Global InformationRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh information
 Bhagwa Dhwaj or saffron flag, an official symbol of RSS | |
 RSS members marching in Bhopal | |
| Abbreviation | RSS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 27 September 1925 |
| Founder | K. B. Hedgewar |
| Type | Non-profit political organisation |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Promotion of Hindu nationalism and Hindutva[1][2] |
| Headquarters | Dr. Hedgewar Bhawan, Sangh Building Road, Nagpur, Maharashtra – 440 032, India |
| Coordinates | 21°08′46″N 79°06′40″E / 21.146°N 79.111°E |
Area served | India |
Membership |
|
Sarsanghchalak (Chief) | Mohan Bhagwat |
Sarkaryawah (General Secretary) | Dattatreya Hosabale |
| Affiliations | Sangh Parivar |
| Website | www |
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (abbr. RSS; Rāṣṭrīya Svayaṃsevak Saṅgh, Hindi pronunciation: [raːʂˈʈriːj(ə) swəjəmˈseːʋək səŋɡʱ], lit. 'National Volunteer Organisation')[7] is an Indian right-wing,[8][9] Hindu nationalist[10][11] volunteer[12] paramilitary organisation.[13] It is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family"), which has developed a presence in all facets of Indian society and includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling political party under Narendra Modi, the 14th prime minister of India.[8] Mohan Bhagwat has served as the Sarsanghchalak of the RSS since March 2009[update].[14]
Founded on 27 September 1925,[15] the initial impetus of the organisation was to provide character training and instil "Hindu discipline" in order to unite the Hindu community and establish a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation).[16][17] The organisation aims to spread the ideology of Hindutva to "strengthen" the Hindu community and promotes an ideal of upholding an Indian culture and its civilizational values.[2][18] On the other hand, the RSS has been described as "founded on the premise of Hindu supremacy",[19] and has been accused of an intolerance of minorities, in particular anti-Muslim activities.[20]
During the colonial period, the RSS collaborated with the British Raj and played no role in the Indian independence movement.[21][22] After independence, it grew into an influential Hindu nationalist umbrella organisation, spawning several affiliated organisations that established numerous schools, charities, and clubs to spread its ideological beliefs.[17] It was banned in 1947 for four days,[17] and then thrice by the post-independence Indian government, first in 1948 when Nathuram Godse,[23] an erstwhile member of RSS,[24] assassinated Mahatma Gandhi;[17][25][26] then during The Emergency (1975–1977); and for a third time after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. In the 21st century, it is the world's largest far-right organisation by membership.[9]
- ^ Embree, Ainslie T. (2005). "Who speaks for India? The Role of Civil Society". In Rafiq Dossani; Henry S. Rowen (eds.). Prospects for Peace in South Asia. Stanford University Press. pp. 141–184. ISBN 0804750858.
- ^ a b Jaffrelot, Christophe (2010). Religion, Caste, and Politics in India. Primus Books. p. 46. ISBN 9789380607047.
- ^ Priti Gandhi (15 May 2014). "Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh: How the world's largest NGO has changed the face of Indian democracy". DNA India. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "Hindus to the fore". Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ "Glorious 87: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh turns 87 on today on Vijayadashami". Samvada. 24 October 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "Highest growth ever: RSS adds 5,000 new shakhas in last 12 months". The Indian Express. 16 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)". Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
(Hindi: "National Volunteer Organisation") also called Rashtriya Seva Sangh
- ^ a b Johnson, Matthew; Garnett, Mark; Walker, David M. (2017), Conservatism and Ideology, Routledge, p. 77, ISBN 978-1-317-52899-9, retrieved 25 March 2021,
A couple of years later, India was ruled by the Janata coalition, which consisted also of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the then-political arm of the extreme right-wing Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS – National Volunteers Organisation).
- ^ a b Pal, Felix; Chaudhary, Neha (4 March 2023). "Leaving the Hindu Far Right". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. 46 (2): 425–444. doi:10.1080/00856401.2023.2179817. S2CID 257565310.
- ^ Horowitz, Donald L. (2001). The Deadly Ethnic Riot. University of California Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-0520224476.
- ^ Jeff Haynes (2 September 2003). Democracy and Political Change in the Third World. Routledge. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-1-134-54184-3. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ Andersen & Damle 1987, p. 111.
- ^ McLeod, John (2002). The history of India. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 209–. ISBN 978-0-313-31459-9. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
- ^ Jain, Rupam; Chaturvedi, Arpan (11 January 2023). "Leader of influential Hindu group backs LGBT rights in India". Reuters. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ Chitkara, National Upsurge 2004, p. 362.
- ^ Andersen & Damle 1987, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d Atkins, Stephen E. (2004). Encyclopedia of modern worldwide extremists and extremist groups. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 264–265. ISBN 978-0-313-32485-7. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
- ^ Dina Nath Mishra (1980). RSS: Myth and Reality. Vikas Publishing House. p. 24. ISBN 978-0706910209.
- ^ Singh, Amit (31 October 2022). "🌊 Hindutva fascism threatens the world's largest democracy". The Loop. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (20 September 2022). "What is Hindu nationalism and how does it relate to trouble in Leicester?". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ Lal, Vinay (2003). The History of History: Politics and Scholarship in Modern India. Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-19-566465-2.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the paramilitary organization which advocates a militant Hinduism and a Hindu polity in modern India, not only played no role in the anti-colonial struggle but actively collaborated with the British.
- ^ Chetan Bhatt (2020). Hindu Nationalism: Origins, Ideologies and Modern Myths. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-000-18104-3.
RSS was not considered an adversary by the British. On the contrary, it gave loyal consent to the British to be part of the Civic Guard.
- ^ Krant M. L. Verma Swadhinta Sangram Ke Krantikari Sahitya Ka Itihas (Part 3) p. 766
- ^ —Karawan, Ibrahim A.; McCormack, Wayne; Reynolds, Stephen E. (2008). Values and Violence: Intangible Aspects of Terrorism. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-4020-8660-1.
—Venugopal, Vasudha (8 September 2016). "Nathuram Godse never left RSS, says his family". The Economic Times. - ^ "RSS releases 'proof' of its innocence". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 August 2004. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ Gerald James Larson (1995). India's Agony Over Religion. State University of New York Press. p. 132. ISBN 0-7914-2412-X.