New Delhi: The day is also very special, Vijayadashami… On this day, Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, along with five volunteers, laid the foundation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). At that time, many people mocked Hedgewar and said that Hedgewar had come to make a revolution with children. No one had any idea that this small Sangh, which started with five people, would one day become the world’s largest volunteer and Hindu organisation.
The RSS has completed 100 years. Today, there are more than 75,000 branches of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh across the country. The RSS claims that it has more than 1 crore trained members. At the same time, there are more than 80 like-minded or subsidiary organisations in the Sangh family. The strength of the Sangh can be gauged from the fact that it is active in about 40 countries. At present, the Sangh has more than 56,000 daily shakhas, around 14,000 weekly mandals, and 9,000 monthly branches.
The year was 1919… The First World War was over. Turkey’s once vast and powerful Ottoman Empire was now shattered. The British removed the Caliph of Turkey, whom Muslims all over the world considered their religious head, from the throne. The news spread like wildfire and sparked the anger of Muslims around the world. Even in India, which was itself shackled to slavery, Muslims took to the streets.
This is where the Khilafat movement was born. The movement was led by the Ali brothers, Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali. Their dream was to put the Caliph back on the throne of Turkey. The movement spread rapidly, and millions of people joined it.
On the other hand, the situation in India was already explosive. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was fresh in the memory of the people. Martial law was in force in Punjab, and black laws like the Rowlatt Act filled the public with anger. At the same time, Mahatma Gandhi, who had returned from South Africa, was preparing for a big mass movement. He felt that the Khilafat movement could become a bridge of Hindu-Muslim unity. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Just as the cow is sacred to Hindus, the Caliphate is for Muslims.”
This idea of Gandhi did not go down well with everyone. Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a young Congressman from Nagpur, disagreed with Gandhi’s views. He believed that it was dangerous to put religion above the nation.
In the early days, members met only two days a week. On Sundays, they used to exercise, and on Thursdays, they would discuss national issues. This meeting was named the Shakha. This Shakha later became the identity of the Sangh. On 17 April 1926, the organisation was formally named Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. On Ram Navami the same year, volunteers were seen in identical costumes for the first time — khaki shirts and pants, caps and boots. In a short time, this glimpse of discipline and uniformity became the hallmark of the Sangh.
Shortly after, regular Shakhas were started from the Mohite Ka Bara Maidan in Nagpur. This was the point from where the Sangh gradually spread and left its mark on Indian social politics.
The scope of the RSS increased due to Hedgewar’s thinking.
Dr Hedgewar had a different way of connecting the youth. He used to say that when a student passes matriculation, he should not be limited to Nagpur but should go to other cities to study. There, he started a branch in his college and also connected his friends with the Sangh. In this way, the message of the Sangh started reaching new cities and colleges.
When these students used to come back to Nagpur during the holidays, Hedgewar used to ask them specifically how the branch was functioning, how many people were joining, and what problems they were facing. This used to let him know how the activities of the branch were going on outside.
The first branch of the Sangh outside Maharashtra was set up in Varanasi in 1930. This branch later became very special because, through this, another Sarsanghchalak, Guruji (Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar), joined the Sangh. Not only this, Hedgewar himself used to go to the houses of the boys who did not come to the regular branch.
He used to talk to them openly and meet their families. Impressed by his simplicity and words, many families started sending their children to the branch themselves. Gradually, this influence increased so much that new volunteers started joining the Sangh every month. In this way, the branch was not limited to Nagpur but spread all over the country.
Since 1925, there have been six Sarsanghchalaks in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Dr. Hedgewar, who laid the foundation of the RSS, held his position from 1925 to 1940. After his death in 1940, this responsibility was given to Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar in his place. People used to call him Guruji. Golwalkar held the post from 1940 to 1973.
After his death, Madhukar Dattatreya Deoras became the Sarsanghchalak in 1973. He is known to most people as Balasaheb Deoras. In 1993, this post was taken over by Professor Rajendra Singh alias Rajju Bhaiya. However, in the year 2000, Rajju Bhaiya handed over the post of Sarsanghchalak to Kripahalli Sitaramaiah Sudarshan due to health reasons. In the year 2009, Sudarshan ji also handed over his responsibility to Dr. Mohanrao Madhukarrao Bhagwat (Mohan Bhagwat) and made him the new guardian of the Sangh.