travelled from one village to another,
making speeches to ignite the spark of independence (Swaraj) in
the minds of people. The British Government was annoyed with
the speeches of Doctorji and charged him with treason. He was
punished with one year of imprisonment. He was released from
prison on July 12th, 1922.

Though Doctorji participated in Gandhiji’s Non-cooperation

and Swadeshi movements, he was not in agreement with Gandhiji’s
policy on Muslims. When Mahatmaji started insisting on Hindu-
Muslim unity for securing independence, Doctorji voiced his
objections to Mahatmaji. He expressed that India was a land of
multiple religions - Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Jews
and asked Mahatmaji as to why he was talking only about unity
among the first two. He also brought home the fact that even before
coining of the phrase ‘Hindu-Muslim unity’, many Muslims had
joined Congress and were taking part in the Independence struggle.
Mahatmaji replied that by talking about Hindu-Muslim unity, he
was building love and affection in the minds of Muslims for the
nation. Doctorji was not convinced by this reply, and yet he
continued to work for Congress.

World War - I ended in 1918. Turkey had sided with Germany

in the war and was defeated. As a result, Turkey was split into
many parts. The Turkish emperor was also the ‘Khalipha’, the
religious head the Muslims all over the world. With the defeat of
14 | Understanding RSS

the Empire, the emperor also lost his title and role. Turkey came
under a new nationalist rule and Kamal Pasha became the President
of the country. He ended the Khaliphate. The ultra-orthodox Muslims
started opposing the British and Kamal Pasha. All was fine till then
in India. Mahatmaji wanted to pull Muslims into the independence
movement and get them involved in it. Mahatmaji started a
movement all across the nation to mobilise support for re-establishing
the Khaliphate. This was called as Khilafat movement.

The Khilafat movement was a flop because Muslims in Turkey

themselves did not like the Khalipha. The failure of this movement
had an undesirable effect in our country. Hindustani Muslims felt
closer to a different country. Muslim orthodoxy got emboldened to
such an extent that Muslims started attacking Hindus to avenge
the failure of Khilafat movement. The Mooplah rebellion in Kerala
was one such horrifying example. During this barbarous campaign
of bigotry, Muslims killed more than 1500 Hindus and forcefully
converted more than 20,000 Hindus to Islam. Numerous ladies
committed suicide by jumping into the wells to protect themselves
from getting raped.
 Understanding RSS | 15

The founding of RSS

After seeing the bitter results of Congress’s Muslim

appeasement policy. Dr. Hedgewar started thinking on a new line.

The country had to obtain independence. Doctorji felt that

this could not be possible only with the stand-alone violent protests
of revolutionaries. So he did not continue with those activities.
Congress was creating awareness in the general public about the
importance of freedom. Doctorji felt that this awareness was
important but not enough. He strongly felt that there must be a
complete uprising against the British Government.

A conscious society creates fellowship and it helps. When it

comes to the actual fighting for the rights on the street, only a very
few come forward and not the entire society. This is the case with
any Independence movement. Only some have ‘fighting for
independence’ as their goal of life. They lead a disciplined life and
aren’t afraid of making any sacrifice or even embracing death. The
society at large stands bv them with a sympathetic view to help
them in all circumstances. This is the pre-condition to win the fight
for independence.

To illustrate, there are icebergs in the oceans. Generally, only

the tip-l/8th -of the iceberg is visible on the surface. The remaining 7/
8th is invisible as it is underneath the ocean’s surface. When a ship hits
this l/8th portion of the iceberg, it breaks. How is it possible for a small
iceberg to have so much strength? The visible l/8th iceberg is completely
attached to the remaining 7/8th iceberg, which is under the surface.
16 | Understanding RSS

Due to the efforts of Congress, there was awareness in the

society, but the society did not feel a strong kinship with the martyrs
who led the protests from the front. Gandhiji did not have the time
to establish that relationship. This was the main reason for the failure
of the ‘Quit India’ movement, in 1942. When Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose’s army reached the frontiers, the entire nation had
lost the vigour to fight against the British. It was the time for a
nationwide revolution but the leaders were in jail and were thinking
about modes of getting out. (I have presented the scenario available
in 1942 after Doctorji’s death, so as to enable the readers to get an
insight into his thought process.) Doctorji was deeply pondering
over yet another issue - A handful of British had come traversing
thousands of miles to Bharat without any army. They had come
only with weighing scales to do trade; but yet they managed to win
the entire nation. What a big surprise? Who won this nation for
them? Doctorji understood that we ourselves only had enabled them
to win our nation. We had become soldiers in their army. We had
also become their officers and administrators.

Doctorji saw Jalianwalabagh massacre, happening during

his lifetime. In Jalianwalabagh, two thousand people were shot
dead on the orders of a British officer. Jalainwalabagh was a big
around in the city of Amritsar in Punjab. This ground was surrounded
by a compound wall on all four sides, with only one narrow entrance.
A large meeting was being held to protest against the British
government. The government decided to disrupt this meeting. The
people had gathered and the meeting had the maiden speech had
just begun, when a British officer ordered the policemen to shoot at
the crowd. Thousands of people were killed and only those who
crawled like animals could manage to escape.

Who shot them? Only our own people did it. The British officer
might have given the orders, but only our people did the actual
shooting. Both the killers and the killed were our people. Who were
 Understanding RSS | 17

the commanders and soldiers of foreign invaders from Arabia, Iraq

and Afghanistan? Again, only our people. Our people showed the
way to Mohammad Ghaznavi. Mansingh was Akbar’s commander,
and ‘Mirza’ Raja Jaisingh was Aurangzeb’s commander. Shivaji’s
father, Shahaji, was a senior official in Nizam Shah’s court in the
beginning and then he became an officer in Adil Shah’s court. These
people were very intelligent leaders. But why did they do such
things? If leaders themselves were like this, one could imagine the
condition of ordinary people.

Doctorji was thinking about these issues for quite some time.
These thoughts were disturbing him a lot, which ultimately led
him to focus on one thought - getting organised is a must for the
society. There should be an organisation of those who love the
nation. He felt that all the people should realize their identity,
become aware of the actual friends/foe, and remember all this
forever. An organisation doesn’t mean just the aggregate of people
or a big crowd. We can see such crowds in a fair or a carnival.
Even in a market, many people come together. An organisation
means coming together of devoted people with specific ideas and a
common behavior. But who could infuse the people with such a
spirit?

Naturally, there are two places where value-based learning is

possible-one, in one’s own home and another, in the school. Values
were taught at home but they were restricted to the family level; it
does not assume a social or national dimension. Schools were just
centres that fed information for the purpose of passing the exams.
These trends continue even today.

Hence Doctorji felt the need to adopt a completely different

system. Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh and its method of
working were products of this thought process of Doctorji. Once
he decided this, Doctorji relieved himself of all other social
18 | Understanding RSS

responsibilities. He was holding a position in Congress and he could

have attained higher positions had he continued there. However
Doctorji never allowed himself to fall a victim to that temptation.

Whom did he take along? He knew that only those who are
with fresh minds could be taught. Hence he organized a team of
10-12 year old youngsters. At that time, Doctorji was 36 years old.
People felt he was mad because he had turned his face against
name and fame and had ended up playing and chatting with teenage
boys. Our Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh was born thus.
 Understanding RSS | 19

Coining the name

‘Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh’- this name was decided

after intensive thinking. Each and every word of this name is of
significance. We should understand its meaning. ‘Sangh’ means,
many people. A single person can never become Sangh. Our Hindu
society has huge numbers yet every Hindu feels that he is all alone.
An incident in Dr. Hedgewarji’s life explains this. This incident
happened before Sangh was established. At that time, Doctorji
was a Congress worker. Public meetings were organized across
villages to protest against the British government. It was decided to
pass resolutions against the Government in these meetings. To attend
one such meeting Doctorji went to Chandrapur.

Such a meeting was organized in Nagpur as well. The venue

for the meeting was the Town Hall ground in Nagpur. The ground
got packed with people. Spirited speeches were made by leaders
and the presentation of resolutions against the Government had just
started when someone started shouting ‘Snake! Snake!’ People
started running helter-skelter. The ‘Dainik Maharashtra’
newspaper published an interesting article about this commotion.
People did not know why they were running. They were running
because everyone else was running.

On returning from Chandrapur, Doctorji met various leaders

and enquired about the meeting. Everyone told that the crowd was
huge and rabble-rousing speeches were made. They told Doctorji
that a naughty fellow threw a toy snake and started shouting and
20 | Understanding RSS

that caused the entire gathering to disperse. Doctorji asked them:

“You were there, Why didn’t you prevent the crowd from running
away?” One leader answered, “What could have I done all alone?”
Many people repeated the same thing. Though there were so many
people in the meeting, everyone felt that he/she was just all alone
himself or herself. Doctorji decided that it was necessary to remove
this- ‘I am alone’- syndrome of the Hindu society, and he established
the Sangh to cure the society of this syndrome.

Nobody calls our Sangh by its full name - ‘Rashtriya

Swayamsewak Sangh’ every day. We just call it Sangh.

When somebody asks, “Where have you been?”

We answer, “to Sangh.” “Today we have a Sangh

programme.” “This is a Sangh shakha.” “This is Sanghaslhan”
(place where shakha is conducted). The very term Sangh is of
tremendous significance. It implies that we are many, yet a single
entity. It also signifies the importance of oneness. However, Sangh
is not simply a confluence of people. It means a confluence of
people with great value-system. What are the values of the Sangh?
First value : We, the children of Bharat Mata are Hindus and we
are all one. This feeling has to be deeply inscribed in our minds.
Hinduism comprises by many different sects, languages and food
habits, etc.. Some castes are considered upper caste’s while some
others are supposed to be lower. Even worse, some castes are
bracketed as untouchables-meaning, no one can touch them. It was
believed that the persons who touch them become unclean. To
establish the Sangh in such a society was as difficult as weighing
frogs in a scale. However Doctorji was determined to take up this
difficult task. He gave everyone a simple mantra- ‘Ekashaha
Sampata’, meaning, “Stand in a single line”.

He told all, “Higher or lower caste, you are expected to let go

 Understanding RSS | 21

of your ego. helplessness and inferiority complex and stand in a

single line. The rich should shed his feeling of being affluent and the
poor should not feel he is poor. The highly educated should not take
his educational qualification to his head and the illiterate should shed
his feeling of ignorance. All should stand together in a single line.
You are a Hindu, so stand in the single line.” Doctorji coined the
slogan “Ekashaha Sampata” and made people belonging to diverse
castes, languages, strata and with different dressing habits to stand
united in a single line.

Then all started sitting in a single line, and going out and eating
together, too. Such was the magic created by Doctorji through the
Sangh. Doctorji did not give long sermons against casteism and
untouchability. He did not coin any slogans, like ‘We are going to
remove untouchability’. He just told one thing to everyone - ‘We
are all Hindus’. He started daily shakhas to create this innate (and
not conscious) feeling of oneness in Hindus. All had to assemble
daily, stand in a single line, play together, occasionally go out together,
and eat together. In Sangh camps, there will be only one kitchen.
All sit together and eat. It is the swayamsewaks who serve.
Questions about castes are neither raised, even if it is known, nor
discussed. No one will ask others caste and even if it is known, it
won’t be a discussed. All are swayamsewaks of the Sangh and
that is their identity.

Shakhas are held daily. Many people keep telling that they
will do this and that for the country. People used to say this to
Doctorji as well, during the early days of the Sangh. Doctorji used
to respond saying, “Out of 24 hours in a day, you keep 23 hours for
yourself. Just give one hour for the society and nation; i.e. give one
hour to Sangh. Make it as a lifelong habit that you will not think
about you, your business or work, but think only about Sangh,
Consider Sangh-work as a Tapas”.
22 | Understanding RSS

There is a difference between a recreation club and the Sangh.

One visits club to pass free time whilst for Sangh, one has to create
time from a busy schedule, to attend the shakha. Doctorji wanted
people to organise the day-to-day activities in such a way to allot
one free hour for the Sangh. Through this, he wanted to inculcate a
new value in people’s lives - i.e. selflessness - “Not living for one’s
own self alone but for the sake of society, too”. There was lack of
this feeling in the Hindu society, and the Sangh could remedy this to
a great extent. Many Hindus are generally self-centric and many
more family-centric. Sangh made swayamsewaks society-centric.
Sangh is the confluence of society-centric people. Hence Sangh is
often being called an institution that imparts value-education.

What type of value? The value that creates unity in Hindu

society, which impels one to live for the society bearing in mind
one’s duty towards the society. The word ‘Sangh’ has such a
profound meaning.
 Understanding RSS | 23

Swayamsewak

The second important word in RSS is ‘Swayamsewak’. People

who work for remuneration or salary are called employees or
workers. However, a person who works for Sangh is called a
‘Swayamsewak’. This means that when one works for Sangh or
the society, there is no expectation of anything in return. Sangh-
work is a service rendered to the motherland. Do we expect anything
in return when we serve our mother? When something is expected
in return, can that be termed as service? If so, it becomes a business
deal. Doctorji has said, “All of us are swayamsewaks of our
motherland; we do not wish or expect anything in return for
our work. Hence, there is no salary or royalty in Sangh”.

During Doctorji’s time, the word ‘swayamsewak’ had a very

different meaning.

Swayamsewaks then were those who :-

* Made arrangements for meetings, like laying the carpets

and arranging the chairs.

* Took care of all logistics for the comfort of their leaders.

* Took part in processions, shouting slogans praising one

leader or the other.

* Did everything for any party wearing a badge on their

chests.
24 | Understanding RSS

The English word ‘Volunteer’ was in vogue at that time and

the word ‘swayamsewak’ was considered a true translation in Indian
languages. Doctorji changed the meaning of the word
‘swayamsewak’ completely. He brought prestige to the word
‘swayamsewak,’ implying the meaning a ‘patriotic citizen’; the
persons who do Sangh-work - swayamsewaks; the persons who
contribute the needful for Sangh activities - swayamsewaks.

The attitude behind this contribution is not subscription and

not donation but as ‘Dakshina’ (offering). Dakshina means an
offering of money with complete reverence and dedication, and the
value cannot be counted just in numbers. To whom should this
Dakshina be offered? To the Guru. Who is the Guru? Doctorji
identified ‘Bhagwa Dhwaj’ as the Guru and not any individual. It is
a symbol of sacrifice, icon of purity and a sign of valour. Purity and
valour are depicted in the saffron colour. One must offer Dakshina
(samarpan) before Bhagwa Dhwaj. This is the method of fund
raising (Guru Dakshina samarpan) in the Sangh. One who does so
is not called a donor. Those who do samarpan remain
swayamsewaks. Hence, no importance is given to those who offer
more Guru Dakhsina. Similarly, those who do less Guru Dakshina
are not neglected. In Sangh, no individual is praised for the quantum
of his offering.

Doctorji had started Sangh by bringing together small kids.

He designed all the Sangh programmes, rules of conduct and
regulations. If at all he had asked the swayamsewaks to say, “Dr.
Hedgewar ki jai!” (“Praise Dr. Hedgewar”), everybody would
have raised that slogan in a crescendo with utmost reverence and
enthusiasm. However, there is no ‘Dr. Hedgewar ki jai’ in the
Sangh. The Sangh people praise only Bharat Mata. Here, everyone
is a swayamsewak. Someone is an adhikari (office bearer) just for
the sake of structural arrangements. So there is no hero worship of
 Understanding RSS | 25

adhikaris in the Sangh. This is the real meaning of the word

‘swayamsewak’.

Sangh needed karyakarta (personnel) who can visit various

states and villages and start the Sangh-work. Swayamsewaks
accepted this challenge. Some people left their native place to
pursue higher studies. Some others left their native place after
completion of their studies. They devoted their entire life for the
Sangh work. This is how a chain of Pracharaks (Organisers) came
into force. They went to places unknown to them, learnt the local
languages and started Sangh shakhas. There is no external control
over Sangh, as all its requirements (be it personnel or money) are
met by swayamsewaks alone. Sangh is a completely autonomous
and independent organization. Swayamsewaks are its biggest
strength. And the growth of the Sangh depends entirely on the
Swayamsevaks. It is not dependent on any government.
Governments have generally been against Sangh all the time.
Governments have hatched various conspiracies to bring down
Sangh. However, Sangh has successfully met all these challenges
and has come out with all its purity like the gold that emerges pure
out of the furnace. Swayamsewaks are the main cause behind all
this success. The word ‘swayamsewak’ has such a wealth of
meaning attached to it.
26 | Understanding RSS

Swayamsewaks taking materials to serve flood affected

people in Andhra Pradesh.

Swayamsewaks performing last rites of people who

died in the landslide at Malingaon of Pune in 2014.
 Understanding RSS | 27

Rashtriya

Now, ‘Rashtriya’ is the only word that remains to be

explained. Actually, this is the first word in the name of the Sangh.
Hence, it is the most important word.

In Sangh, why people are organized, taught values and why

do they work without expecting anything in return?

It is for the sake of the nation. What is the meaning of nation?

Some people define nation as a country. Though this is not wrong,
this answer is incomplete. Some other people define nation as a
State (Government). This is also not correct.

Nation means people; people who live within a geographical

boundary. This shows that the relationship between the nation and
the country is similar to one between fish and water; i.e., both fish
and water are totally different entities, yet they are bound together.
State is an arrangement for governance, which keeps on changing.
It could be a dictatorship, a democracy or a monarchy. The nature
of State keeps on changing, but the nature of nation does not.

So, Rashtra means people. Which people make up the nation?

There are three requirements that make up a nation.

• Rule 1 - What do the people think and feel about the

geographical area they live in? Do they consider their country
as their motherland (Matrubhoomi), or a land of pleasure
(Bhogbhoomi)? A mother holds a superior and sacred place
28 | Understanding RSS

in a person’s life. When we consider someone as our mother,

there is a sea-change in our attitude towards her. The purity
and the importance of a mother is a unique experience to
mankind. An animal cannot even understand or feel mother’s
bond. On a similar vein, the country and its geographical area
are non-living entities. However, when it is addressed as
motherland, it gets personified and that too with reverence.
Poet Bankim Chandraji says :-

“Tvam hi Durgadashapraharandhariniim”(You are

Goddess Durga with ten weapons),
“Kamala Kamaladalviharini” (You are Goddess
Lakshmi),
“Vani Vidyadayini” (You are Goddess Saraswati who
gives us wisdom),
“Vandemataram” (I salute you, mother).

A nation is made of people who are happy and proud to salute

their motherland. This is the first condition.

• Rule 2 - People live in a particular area for quite a bit of time.

Then gradually they have their own history with many
incidents. Some incidents would have given them happiness
and some, sorrow. The people who get to know (see/hear/
read) about these incidents, share the same feeling - be it of
joy or sorrow. A nation is made up of such people. When we
know of Shivaji Maharaj’s victory, we feel elated. Why?
What did Shivaji give us? We read about Rana Pratap’s defeat
and his roaming about in the forests, we feel sad. Why? We
share the experience, too, and as we don’t like ourselves
roaming about in the forest, we feel sorry. Guru Govind
Singh’s sons were martyred by building a wall around them.
Tears roll down our eyes on hearing this incident. Why? What
is the relationship between those children and us? We read
about Jhansi Rani’s battle, and we feel bad about her defeat.
 Understanding RSS | 29

We feel happy when we read that the Chaphekar brothers

assassinated W.C. Rand. A nation is made up of people who
share the feelings and emotions that they come to know or
read about as their own. This is what is meant when it is said
that people of a nation share its history.

• Rule 3 - This rule is the most important. A nation is made up

of people who apply the same criteria to decide what is right
and wrong. This criterion is called as culture. Ravan is bad.
Ram is good. Kansa is bad. Krishna is good. Kauravas are
bad, Pandavas good. Everyone implicitly understands this.
That is the reason why children are not named Ravan or
Kansa. Similarly, eloping with other’s wife, sending one’s father
to the prison, not returning the confiscated State, disrobing
one’s own sister-in-law - all these are wrong.

Our ideals are :-

* Ram who went to the forest abandoning his coronation

ceremony on the wishes of his step-mother.

* Krishna, who destroyed the evil forces.

* Gautam Buddha, who left the palace in search of

happiness on seeing the sorrow of people is worthy of
worship to us.

When a beautiful lady belonging to the enemy’s family was

captured and brought to his court Shivaji honoured her and ensured
her safe return to her family- he is our role model. Why? Because,
he had demonstrated our culture through his actions.

A nation is made up of people whose culture is the same and

those who believe right as right and wrong as wrong without any
caste or religious bias.
30 | Understanding RSS

In brief, this is a nation of those who feel this country as their

country, their motherland, treat its history as theirs, feel proud about
the same, and also while saying ‘Vandemataram’. Who are these
people that share the history and revere the value-system of their
nation? They are “Hindus”. Hence, this nation is called ‘Hindu
Rashtra’, i.e. Rashtriya means Hindu. Our organization, our
culture, all the work we do, our sacrificse and all our efforts are for
the nation i.e., for the Hindus.

This makes clear who is a Hindu - those who accept this

nation as their motherland, and those who accept its culture as
theirs, are Hindus. They may or may not do idol worship; they may
or may not accept Vedas; they may or may not accept Ram and
Krishna as incarnations; they may speak any language; they are
all Hindus. Hence Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, Aryasamajis,
Lingayats are all Hindus. For example, those who believe in idol
worship are Hindus in the same way as Aryasamajis, who do not
believe in idol worship. There is no insistence on idol worship here.
Those who believe in it do it and the non-believers don’t. Those
who say that they do not believe in idol worship and so will break
the idols, destroy the temples and feel proud about it, cannot be
Hindus. Hence they cannot be ‘rashtriya’ (nationalists) as well.
As long as Muslims and Christians consider those who destroyed
Hindu temples and people involved in mass conversions as their
role models and glorify them, cannot be considered as nationalists.
To become a nationalist, one has to bring a chanae from within.
This is the meaning of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. Only after
this is understood, one can understand the Sangh philosophy and
get an answer to the question why the Sangh is organizing Hindus
alone.

Why organize only Hindus? The answer to this question is

very simple. The fate and future of this nation is closely linked to
the Hindus. The name of the nation is Hindu. It is a life and form
 Understanding RSS | 31

of the nation. Weakness of Hindus means weakness of the nation.

Strength of the Hindus is the strength of the nation. Wherever
Hindus become a minority, there is a danger of that area getting
detached from our motherland. Our country was partitioned and
Pakistan was born in 1947. Why was Pakistan born?

Political pandits may give umpteen reasons for it, but the basic
reason is, Hindus became a minority in that part of the country.
Afganistan was a part of our nation in past. It also became separate.
The reason - Hindus became a minority there. Today we talk about
the Kashmir problem. The ‘problem’ is in that part of Jammu-
Kashmir where the population of Hindus is just 5%. It may actually
be even lesser. The reason for the insurgency and terrorism in
Nagaland and Mizoram, is because Hindus have become a minority
there. The nation’s strength increases when Hindus become
organized. Insurgency or riots do not happen in places where Hindus
are organized. There peace prevails and the non-Hindus live happily
too. It should now be clear why Sangh organizes Hindus.

Who is a Hindu? We have explained this clearly before. Hence

organising Hindus means organising the nation. There is no
sectarianism in this. The reason - Hindus are not sectarian. Hindus
have assimilated multiple religions into their fold. This is an
organisation which takes people across all castes and beliefs.
32 | Understanding RSS

Swayamsewaks taking materials to help the

calamity-hit brethren in Uttarakhand in June, 2013.

Swayamsewaks serving food to the cyclone

affected people in Odissa.
 Understanding RSS | 33

Sangh Program

Daily Shakha is the most important program in Sangh.

Shakha can be held in the morning, evening or night but it has to be
held at a scheduled time daily. Every day, ‘Bhagwa Dhwaj’ (Saffron
Flag) should be hoisted in the shakha. Shakha should start with
‘Dhwaj pranam’ (salutation to the flag) and end with ‘Sangh
prarthana’ (prayer).

The duration of Shakha is one hour. It should start exactly at

the planned time and end exactly at the completion of one hour.
Everyone gets the habit of punctuality through this. As told earlier
here, one should devote at least one hour daily for the sake of the
society and nation. Only then, it is possible to lead a patriotic life
dedicated to the nation with ease. Daily shakha inculcates habits to
lead such a life. It is the daily routines that change one’s entire life.

Our Dharma tells at the time of death, chanting ‘Rama nama’

will enable us to attain Moksha; but how will ‘Rama nama’: come
out of the mouth, at the time of death? For that, it is necessary to
practice chanting ‘Rama nama’ on a daily basis. Once upon a time,
a rice merchant got ill. His life came close to an end. He was laid
on a carpet in the floor. In a weak voice he asked “where is Ramlal”?
His eldest son replied “I am here, father”. Then he asked “Where
is Shyamlal”? His second son replied “I am also near you, father”.
On hearing this, the old man asked “If both of you are here, who is
manning the shop”. Even at the time of death, if only the shop or
business comes to our mind, how can one attain Moksha? It is not
34 | Understanding RSS

possible to chant ‘Rama nama’ at the time of death unless it is

practised daily.

Attending daily shakha enables one to remember the society

and forget selfish motives. Such is the significance of the daily
shakha. Daily shakha is a place where values are taught and
patriotism revered. Shakha is the place where the country is
worshipped; this is akin to our action of worshipping God daily
and remembering his name.

Every event is important in shakha, be it big or small. Even

games are played as per Sangh method. Our uniform pants, baton
(Danda), salutation to the flag (Dhwaj pranam), attention (Daksha),
stand-at-ease (Aaram) and all other activities have significance and
a definite objective. All these develop our values of unity, bravery
and chivalry. The small and simple things instill good values in the
mind. The positive changes are called values. Culture is created
and developed through good values. At the same time, degeneration
of values tends to erode the culture. Human beings become cultured
through their values and become distorted through their valueless
life. Only animals go by nature, but human can go by culture.

Two bulls reached a spot where they sighted green grass.

One was a fat bull and the other, a lean and weak one. The fat and
healthy bull cannot think that the other bull being weak and hungry
needs the grass more and allow it to eat first. It is the nature of the
bull and all animals. Human beings can grow above this
physiological instinct. He/she can remain hungry and feed others.
That is culture. But the animals are free from perversity also. The
bull, after eating enough, won’t bundle and take the grass leftover.
There is no such guarantee in case of a human being, who can
become greedy. That is the reason for a value system to be put in
place. The home and the educational institutions are the places to
teach this value system.
 Understanding RSS | 35

The shakha programmes enable one to learn and rise above

the castc-creed differences and get a ‘we are one’ feeling. The
games enable learning about the collective conduct as a group. The
practising of military drill (Samata) gives us the values of discipline
and obeying orders. Thus our shakha is a school where unity, social
behavior and discipline are taught. Winter camps, planning sessions
(Baithak), annual training camps (Sangha Shiksha Varga),
discourses, and weekly get-togethers are planned based on the same
objective. Through these programmes, Sangh has removed the
feelings of castiesm, untouchability, socio-economic differences etc.
It has instilled the minds of swayamsewaks with a feeling that all
Hindus are one. Sangh expects Swayamsewaks to use these
values which they have learnt in Sanghasthan (place where shakha
takes place) in their family, work place and social circle. Definitely,
swayamsewaks will feel a change in their personal life due to
attending Sangh shakha. Sangh expects positive results and a
change in the society through swayamsewaks. Sangh wants the
society united and all the people to have good character and conduct.
Sangh believes that shakha will act as a catalyst for bringing about
this social change in a gradual manner without any conflict.

This is the objective of all the daily and informal programmes

of Sangh which have been designed after a lot of thought-process.
36 | Understanding RSS
 Understanding RSS | 37

The Growth of RSS

Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh is an organisation of the

entire society. It was not Doctorji’s objective to create a small
group of organised people. Once, in Nagpur, there was an atmosphere
of tension between Hindus and Muslims. A leader who was proud
of Hindutva asked Doctorji: “What will your Sangh do if there
are riots in Nagpur?” Doctorji responded, “I will call all the
swayamsewaks to Sangh Karyalaya (office) and ask them to
cover themselves in a quilt and sleep.” This answer may appear
to be odd but it has a deeper meaning. Doctorji wanted to convey
that Sangh was not run to create swayamsewaks, who patrol the
roads with lathis in their hands during riots, when the general public
stays peacefully inside their houses, with the doors and windows
locked.

Sangh has a special uniform. However, it is only to be worn

on special occasions. It doesn’t expect swayamsewaks to roam
around all the time wearing the uniform or the black cap. Sangh
has Pracharaks (Full-time workers). They live a saintly life,
dedicating their entire life for the purpose of Sangh work. However,
Doctorji did not prescribe any kind of special uniform for them.
Sangh doesn’t want its swayamsewaks to appear different from
the society. Marathi saint Gyaneshwar never taught anyone to
lead an unearthly or abnormal life. And the Sangh has put this
teaching to practice. Sangh and society should be identical; this is
the role and the expectation of Sangh.

This has a great significance and we have to understand that

38 | Understanding RSS

in the right sense. Society doesn’t remain the same always; nor
does it always move in the same way. Society functions through
various organs. The importance of these functions may be high or
low, nevertheless all these functions are necessary for a prosperous
national life. Politics forms one of the spheres of the social life, and
education is another. Likewise, there are many more other spheres
like industry, culture and economics. And every sphere comprises
many constituents, like students, women, farmers, labourers, tribals,
economically weaker sections, etc.

Organising the entire society means organising all these

spheres as well as these constituents. Sangh karyakartas are working
in all these spheres as it is the objective of the Sangh to organise
the entire society. Sangh expects to increase its influence in all the
spheres of social life and karyakartas are fulfilling this expectation.
What is meant by creation of Sangh’s influence in all the spheres of
social life? This doesn’t mean that the key of every movement,
every activity in these spheres vests with the Sangh Adhikaris. This
is neither possible nor necessary, and it has never been the
expectation of the Sangh. Influence of Sangh means the impress
of the Sangh thoughts, and the imprint of the social character
envisioned by the Sangh.

What is Sangh thought or philosophy? This is Hindu Rashtra.

Hindu nationalism means cultural nationalism. That is, every sphere
of social life should be saturated with the thoughts of cultural
nationalism. In no other nation or country in the world we find any
confusion or contention on the issue, what constitutes a nation?
However in our nation, the meaning of this word has become a
point of contention. The Sangh desires that the concept of Hindu
Rashtra is established in all spheres of social life, without room for
any dispute. The Sangh is working towards this end.

What sort of character the Sangh wants to establish? The

Sangh intends that one should have a feeling of oneness with the
 Understanding RSS | 39

society; i.e., “This is my society and I belong to this society; so I

will fashion my life accordingly and live as a man of character”.
Society is made up of individuals. Individuals and society are identical;
however, an individual should understand that he lives for the society,
society should benefit from his conduct and he will not cause any
harm or loss to the society for his personal benefit. This feeling is
expressed beautifully in one of the slokas of Shankracharya, A
devotee tells to the God: “O Lord! Now that I have had your
darshan, the difference between a devotee and God has ended.
Duality has become extinct and non-duality has been
established. Still, even though I am here for You, You are not
for me. Wave belongs to the ocean, whereas the ocean does
not belong to the wave.”
It is the aspiration of Sangh that the whole nation is infused
with a socially-oriented lifestyle. Karyakartas have been active in
various realms of the society, carrying Sangh philosophy and its
characteristics. In 1925, when the Sangh was started, only children
(Bal Swayamsewaks) came. In course of time, they became
youngsters and brought in other youngsters to the Sangh fold.
Hence, as a natural extension, at first, the Sangh work spread among
students. In 1949, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)
was started. During that time, Communism had a huge sway. Second
World War had just ended. Russia had won the war and was getting
transformed into a world super-power. There was a concerted
propaganda that communist philosophy was the reason for Russia’s
victory/might and that it could alone solve all the problems faced by
the world and bring an atmosphere of equality. A generation of
intelligent youth was drawn towards this philosophy. When this big
storm was blowing across the world and in Hindustan, Vidyarthi
Parishad (ABVP) stood up on the edifice of nationalistic philosophy.
Though this is not the place to dilate on the history of the development
of Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), it is noteworthy to mention that
today it is the largest student organisation of Bharat which is a big
victory for the nationalistic philosophy.
40 | Understanding RSS

Our country got independence on 15th August 1947. In 1950,

our constitution came into force and we became a democratic
rqiublic. The meaning of republic is that there will not be any
monarchy but implementation of universal franchise. Everyone is
treated equally in a republic. People would elect their political
representatives. Swayamsewaks also got the right to vote as citizens
of this country. Whom should they vote for? Socialists and
communists run their parties based on foreign philosophies. Congress
is a home-grown party but it was opposed to Sangh. In 1948,
Mahatma Gandliiji was assassinated. Even though Sangh did not
have anything to do with the assassination, the Congress government
did leave no stone unturned to finish off the Sangh. It arrested
thousands of Swayamsewaks, Congressmen attacked and
ransacked Sangh offices (Karyalaya); they looted and burnt
swayamsewaks houses. How could swayamsewaks align with such
a political party? At that point of time, Dr. Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee came to Shri Guruji, the then Sarsanghchalak of
the Sangh. He was a minister in the first cabinet. He established
Bhartiya Jansangh. He requested that some workers
(Karyakarta) be deputed from the Sangh for the party work.
Staying away from politics, Sangh deputed some senior workers
like Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
Sunder Singh Bhandari, Nanaji Deshmukh, Kushabhau
Thakre, Rambhau Godbole, Vasantrao Oak, Ramprasad Das,
Pandit Bacchraj Vyas, Gopal Thakur, Bhaurao Deshpande,
etc., to help Dr. Mukherjee.

This happened 65 years ago and the solid work of this team is
reflected in the people’s love and the strength of the Bhartiya Janata
Party (erstwhile Bhartiya Jansangh). Bhartiya Janata Party has
lot of things to do - it has to increase manifold the people’s love for
it, and has to cleanse the political atmosphere in our country.
However, it has established itself as the biggest political party of
our country. Its clout is so high that all other political parties have
come to think that they don’t stand a chance against BJP, if they
 Understanding RSS | 41

stand alone in the elections. The BJP has reached the position that
the Congress party had held during the first 25 years of
independence. This change, of course, has been brought about by
the Sangh swayamsewaks.

Labour wing was also an important area. Socialists and

Communists had a monopoly over this area, because of the wrong
notion that these philosophies only could usher in a classless society.
According to this philosophy, there are only two classes in the world.
The first one includes the capitalists, landlords and industrialists,
whareas the other includes the poor and the workers. Between
these two classes, enmity exists naturally, as between a snake and
a mongoose. Communists claim that all the workers in this world
are one and the concept of nation etc. are false. In this atmosphere,
a movement based on nationalism was a necessity. Bhartiya
Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) was established in the year 1955 to fulfill
this need. Senior pracharak of Sangh, Shri. Dattopant Thengadiji,
started this organisation. Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh made the
concept of class struggle invalid. It accepted nationalism as the
basis and rejected the foreign concepts. It presented ancient god,
Vishwakarma, as a role model. People laughed at us saying, we
cannot organise the workers as we do not believe in class struggle.
What is the position of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) today?
It is the largest trade union in Bharat.
Educational field is also an important area. During the British
regime, they introduced and ran the educational system to serve
their own interests. This educational system didn’t change the colour
of our people from black to white, but it changed the mind and
thinking of the people. People started believing that everything that
is English and Western are good and exemplary (West is Best).
The thinking that only English medium education is good became
stronger. Then swayamsevaks started a primary school (Shishu
Mandir) in Uttar Pradesh. That Shishu Mandir is a Hindi medium
school but the quality of the education provided is not less than the
42 | Understanding RSS

one provided by convent-schools. It was actually better. These

Shishu Mandirs later spread all over the country and Vidya Bharati
was established. Today, there are more than 40,000 educational
institutions across the country, run as per Vidya Bharati’s guidance,
having Sanskrit, Yogasana and other patriotic programmes. The
specialty of these institutions is that they are run without taking any
aid from the Government.
Religious heads and entities are of great reverence to common
people. Individual Mahants, Saints, Shankaracharyas and other
Mathadhipatis have great influence on the population. It was
necessary to bring all these religions heads together and use their
institutions and influence for national resurgence. Sangh’s second
Sarsanghachalak, Shri Guruji took on the tough task of bringing
together heads of various sects and sub-sects of Hindus and
established the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). From the platform
of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the most revered saints proclaimed
that untouchability has no place in Sanatana Dharma; it should be
eradicated. They also proclaimed that those who got converted
from Hinduism to other religions could come back to their original
fold. These proclamations of Dharmacharyas created new
consciousness among Hindus.
Like this, swayamsewaks established various organisations
in the fields of agriculture, tribals, industries, services, culture, etc.
They have organised the entire society through their thoughts and
disciplined conduct.

Some of the swayamsewaks went abroad for studies and

business. They didn’t forget the fact that they were Hindus and
swayamsewaks. So they brought together Hindus in various
countries, including Kenya, England and America. They established
Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh (HSS), in Sangh style. Today, we
have our regular activities and branches (shakhas) in thirty-five
countries all over the world. Actually, the growth achieved by the
Sangh is quite surprising.
 Understanding RSS | 43

The Methodology of Sangh

Functioning

Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh is not merely a philosophy

or an institution, but is also a way of life. Even as there is personal
life, there is also social life. And this way of life is synonymous with
the Sangh. Just like a system evolves in a family in a natural way,
in the Sangh also such a system evolved. It did not evolve through
writing of books or giving lectures. It evolved through living
examples. Some basic points of this system are :-

1. In Sangh, all of us are friends and so, all are equal. Sangh
has officials (Adhikaris) but that is only as part of
administrative arrangements. It is not solely based on
any qualifications. It is necessary for Adhikaris to have
good qualifications, but Sangh doesn’t believe that only
a few have all the qualifications. Each member is a friend
and an associate of the other. There is no senior-junior
disparity in the Sangh.

2. Since everyone is equal there is neither any competition

in the Sangh, and so, nor any heartburn or jealousy. An
affectionate relationship exists with all.

3. Obeying the instructions and discipline are the specialties

of the Sangh system. However, for achieving this, no
physical force is used. It is made possible by creating a
conducive environment through the programmes of the
44 | Understanding RSS

Sangh shakha, and the personal conduct of the Sangh

Karyakartas. Everyone knows that instructions are not
given based on any personal interest. Instructions are
given for the collective welfare. That’s why the
instructions are abided by. When an ordinary
mukhyashikshak (Chief instructor of the shakha) gives
‘Daksha’ (attention), and everyone in the shakha, right
from Sarsanghachalak (President of the RSS) to the
ordinary swayamsewak, stand in attention. Discipline is
maintained in Sangh without using any force, because
Doctotji had put in place a system where ‘the rules are
same for everyone’. This discipline of the Sangh has
left an indelible mark on the minds and lives of
swayamsewaks. All Sangh programmes will start on time,
and nobody would move or leave till the end of the
programme. Everybody will be engrossed in the
programme without any distractions - these are the
fundamentals.

4. The Sangh is an organization of human beings. Human

beings are made up of three gunas (character’s) - Satva,
Rajas and Tamas. No one can guarantee that he/she
won’t commit any mistakes. Hence, there is a system in
the Sangh to express one’s anger, displeasure or
disappointment - i.e. to complain to the senior official
(adhikari). One can easily approach even the
Sarsanghachalak. When one finds a mistake or a
negative quality in someone else, he should speak about
it to a senior. The Sangh expects its swayamsevaks to
talk about the positive qualities only when they talk to/
discuss with equals and ordinary swayamsewaks.
Everyone will have some or other positive qualities and
discussions should be concerning that only. The negatives,
 Understanding RSS | 45

if any, should be brought to the notice of the seniors only,

who can talk to the person concerned and provide
guidance and opportunity to change the negative quality.
It has neither happened in the past nor will it happen in
the future that someone changed his negatives because
of some public discussion. The Sangh is a family and all
the swayamsevaks are part of this family. Hence, if
someone does a mistake, it has to be pointed out and
corrected by the elders. The Sangh has been running in
this way from the beginning. There is no deceit or
deception in the Sangh, where everyone is pure and soft.

5. Simple living is the Sangh system. It has been told that

we should not appear to be extraordinary. Sangh
karyakarta should lead a simple life. They are expected
to be austere - this value is cultivated in the swayamsevaks
at a very young age and, hence, there won’t be any pomp
and show whatsoever in any of the Sangh programmes;
neither is it desirable. Sangh pracharaks stay in different
villages, at different places, and in different houses.
Sangh Karyalaya is available only in bigger cities. Even
in Karyalayas, mess would be available in one or two
karyalayas in a state. At the same time, the Sangh does
not want the Karyakartas to take food from eateries or
hotels. They take their food in other swayamsewak’s
houses and become part of their family, like a brother to
the children of the house or a son to the elders. Young
and adolescent pracharaks have been residing in
households, but there has not been even a single instance
of any misbehavior or misdemeanor on their part. This is
the specialty of Sangh, and this is the character of
Karyakartas. And this is the Sangh system.
46 | Understanding RSS

Appendix–I

Sarsanghchalaks
(All India Presidents) of RSS
First Sarsanghachalak – Doctor Hedgewar

Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar was

the founder President of Sangh. He was
born on April 1st 1889. It was the New Year
day of Vikram Samvat 1946. His mother’s
name was Revati Bai. Doctorji established
Sangh in the year 1925. In the early days,
the Sangh shakhas were started in and
around Nagpur. In the year 1930, Doctorji
participated in the Jungle Satyagrah and
was imprisoned in Akola Jail. Many patriotic
leaders came in his contact during the imprisonment. Once they
were released from the prison, shakhas were started all over
Vidarbha province. Then came the turn of the whole of Maharashtra.
After the year 1936, Doctorji started sending Sangh workers
across to other states of the country. By 1940, all states except
Assam and Orissa had Sangh shakhas. On June 9th 1940, in the
valedictory address of the annual training camp (Sangh Shiksha
Varga) at Nagpur, Doctorji said, “I am able to see a miniature of
the Hindu Rashtra in front of me”. During his lifetime itself the
Sangh got established all over the country.

He passed away on June 21st, 1940, at Nagpur. At the time

of his death he was just 51 years old.
 Understanding RSS | 47

Second Sarsanghachalak – Shri Guruji

After the death of Dr. Hedgewar, as per his wish, Shri

Madhav Sadashiva Golwalkar became the all India President.
He was known as and called Guruji even
before becoming the Sarsanghachalak.
He was born on Falgun Krishna
Paksha Ekadasi (day of Vikram
Samvat), 1962 (February 19th, 1906).
Guruji’s father’s name was Sadashiva
and mother’s name was Lakshmibai.
Guruji had his primary and secondary
education at many places as his father’s
was a transferable job. He passed his
Intermediate exam from Hislop College,
Nagpur. He did his graduation from the
Banaras Hindu University (BHU), and he completed his M.Sc.
in Zoology from BHU in the year 1928.

In 1930, he was appointed as a professor of Zoology in BHU

itself. It is here, where people started calling him ‘Guruji’. He
came into the close contact of the Sangh during his stay at Kashi.
After working for two years as professor, he returned to Nagpur
and passed the Law exams. However, he never practiced law.

At this time, he got attracted towards spirituality. His visits to

the Ramakrishna Muth in Nagpur increased. His intimacy with
Doctorji was also increasing. In the end, the urge to take to spiritual
life gained precedence and he reached the Saragachi Ashram in
Bengal. Swami Akhandananda, a brother monk of Swami
Vivekananda, was heading this ashram then. Guruji got ‘Sanyasa
Deeksha’ (initiation to monkhood) from him. He returned to Nagpur
after the Samadhi of Swami Akhandananda. After Guruji’s return
to Nagpur, Doctorji increased his contact with him. In 1938,
48 | Understanding RSS

Doctorji appointed him as the ‘Sarvadhikari’ (in-charge) of the

Sangh shiksha varga (training camp), held in Nagpur. In 1939, he
became the Sarkaryavah (All India General Secretary of the
Sangh). After Doctorji’s demise, he became the Sarsanghachalak
(All India President) on June 21, 1940.

He was the Sarsanghachalak of the Sangh for close to 33

years. The most difficult year during his tenure was 1948. That
was the year when the Sangh was banned on the pretext of killing
of Mahatma Gandhi. Due to Guruji’s firm and efficient leadership,
the Sangh came safely out of this test of fire. Sangh grew multifold
in these 33 years. Sangh work reached all districts of the country.
The influence of the Sangh work naturally spread to other walks
of social life as well. During this period, various organisations were
started, including the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bhartiya
Jana Sangh, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram
and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Vishwa Vibhag (sangh work abroad)
also got a concrete shape during this period.

In 1971, Guruji was diagnosed with Cancer. He got treated

for the same in Mumbai. Post-surgery, he took some rest and
resumed his national tour. However his health got further
deteriorated during the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha baithak
in March 1973, in Nagpur. He passed away on June 5, 1973 in Nagpur.

Third Sarsanghachalak – Shri Balasaheb Deoras

The full name of our third Sarsanghachalak is Madhukar

Dattatreya Deoras. He was born on Margashirsham
Shukla 5, 1915. His entire education took place in
Nagpur. He passed his matric from the famous New
English High School. He passed his BA and LLB
from Morris College. However, he didn’t start any
law practice. He wanted to devote his entire life for
 Understanding RSS | 49

Sangh work. Dr. Hedgewar sent him to do Sangh work in Bengal

province, but he was called back to Nagpur and was handed over the
responsibility of Nagpur Sangh work.

He had held various responsibilities in the Sangh, including

that of the Nagpur Nagar Karyavah, Saha Sarkaryavah (All India
Joint General Secretary), Sarkaryavah (All India General
Secretary) in 1965, and in the year 1973, after the demise of Shri
Guruji, he became the Sarsanghachalak. When he became
Sarsanghachalak, he was 58 years old and was stricken by
Diabetes. However, without worrying about his health he focused
his attention on the further growth of the Sangh, that was established
by Doctorji and grown by Guruji. During his tenure, service
activities were given a new dimension in the Sangh work. Today
more than 1,52,388 service projects are carried out by
swayamsevaks in the name of Seva Bharati. Seva Bharati operates
multiple service activities, including cultural centres for children,
village schools, medical centres, orphanages, leprosy clinic, etc.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram also run
such service activities separately. They are not included as a part of
Seva Bharati’s service projects. At present, the number of seva projects
of the Sangh and its affiliates has crossed one lakh fifty thousand.

In 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared national

emergency and banned the Sangh under this pretext. She did not
ban all the political organizations that were speaking against her
politics and administration. However, she banned the Sangh with
demonic intention of eliminating the Sangh. Anti- Sangh views were
publicized widely. Thousands of Karyakartas were arrested under
the black law ‘MISA’ and put behind the bars. She also restricted
the freedom of the common man. The Sangh participated in the
people’s movement to bring back democracy in our country. Sangh
made sure that the movement became victorious. This great work
was carried out during the tenure of Balasahebji.
50 | Understanding RSS

In 1992, Balasahebji’s health condition deteriorated further.

Travel became impossible for him and he found it difficult to speak.
In 1994, he took the decision of his retirement and named Shri
Rajendra Singh as his successor, the fourth Sarsanghachalak of
the Sangh. Balasahebji started the tradition of retiring from the
responsibility when one felt he could not contribute actively to the
Sangh work anymore. He passed away on June 17, 1996, at Ruby
Clinic in Pune.

Fourth Sarsanghachalak - Prof. Rajendra Singh

Third Sarsanghachalak Shri Balasaheb Deoras appointed

Prof. Rajendra Singh as his successor on March 11, 1994, due to
his ailing health. For the first time in the history
of the Sangh, the successor Sarsangachalak
was announced by the incumbent
Sarsanghachalak. From that day, Prof.
Rajendra Singh, who was fondly called as
Rajju Bhaiyya, became the fourth
Sarsanghachalak of RSS.

Rajju Bhaiyya was born in 1922. His father Shri Kunvar

Balvir Singh was an engineer with Uttar Pradesh State Irrigation
department. He retired as Chief Engineer. Rajju Bhaiyya did his
primary education from Nainital. He passed his matric exam in
first class from Unnao district and graduated from Allahabad
University. At the young age of 21, he cleared his M.Sc. Physics
exams from Allahabad University, with second rank. He was
appointed as a professor in the same university immediately.

In the year 1966, seeing the increasing need of growth of

Sangh work in Uttar Pradesh, he voluntarily resigned from the
post of the Head of Department of Physics from the university and
became a Sangh pracharak. In 1978, he became Sarkaryavah
 Understanding RSS | 51

(All India General Secretary) of the Sangh. Due to health reasons,

he retired from this responsibility and started serving the Sangh as
the Sah Sarkaryavah (All India Joint General Secretary), and Shri
H. V. Sheshadri became the Sarkaryavah. On March 11, 1994,
the then Sarsanghachalak, Shri Balasaheb Deoras, appointed
Rajju Bhaiyya as his successor at the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi
Sabha (National Executive Meeting).

Shri Rajendra Singh was the first Sarsanghachalak to

travel abroad to observe the activities of the Hindu Swayamsevak
Sangh. Towards this purpose, he travelled to England, Mauritius,
Kenya and South Africa.

During his tour to Pune in February 1999, Rajju Bhaiyya

had a sudden fall and fractured his hip bones. Due to this reason, he
could not attend that year’s Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha
(National Executive Meeting), which was held in Lucknow. He
couldn’t completely recover from his ill-health and also developed
difficulties to speak in continuously. So he decided to relieve himself
from the responsibility. Hence, in the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi
Sabha (National Executive Meeting), held on March 10, 2000, at
Nagpur, he announced Shri K. S. Sudarshan as his successor.
He passed away in Pune on July 14, 2003.

Fifth Sarsanghachalak - Shri K. S. Sudarshan

Shri K. S. Sudarshan was born on June 18, 1931 in Raipur.

He did his primary education in many places
like Raipur, Damoh, Mandla and Chandarpur.
He did his BE (Tele-communications) from
Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. On completion of
his graduation, he became Sangh pracharak
and started serving the society. In 1964, he was
given the responsibility of Prant Pracharak
52 | Understanding RSS

(State Organiser) of Madhya Bharat. From 1969 to 1971, he was

assigned the responsibility of Akhil Bhartiya Shareerik Shikshan
Pramukh, and in 1979, he was assigned the responsibility of Akhil
Bhartiya Boudhik Shikshan Pramukh. In 1990, he became Sah
Sarkaryavah.

In March 2009, in the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, in

keeping with the glorious tradition of the Sangh, Shri Sudarshanji
recalled the history of the appointment of Sarsanghachalaks and the
changes that had taken place in the tradition and announced Shri Mohan
Bhagwat as the next Sarsanghachalak. He introduced Shri Mohan
Bhagwatji as an efficient organizer, studious, sportive, and a person,
who had the strength to listen to everyone and a man of amiable
disposition. He also reminded of the following comment made by
Shri Babuaji, when Shri Mohanji had become Sarkaryavah: “When
we look at him, we are reminded of Dr. Hedgewar.” Even after relieving
himself of the responsibilities, he was touring the entire nation for the
Sangh work. But quite unexpectedly, he suddenly passed away on
September 15, 2012, at Raipur.

Sixth Sarsanghachalak - Shri Mohanrao Bhagwat

Shri Mohanji was born on September 11, 1950 in Chandarpur

district of Maharashtra. He graduated in
veterinary science from Punjabrao Deshmukh
Agricultural University in Akola. He dropped out
of his Postgraduate studies and became Sangh
Pracharak during the emergency. His roles are
listed here : 1977 - Pracharak in Akola; 1981
- Vidarbha Pranta Pracharak; 1989 - Akhil
Bharatiya Saha-Shareerik Shikshan
Pramukh; 1991 - Akhil Bharatiya Shareerik Shikshan Pramukh;
and for a year Akhil Bharatiya Pracharak Pramukh. In the year
2000, he became Sarkaryavah and since 2009 he is leading Sangh
as its sixth Sarsanghachalak.
 Understanding RSS | 53

Appendix – 2

RSS Prarthana
ueLrs lnk oRlys ekr`Hkwes
Ro;k fgUnqHkwes lq[ka of/Zkrks·ge~A
egke³~xys iq.;Hkwes RonFksZ
irRos”k dk;ks ueLrs ueLrsAA 1AA
çHkks ‘kfäeu~ fgUnqjk”Vªk³~xHkwrk
bes lknja Roka uekeks o;e~
Ronh;k; dk;kZ; c)k dVh;a
‘kqHkkekf’k”ka nsfg rRiwrZ;sA
vt¸;ka p fo’oL; nsgh’k ‘kfäa
lq’khya txn~ ;ssu ueza Hkosr~
Jqra pSo ;r~ d.Vdkdh.kZekxaZ
Lo;a Loh—ra u% lqxa dkj;srA~ A 2AA
leqRd”kZ fu%Js;L;Sdeqxza
ija lk/kua uke ohjozre~
rnUr% LQqjRo{k;k /;s;fu”Bk
ânUr% çtkxrqZ rhozk·fu’ke~A
fots=h p u% lagrk dk;Z’kfäj~
fo/kk;kL; /keZL; laj{k.ke~A
ija oSHkoa usrqesrr~ Lojk”Vªa
leFkkZ HkoRokf’k”kk rs Hk`’ke~AA 3AA
AA Hkkjr ekrk dh t; AA
54 | Understanding RSS

Translation of the content of

Prarthana

Forever I bow to Thee, O Loving Motherland! O Motherland

of us Hindus, Thou hast brought me up in happiness. May my life,
O great and blessed Holy Land, be laid down in Thy cause. I bow
to Thee, again and again.

We, the children of the Hindu Nation, bow to Thee in

reverence, O Almighty God. We have girded up our loins to carry
on Thy work. Give us Thy holy blessings for its fulfillment. O
Lord! Grant us such might as no power on earth can ever challenge,
such purity of character as would command the respect of the whole
world and such knowledge as would make easy the thorny path
that we have voluntarily chosen.

May we be inspired with the spirit of stern heroism, which is

the sole and ultimate means of attaining the highest spiritual bliss
with the greatest temporal prosperity. May intense and everlasting
devotion to our Ideal ever inspire our hearts. May our victorious
organised power of action, by Thy Grace, fully protect our Dharma
and lead this nation of ours to the highest pinnacle of glory.

VICTORY TO MOTHER INDIA.

 Understanding RSS | 55

Appendix – 3

Ekatmata Mantra

;a oSfndk eU=–’k% iqjk.kk]

bUæa ;ea ekrfj’okuekgq%A
osnkfUruks·fuoZpuh;esda]
;a czã‘kCnsu fofufnZ’kfUrAA1AA

‘kSok ;eh’ka f’ko bR;okspu~]

;a oS”.kok fo”.kqfjfr LrqofUrA
cq)LrFkk·gZfUufr ckS)tSuk%]
lr~ Jh vdkysfr p flD[klUr%AA2AA

‘kkLrsfr dsfpr~ izd`fr% dqekj%]

Lokehfr ekrsfr firsfr HkDr;kA
;a çkFkZ;Urs txnhf’krkja]
l ,d ,o çHkqjf}rh;%AA3AA
56 | Understanding RSS

Meaning of Ekatmata Mantra

The One the Vaidikas of yore, the Mantra-drashtas, call as

Indra, Yama and Matrishwan, the Vedantees as Brahma the
indefinable;

The One who is praised as Shiva by the Shaivites, as Vishnu

by the Vaishnavites, as Buddha by the Buddhists, as Arhan by
the jains and as Satsriakal by the Sikhs;

The One to whom some pray as Shasta, as Nature by certain

others, and as Kumara, as Swami, as Father, and as Mother by
still others; that Lord of the universe is one and the same, the One
without a second.