Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh: A look at its origins, ideology and rise (1925-1966)

“RSS is India’s banyan histrion of immortal civilization and modernisation,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected March 30, 2025, erstwhile helium visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)’s office successful Nagpur. Mr. Modi, a erstwhile RSS pracharak (full-time volunteer), was the archetypal sitting Prime Minister to sojourn the RSS’s premises. The RSS, which is the ideological fount of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is celebrating its centenary year.

The organisation, which wishes to alteration India into a Hindu Rashtra, was founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a Maharashtrian Brahmin doc from Nagpur, connected Vijaya Dashami successful 1925. Since then, it has grown from 1 shakha (theological schoolhouse with volunteers called swayamsevaks) to much than 1,27,367 shakhas dispersed crossed 51,570 places successful India. The RSS has a chequered past and has been banned astatine slightest thrice successful autarkic India. Today, it wields sizeable power ideologically, politically, and socially crossed the nation.

In this multi-part series, we hint the Sangh’s foundation, ideology, organisational structure, and travel from the pre-Independence epoch to modern-day India

The beginnings

About 4 decades aft the Indian National Congress (INC) was founded successful 1885, determination were expanding calls for an alternate governmental platform. Some leaders of the enactment advocated for a much militant thought of nationalism. Organisations specified arsenic the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League propagated their ain spiritual agendas but with the corporate purpose of ridding India of the British Raj, explains author Dinesh Narayanan successful his publication ‘The RSS and the making of The Deep Nation’. Both the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League were influenced by ideological movements successful Europe.

K.B. Hedgewar was a subordinate of the Hindu Mahasabha and was hugely inspired by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, 1 of the archetypal to cull the mean ideas of the Congress. Hedgewar believed that Hindus were fragmented by caste, region, and sect and decided to found shakhas to forge unity successful the community. He envisioned that these spaces would alteration young Hindu men to larn subject and found a consciousness of community. As the fig of attendees successful the shakhas increased, the venue of the meetings kept shifting.

During a gathering successful 1926, names for the organisation, which began arsenic a taste project, were projected by 26 swayamsevaks, including founding members Balaji Huddar, Bhauji Kawre, Bapurao Bhedi, Anna Sohni and Vishwanathrao Kelkar, who were successful attendance. Names specified arsenic Jari Patka Mandal, Bharat Udharak Mandal, and Hindu Sevak Sangh were enactment forth. Many argued that an organisation formed to unite Hindus cannot beryllium rashtriya (national). Yet, Hedgewar prevailed, and the sanction Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was finalised.

Hedgewar, who had been an progressive subordinate of the Congress until then, adjacent taking portion successful the Non-Cooperation Movement, had distanced himself from the party. He had grown progressively disenchanted with the views of the Congress, peculiarly its inclusive presumption of nationalism which was astatine likelihood with his ain thought of Hindu nationalism and with Mahatma Gandhi’s stance connected the Khilafat movement.

In 1928, though, helium attended the Calcutta Session of the Congress, wherever helium met Subhas Chandra Bose, G.D. Savarkar, and V.D. Savarkar. Narayan writes, “Dr. Hedgewar was annoyed that Bose would not springiness up connected Hindu-Muslim unity adjacent though helium tried to impressment upon him that the thought was meaningless and recovered himself much successful statement with Savarkar.” The power of the Savarkar brothers connected the Sangh is palpable: the RSS’s founding principles were based connected V.D. Savarkar’s manuscript connected Hindutva titled Essentials of Hindutva.

The RSS’s publication, ‘About RSS’, published successful 2023, describes the Sangh’s purpose — “to marque our country, Bharat, a pioneer successful subject and knowledge, economically self-reliant and prosperous”.

Apart from these goals, the RSS follows Savarkar’s treatise connected Hindutva successful which helium says “India oregon Bharat (as referred to by RSS) is simply a Hindu nation. While anyone tin beryllium its citizen, lone the Hindus person a civilisational assertion connected it”. The RSS besides aims to reclaim ‘Akhand Bharat’ spanning from ‘Gandhar’ (Kandahar, Afghanistan), Pakistan, Trivishtap (Tibet), ‘Bramhadesh’ (Myanmar), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. This Bharat, it believes, volition beryllium a ‘Vishwa Guru’, oregon a planetary power, successful which Indian civilization and mode of beingness leads the world.

The operation of the RSS enactment began to unfold and Hedgewar was designated arsenic the Sarsanghachalak (chief). Balaji Huddar was made ‘Sarkaryavah’ (general secretary) and Matandrao Jog ‘Sarsenapati’ (chief trainer). By this time, Hedgewar had officially near the Congress. During his tenure successful the RSS, the organisation instituted 18 shakhas crossed Nagpur, and the archetypal acceptable of 99 volunteers (swayamsevaks) were initiated into the Sangh astatine Mohitewada successful 1928.

The organisation was besides inspired by fascist ideology. Founding subordinate B.S. Moonje met with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini connected March 19, 1931, astatine the fascist government’s office successful Palazzo Venezia. According to Italian student Marzia Casolari, Moonje wrote successful his diary astir visiting the regime’s subject schools and younker enactment wings liable for the indoctrination of children. In his speech with Mussolini, Moonje said, “Every aspiring and increasing federation needs specified organisations. I person already started an organisation of my own, conceived independently with akin objectives. I shall person nary hesitation to rise my dependable from the nationalist level some successful India and England erstwhile juncture whitethorn originate successful praise of your Balilla and Fascist organisations”. On returning to India, Moonje proceeded to manner the RSS’s operation successful a akin manner.

In 1930, responding to the Congress’ telephone for a ‘Poorna Swaraj’, i.e. implicit Independence from the British Raj, each the RSS shakhas celebrated January 26 arsenic India’s independency day. However, dissimilar the Congress, the RSS raised the saffron emblem alternatively of the nationalist tricolour.

In the 1930s, the Jungle Satyagraha was held arsenic portion of the Civil Disobedience Movement. It was held arsenic a protestation against British wood laws, which restricted the rights of Indians, particularly tribal and agrarian communities, to entree forests for their needs. While Hedgewar and immoderate swayamsevaks participated successful the Jungle Satyagraha, Hedgewar forbade the RSS from officially participating successful it.

The British Raj grew wary of the Sangh. Between 1932 and 1934, it issued respective circulars banning authorities employees from joining the Sangh, claiming that they “were taking portion successful communal activities”. On March 3, 1934, the authorities classified the Sangh arsenic a ‘Nazi’ organisation. This conception was challenged by councillor Mr. V.D. Kolte from Bhandaras, who introduced a 1 rupee chopped question successful the Budget league of the Central Province Legislative Assembly. He claimed that the classification was unjust to the Hindu community, arsenic akin Muslim organisations, Depressed Classes, and different communal organisations were not covered by it. In a uncommon amusement of support, the Assembly passed the solution condemning the British government’s order. While the British did not rescind the order, they did not instrumentality it either.

On June 21, 1940, Hedgewar passed away. The baton of the RSS was handed implicit to Madhav Sadasiva Golwalkar – a teacher and lawyer-turned-monk of the Ramakrishna order. The RSS was not yet a governmental organisation astatine this point, but had begun having a taste interaction successful cardinal India.

Golwalkar’s rise

A teacher by assemblage astatine the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Golwalkar met Hedgewar successful 1931 erstwhile the RSS laminitis was visiting the institution. Influenced by the Hindutva ideals of Madan Mohan Malaviya, Golwalkar joined the RSS soon after. He joined the Ramakrishna Mission, but erstwhile his mentor, Swami Akhandananda, died successful 1937, Golwalkar rejoined the RSS and aboriginal took implicit arsenic Sarsanghachalak.

“Unlike RSS leaders who were weaned connected Savarkar’s ideas and known atheists, Golwalkar was a monk,” explains Narayan. Golwalkar’s quality arsenic forceful talker successful some Hindi and English shaped the Sangh’s doctrine ‘We oregon Our Nationhood Defined’. Under his leadership, the RSS’s power dispersed crossed northbound and southbound India arsenic well, but grew isolated from Savarkar’s ain militant-style organisation, the Hindu Mahasabha.

In 1939, Golwalkar’s publication We was published successful which helium archetypal projected the conception of a Hindu Rashtra. Inspired by G.D. Savarkar’s Rashtra Mimansa, which was published successful 1934, Mr. Golwalkar’s treatise espoused, “a nation... of a radical who considered a onshore their parent and themselves its sons. These radical should person a communal strategy of conduct, aforesaid dreams, tradition, heroes and transportation the aforesaid humanities burdens and glory. They should see different communities that gave them joyousness arsenic friends and those that invaded them and gave them symptom arsenic enemies”.

Geographically, helium envisioned that the Hindu Rashtra would agelong from the Himalayas successful the northbound to the Indian Ocean successful the south. He asserted, “We person to found that successful this onshore Hindu means federation and federation means Hindu. That is wherefore the Sangh is called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.”

Golwalkar besides drew parallels to Nazi Germany, stating, “Germany has shown however intolerable it is for Races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to beryllium assimilated into 1 agreed whole, a bully acquisition for america successful Hindustan to larn and nett by.”

The book’s merchandise courted controversy. Several scholars researching the Savarkars stated that the parallels drawn to the Holocaust successful which millions of Jews were killed were added by Golwalkar and were not portion of Savarkar’s book. With the RSS disowning We, an edited postulation of Golwalkar’s speeches named A Bunch of Thoughts became the bedrock for the Sangh and remains each volunteer’s guide. The publication toned down Golwalkar’s words, specified arsenic by changing references to Muslims and Christians to ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ and ‘missionary evangelism’, respectively, to debar criticism.

Through the 1940s, the RSS became a increasing interest for the British arsenic its spot grew from 37,362 volunteers successful 1941 to 1,00,402 successful 1946, states Narayan. The RSS chose not to enactment successful the Quit India question owed to ideological and strategical reasons and forbade its swayamsevaks from participating successful it.

However, RSS sprung into enactment during Partition. The Muslim League called for Direct Action Day connected August 16, 1946, demanding Muslim-majority ‘independent States’ successful the north-west and eastbound regions of India portion powers were being transferred from the British to India’s Constituent Assembly. A week starring to the day, the then-Bengal Chief Minister Huseyn Suhrawardy claimed that helium had taken measures to “restrain” the police, efficaciously giving an unfastened telephone to groups to indulge successful violence. With the suspension of concern crossed the state, Muslim League members took to streets forcing Hindu shopkeepers to unopen down their establishment. This elicited a effect from the Hindus who obstructed the League’s procession.

The resulting clash dispersed crossed the city, sidesplitting implicit 5,000 and injuring 15,000, kicking disconnected a year-long protests implicit Partition. The increasing animosity connected spiritual grounds provided the RSS to grow successful the north, acceptable up alleviation camps for Hindus affected by communal clashes, and telephone for an exodus of Muslims from India.

As unit broke retired crossed Punjab, Delhi, and Bengal and lakhs of Muslims fled to Pakistan successful the aftermath of the Partition, Gandhi attempted to scope retired to the RSS to assuage communal tensions. Addressing a gathering of swayamsevaksin Bhangi (Harijan) colony successful Delhi, connected September 16, 1947, helium extolled the Sangh’s “rigorous discipline, implicit lack of untouchability, simplicity, work and self-sacrifice”. However, helium critiqued the Sangh’s assertion that India lone belonged to the Hindus, saying, “The Sangh’s spot could beryllium utilized successful the involvement of India oregon against it and it should amusement by their bully behaviour that these allegations (forcing Muslims to permission India via violence) are baseless”.

However, Gandhi’s pleas fell connected deaf ears. On December 8, 1947, portion addressing a rally successful Rohtak, Golwalkar said, “The Sangh volition not remainder contented until it had finished Pakistan. If anyone stood successful our mode we volition person to decorativeness him too.” He condemned Gandhi’s ‘appeasement’ towards Muslims for their votes.

Gandhi’s decease and its aftermath

A period later, Gandhi was changeable dormant successful New Delhi’s Birla House portion proceeding towards pb the evening prayers. His assassin was Nathuram Godse– an RSS pracharak and Hindu Mahasabha leader, with adjacent links to Savarkar.

Gandhi’s assassination led to nationalist outrage and the Nehru authorities clamped down connected the RSS, the Hindu Mahasabha, Savarkar and Golwalka. Within a week, the RSS was declared unlawful and Godse was arrested on with 2 others – N.D. Apte and Karkare. The RSS premises successful and astir Mumbai were searched and apical RSS and Mahasabha leaders including Golwalkar and Savarkar were arrested. According to the RSS, astatine slightest 17,000 swayamsevaks were arrested aft the RSS was deemed unlawful and the organisation was pushed into fiscal debt.

In February 1949, Golwalkar’s adjacent person and erstwhile Advocate-General T.R.V Sastri met him successful Seoni jailhouse to sermon the RSS’ stance connected India’s flag, establishing a ‘secular democracy’ successful India, publishing the RSS Constitution, and the RSS’ fiscal issues, successful a bid get the prohibition lifted disconnected the RSS. Within weeks of this meeting, the Sangh’s Constitution was framed and a draught was submitted to the Centre stating that the Sangh would not beryllium progressive successful authorities and would beryllium ‘wedded to purely taste work’. The Sangh besides agreed to respect the Indian tricolour portion retaining its ain saffron flag, travel a antiauthoritarian organisational operation headed by a Sarsanghchalak who would beryllium nominated with the statement of the Sangh’s enforcement council. RSS members were allowed to beryllium to immoderate governmental party. On July 12, 1949, the prohibition was lifted and Golwalkar was released from jail.

Seeking to sorb RSS cadres with governmental ambition, connected November 17, 1949, the Congress Working Committee passed a solution allowing RSS members to articulation its enactment if they gave up their Sangh membership.

Meanwhile, upon merchandise from jail, Golwalkar made RSS much closed-off, keeping it distant from politics. During his remainder years arsenic Sarsanghachalak, Golwalkar expanded the RSS’ power successful shaping Indian nine and the Hindutva sphere. During his tenure, the Sangh Parivar was established with the founding of respective RSS affiliates – pupil national Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (1948), catastrophe alleviation organisation Rashtriya Sewa Bharati (1950), spiritual assembly Vishwa Hindu Parishad (1964), tribal payment organisation Vanvasi Kalayan Asharam (1951), workers’ national Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (1955).

In 1949, erstwhile Hindu Mahasabha president, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, resigned aft the organisation refused to “abandon its communalist creation and unfastened its doors to each citizen, careless of religion who was acceptable to judge its economical and governmental programme”, explains Mr. A.G. Noorani, eminent Supreme Court lawyer successful his publication RSS: A Menace to India. Mookerjee, who had been a portion of the archetypal Nehru cabinet, discontinue aft the signing of the Nehru-Liaquat pact betwixt India and Pakistan, accusing Nehru of abandoning the origin of Bengali Hindus successful East Pakistan. While the RSS was bound to not partake successful governmental activities, respective elder RSS leaders including V.R. Oak, B. Madhok, and Bhai Mahavir nursed governmental ambitions. Mookerjee and Golwalkar struck a woody to acceptable up the Bharatiya Jana Sangh successful 1951 and droves of RSS workers joined it.  

The Jana Sangh

The archetypal years of the Jana Sangh were choppy arsenic RSS cadres and governmental leaders recovered it hard to adhere to a ceremonial ‘democratic Constitution of a governmental party’, contempt adhering to a akin ideology, says Noorani. Founding members specified arsenic Mauli Chandra Sharma, B. Madhok, and Guru Dutt resigned from the Jana Sangh accusing the RSS of exercising undue power wrong the party. Yet, some the Jana Sangh and RSS began to grow. As erstwhile princely states and Portuguese colonies joined the Indian Union, RSS workers participated successful the liberation of Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Golwalkar had besides revered the cattle arsenic a ‘Hindu symbol’. Using cattle extortion arsenic a origin for mobilisation, Golwalkar instructed cadres to clasp the biggest demonstrations autarkic India had seen connected November 7, 1966 connected Parliament thoroughfare successful Delhi.

“The assemblage fronted by hundreds of naked, ash-smeared Naga mendicants was agitating to abolish cattle slaughter. In the precocious afternoon, the assemblage got convulsive and went connected a rampage successful the city, mounting fires, destroying vehicles, and raiding ministers’ homes. Seven people, including demonstrating Naga sadhus, were killed successful constabulary firing adjacent Parliament. Police arrested hundreds of radical including apical RSS leaders Vasant Rao Oak, V.P. Joshi and O.P. Tyagi,” writes Narayan. Since then, the RSS has often staged protests, organised meetings, and pushed for laws for extortion of cows by banning cattle slaughter

.(With Inputs from The Hindu Archives)