One Hundred Years of...Growth and Success

Shared ideas and unimaginable patience in its ambitious mission, along with uncontested moral upbringing of its cadres, has ensured the success of the RSS

- Rakesh Sinha

WHILE the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is celebrating 100 years of its unbroken journey, its contemporary ideological movements—the Communists-Socialists and the Gandhian-Nehuruvian streams—are facing a crisis of existence. The RSS began in 1925 with a contested idea of a Hindu Rashtra. It lived and expanded in an unsympathetic political and intellectual climate. Many central services, including the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), considered RSS connection as a disqualification. The newspapers and journals had given very little space in its favour. It did not have many intellectuals by its side. However, things progressively changed. The RSS emerged as the most influential organisation in the country with the largest network and support base. The Indian state is now in full solidarity with it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative stamp and coin to highlight its role in national life.

What is the key of the RSS' success? The utility of this question is not confined to know about it, but has a wider ramification, particularly on our understanding of comparative perspectives of various ideological movements on vital issues like secularism, democracy and above all nationalism. The growth of the RSS resulted in marginalised ideologies of various shades opposed to it to get united under a loose banner of Left Liberals.

Unfortunately, unabated abhorrence for each other dominated the political scene and prevented engaging debates. Consequently, the Indian intellectual climate has been overshadowed by prejudices, polemics, and above all, pessimism.