Testing the balance and limits of Sangh, organisation and religion

RSS assembly in Bengaluru plans centenary year expansion and future activities.

- ALOK MEHTA NEW DELHI

Every program of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) begins with the mantra: "Sangachhadhwam Samvadadhwam Sam Vo Manansi Janatam. Deva Bhagam Yatha Purve Sanjanana Upasate."

Its meaning is: "Let us all walk together, speak together, and let our minds be one, as the ancient gods used to live together and worship together. May the Lord give us such strength that no one in the world can ever challenge us, and may He give us such pure character that the entire world bows before us. May He give us such wisdom that this thorny path we have chosen becomes easy to walk on."

Similarly, the main prayer of the RSS begins with these lines: "Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhume, Tvaya Hindubhume Sukham Vardhito'ham. Mahamangale Punyabhume Tvadarthe, Patatvesha Kayo Namaste Namaste."

("O loving motherland, I bow to you always. You have nourished me with happiness. O most auspicious sacred land, may this body of mine fall in your service. I bow to you repeatedly.")

This prayer has now become not just an essential part of the RSS's functioning but also its identity. Recently, the RSS's representative assembly discussed expansion and the activities of its affiliated organizations for its centenary year during a meeting in Bengaluru, setting future directions.

In this context, an important issue in the country is that as the organization grows, public discussions on religious disputes and its sometimes sweet, sometimes sharp relations with political power are natural.

The RSS is known as a Hindu nationalist volunteer organization. It was founded by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar on September 27, 1925, on the occasion of Vijayadashami. There is no doubt that it is now considered the largest volunteer organization in the world. The RSS itself claims to have over 10 million members. Additionally, the RSS is seen as the parent organization of the current largest political party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).