Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)

In 1925 a doctor in Nagpur gathered a few boys for exercise and discussion. From that small start grew one of the largest volunteer organisations in India. It has also been banned by the government three times.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, is a Hindu nationalist volunteer body. Its history is debated, so this lesson separates what the record shows from what people argue about. Both views are attributed to their sources.

1How did the RSS begin?

Keshav Baliram Hedgewar founded the RSS in Nagpur on 27 September 1925. He was a physician. He became its first chief.

The RSS says its first daily shakha began in 1926. It describes its aim as organising Hindu society and building character through regular training. It calls itself a cultural and social body.

Scholars often describe its ideas as Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism. That is a political and cultural idea. It is not the belief of every Hindu.

The RSS says its work serves the whole nation. Critics ask how its idea of national identity treats religious minorities. Both claims belong to their authors, and neither settles the question alone.

Hedgewar took part in the 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement as an individual. This does not mean the RSS as a body led the Congress freedom movement.

Why does this matter? Careful attribution is the heart of this topic. Exams reward answers that keep claims, dates and sources apart.

• Founded 27 September 1925 in Nagpur.
• Founder: K.B. Hedgewar, a physician.
• First daily shakha: 1926, as the RSS says.
• Read about Civil Disobedience.

2How does it work?

The basic unit is the shakha. It is a local meeting, often with exercise, games and talk. Volunteers are called swayamsevaks.

A pracharak is a full-time organiser. The Sarsanghchalak is the chief. The Sarkaryavah is the general secretary. These are different posts.

Local shakhas link up through district and regional units. The RSS also holds training camps and national meetings. It does not keep a standard membership register.

That means a shakha count cannot tell us how many separate people attend. The RSS publishes its own figures for daily shakhas. Those are self-reported, not an independent census.

The Rashtra Sevika Samiti was founded in 1936. It is a separate organisation for women. It works in parallel and is not an RSS branch.

Why does this matter? Many exam traps come from mixing up these terms. Learn each post and each unit by name.

• Shakha: the local daily meeting.
• Pracharak: full-time organiser. Sarsanghchalak: chief.
• No standard membership register.
• Rashtra Sevika Samiti, 1936: a separate women’s body.

3Why was it banned three times?

Governments banned the RSS in 1948, 1975 and 1992. Each ban had a different cause and ended differently.

The first ban came after Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in January 1948. Home Minister Sardar Patel’s government banned it on 4 February 1948. It cited concerns about violence and communal feeling. The ban was lifted in July 1949, after talks and a written constitution for the RSS.

The second ban came during the Emergency of 1975. It was part of a wide crackdown on opposition groups. It ended when the Emergency ended in 1977.

The third ban followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. A tribunal rejected it in 1993.

A ban is not a criminal verdict against every volunteer. Its later removal also does not erase the government’s stated concerns. Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin, had links to Hindu nationalist circles. His exact RSS membership at that time is disputed.

Why does this matter? Each ban has its own date, reason and ending. Exams like to test them side by side.

• 1948: after Gandhi’s assassination; lifted July 1949.
• 1975: the Emergency; ended 1977.
• 1992: after the Babri demolition; rejected 1993.
• Read about the Emergency and the Babri demolition.

4What is the wider network?

People use the name Sangh Parivar for a network of groups with shared roots. It includes the student body ABVP, the labour body BMS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Each has its own name and legal role.

The Bharatiya Jana Sangh was founded in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee. RSS organisers helped it grow. In 1977 it joined the Janata Party.

Former Jana Sangh members formed the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980. The BJP is a political party that fights elections. The RSS is a separate organisation and does not field candidates in its own name.

Shared ideas or shared members do not make every action a formal RSS order. Network groups describe their work in education, welfare and disaster relief. Such claims need checking against specific projects.

Why does this matter? The Jana Sangh did not simply rename itself the BJP. A Janata Party phase came in between.

• Jana Sangh, 1951, founded by Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
• Joined the Janata Party in 1977; BJP formed in 1980.
• The BJP and the RSS are separate bodies.
• Read about Syama Prasad Mookerjee and the Janata Party.

5Who has led it?

The RSS has had six Sarsanghchalaks. Hedgewar was the first. M.S. Golwalkar followed him after his death in 1940 and led until 1973.

Next came Balasaheb Deoras. Rajendra Singh, K.S. Sudarshan and Mohan Bhagwat followed. Bhagwat has led the RSS since 2009.

The chief is not elected in a public vote. Succession is an internal matter. The general secretary helps run daily work, and that post is separate.

Golwalkar’s writings are still a source of political debate. Students should not confuse a leader’s personal political action with an official RSS campaign.

Why does this matter? Exams ask for the order of chiefs and the chief’s title. Learn the sequence once and it stays with you.

• Order: Hedgewar, Golwalkar, Deoras, Rajendra Singh, Sudarshan, Bhagwat.
• Golwalkar led 1940-1973.
• Bhagwat is chief since 2009, the sixth in line.

6What are the exam traps?

• Founded in 1925; first daily shakha 1926.
• Bans in 1948, 1975 and 1992, each with a different cause.
• The RSS and the BJP are separate; the Jana Sangh joined the Janata Party before the BJP formed.
• Sarsanghchalak (chief) and Sarkaryavah (general secretary) are different posts.