The future of RSS

A book by Sanjeev Kelkar traces the origins of the RSS, events that shaped its ideology and what lies ahead

Is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded 85 years ago, out of synch with modern India? A panel of eminent writers and academics in Mumbai, seems to suggest the organisation, which once actively worked for modernising and unifying various Hindu factions, needs an urgent self-appraisal. The panel, which sat to discuss a former RSS member, Sanjeev Kelkar's new book, 'Lost years of the RSS', believes the men in khaki shorts need to tweak their ideology keeping in mind the changing times.


Protest: Youth Congress leader Charanjit Singh Sapra and other
activists protest demanding ban on RSS

The book was launched by Kumar Ketkar, ex-editor of Loksatta on April 23, at 6 pm at the Y B Chavan Centre, Near Mantralaya. This was followed by a panel discussion and an interactive session with the audience. The audience which had gathered to hear the panellists speak on 'a controversial subject' were quite enthusiastic as they were already flipping through the pages of the book, even before the panellists arrived.

Purpose
The RSS has been regarded as a major force in the growth of Hindu nationalism, which seeks to revive and glorify ancient India's cultural heritage. But Kelkar's, 'Lost Years of the RSS' claims the organisation is glorifying individuals rather than the Hindutva ideology, as an excerpt in his book reads, "Publicity today is an accepted norm in the RSS and the Parivar. But it has assumed a most detestable form. In yesteryears, the deeds were publicised. Today, the individuals are publicised.


Vision: Balasaheb Deoras(in a wheelchair), former RSS Chief

In yesteryears, birthdays, travelling programmes and availabilities were not the norms; the heroism of the RSS was the norm. Today, it is felicitations galore. In yesteryears, movements were at the centrestage. The RSS and the Parivar have lost the intrinsic balance of Deoras. In less than a dozen years, we are not even able to recognise them in the original form."

"The very purpose of writing this book is to begin a dialogue that can lead to an understanding of the RSS as an organisation," said Kelkar, who is also the ex-Medical Director of Novo Nordisk Education Foundation, and the Founder Secretary of Diabetic Foot Society of India.

Misunderstood
Agrees Sudheendra Kulkarni, a panellist and a columnist with the Indian Express, saying it was a book waiting to be written. "The RSS is one of the most misunderstood organisations in India. Some people relish in demonising the RSS. And to a large extent, the RSS is itself responsible for it being misunderstood," said Kulkarni.


Inu00a0uniform: Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Chief

The ideology of the RSS has been debated for a long time and there is a need to understand the organisation properly. "Whether you support it or criticise it, it is an important organisation in our country," said Kulkarni as he urged the RSS to take a close look at its self-righteous attitude, "RSS believes it has never taken a wrong turn, it has never committed mistakesu00a0-- such smug, self righteous and arrogant assumption about its infallibility has to be analysed." It was this attitude that made Kelkar leave the organisation, as he suggests in his book, "the three reasons I worked for the RSS for many years were: first the RSS' man-making mission made immense sense to me.

I felt that it was a fundamental need of the nation that was being addressed by the RSS; the second reason was that the leadership of the organisation would never allow it to become another Hindu sect; and the third was my belief that they would not compromise on ethics and principles under any situation. When I saw that none of the three were operative any longer, I left the RSS." Written from an insider's perspective, this, according to the panel members is an "in-depth" work, which critically examines some of the major turning points in the history of the RSS from the viewpoint of both a follower and a critic.

Ideology
Kumar Ketkar, one of the panel members, believes that Kelkar's book is a courageous act. "The courage which the writer has displayed is indeed commendable," he said. Dr Ravi Bapat, former Head of the Department (HOD), Surgery, KEM Hospital, who was also on the panel, finds resonance in whatever has been written in the book. Said he, "Whatever the author has written in the book, I have experienced it. As a youngster I would visit one of the RSS shakhas(branch) in Pune and participate in various games played at the campus." He praised the author for urging the organisation to look inwardly and change. "The world is changing and aspirations of a person change with time. Every ideology has to be modified according to the region," said Bapat subtly, pointing out that the RSS has yet to realise it.

Discussion
Dr Sugata Ghosh of SAGE Publications, the publishers of the book, said it was not difficult to decide to publish the book, "As a responsible publication house, we thought that we should go ahead and publish this book and let readers decide what is right and wrong." He went on to add that one of the reviewers after reading the book said, "I do not agree one bit with what the author has written, but the book should be published as that will begin a discourse."

During the discussion a member of the audience asked the panellists if it made sense for the BJP to merge with the RSS to form a bigger Hindutva party. While many thought the question was na ve, Kumar Ketkar tactfully answered, "The child cannot go back to the womb." When somebody from the audience asked if the future of RSS was promising, Kulkarni sounded quite optimistic and said, "Most certainly it has." But the organisation has to be open towards "self criticism" and "explain inconvenient issues."

The session ended on a positive note with Kulkarni hoping the message of the book would be taken seriously by the RSS. He said he has not lost hope, quoting one of the best lines from the book, "Mr Deoras did once say-'Let us not spoil the future by continuing to fight wars of past, in the present.' Can this make sense?" While discussions touched upon various issues ranging from Hindutva to religion to politics and of course, the RSS; the panelists as well as the audience felt that it is time for the RSS to introspect and play a bigger role in modern India.

Excerpts
The Future, If Any The only sociopolitical body in India capable of reinventing itself today, albeit on a low scale of probability, is the RSS and its parivar. Despite the mediocrity enshrined within the Parivar, they 'may' achieve the feat because of their enduring concern about this land, its people and its future. The Congress is unlikely, for at least another 50 years, to come out of the impotent dependence on dynastic rule. One fears that their hardened tendencies of Muslim appeasement and that of other non-Brahmin Hindu sections, at the cost of bringing about divisive effects within the society, will become stronger.

The RSS was ridiculed for wearing 'perpetual blinkers'. That distinction should no pass on to the Leftists as well. Their obsolete and irrational ways still hold the polity at ransom. We saw that during the issue of the nuclear deal with America, when they were virtually brought down the government they were supporting. Over the last few months of 2010, the CPI (M) seems to be losing their ground quickly in their own bastion.

Does the RSS have a future?
The RSS has a long future ahead as the cult that it has reverted to being after the Deoras erau00a0-- it is, however, a long but unproductive and sterile future. The lost years have returned post-1992, with the addition of sole vile elements. The dominant mentality is still cultish, although it has mercifully receded from that prospect to some extent.

What will happen to the RSS in the next 25 years? Will it disintegrate? Or, will it be able to hold itself together? It is old, tired and too bulky today to remain agile. Its speed for change in the inner structure is grossly limited. It is manned by bachelor full-timers, who have held sway with the organisation for long years. This is coupled with the householders, who form a large part of the cadre that financially supports the RSS, assists in the management of the day-to-day affairs of the shakhas, including the various rituals and programmes.

The RSS needs to manage a proper balance of involvement of these two groups. They have to think hard about the system of having celebrate/bachelor full-timers. Their moral authority seems to have eroded beyond all expectation --they have to now decide how much of that is their own doing and how much the result of the shortsightedness of others.

Violence against the RSS
The most terrible form of violence against the RSS was seen during the infamous Emergency period, one of the worst examples of being in Kerala, where heavy printer rolls were used to crush the muscles of the thighs and legs of volunteers who offered peaceful Satyagraha against the Emergency. Many IPS officers were summoned by Mrs. Gandhi, who unanimously told her not to play with fire. They clearly warned her about the fact that so far the RSS men had neither raised their voice even once, nor a finger in protest, but if the torture continued, the situation would go out of hand. There would be retaliation. Shortly after this, the torture stopped.

In the Gandhi-murder ban alone, a great deal of violence had been used against RSS followers, destroying property, means of livelihood, and so on. After the ban was lifted, the violence took the apparently civilised form of threats, exclusion from the services, general ostracism and the use of government machinery in an attempt to demoralize the cadre. This, to a considerable extent, succeeded. The response of the RSS, on both the occasions of the ban, was to forgive and forget. In 1948, it was Golwalkar and in 1977, it was Deoras who appeal to the cadre with the message. The message was complied with.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

From: Lost years of the RSS by Sanjeev Kelkar. Published by SAGE Publications. Price Rs 350.