“RSS at 100: A Century of Discipline, Service, and Cultural Awakening”, MyIndmaker, October 02, 2025
“Origins and Early Vision
Founded in 1925 by Dr K.B. Hedgewar in Nagpur, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) began with the modest aim of building disciplined, service-oriented citizens committed to the cultural unity of Bharat. From its early days, the RSS emphasised physical fitness, moral strength, and collective discipline through its daily shakhas (branches). These gatherings became the crucible for nurturing character, camaraderie, and a shared national mission.
Growth and Social Service
Over a century, the RSS has expanded into the world’s largest voluntary socio-cultural organisation, with lakhs of shakhas across villages, towns, and cities. Its outreach spans educational institutions, tribal upliftment projects, health initiatives, disaster relief, and skill development. Whether during floods, earthquakes, or pandemics, RSS volunteers have been visible on the ground, working without seeking recognition, a reflection of its motto: Sewa hi Sangh ka dharma (Service is the duty of the Sangh).
Cultural Revival and Hindutva
At its ideological core, the RSS reimagines Hindutva not as narrow religiosity but as a broad civilisational ethos — encompassing truth, love, belonging, and cultural rootedness. Organiser’s centenary essays highlight how this vision seeks to harmonise India’s internal diversity into a single cultural family, while rejecting sectarianism. Leaders like Dr Mohan Bhagwat repeatedly stress the importance of Dharma as a balance — a moral compass against extremism and global consumerism. In this sense, Hindutva is projected as an antidote to fragmentation and as a force for national integration and global harmony……”
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