Photos: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Celebrates Its 98th Foundation Day On Vijayadashami

The influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has become increasingly pronounced, particularly as it has played a vital role in shaping the political career of Narendra Modi, who seeks guidance from the organization on policy matters.

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Under the leadership of Mohan Bhagwat since 2009, the RSS has become India's most prominent advocate of Hindutva, a concept emphasizing Hindu identity and the vision of India as a "Hindu nation."

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India's population consists of approximately 80% Hindus, but it also includes millions of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains. The Indian constitution officially designates the country as secular, emphasizing equal treatment of all religions.

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The RSS was founded in 1925 during India's colonial rule. Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi, initiated the organization. While Gandhi promoted nonviolence and peaceful resistance, the RSS focused on military discipline and the study of Hindu scriptures.

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Hedgewar criticized the diversity and hierarchical structure of the Indian National Congress, the leading independence movement at the time, and aimed for RSS members to be uniform and equal volunteers.

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The RSS started with just 17 members meeting in the living room of Hedgewar's family home in Nagpur, a city in central India.

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Over the years, it has grown exponentially and now claims to be the world's largest volunteer organization, with a membership of at least 5 million individuals across India.

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One significant event in the RSS's history occurred on January 30, 1948, shortly after India gained independence from British rule. Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi shooting him three times at close range in New Delhi as he was on his way to pray.

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In the aftermath of the assassination, the government swiftly banned the RSS, leading to the arrest of its members and violent attacks on their homes.

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Notably, in 1992, an extremist Hindu mob or ‘karsevaks’ destroyed an early 16th-century Mughal mosque- the Babri masjid, in Ayodhya. In 2020, Modi laid the foundation stone for a modern temple to the Lord Ram atop the mosque's ruins.

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When completed, Ayodhya's Ram Temple will embody the heady mix of anti-Muslim iconoclasm and Hindu triumphalism that is core to the RSS-BJP vision.

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