Brig Anil Gupta (retd)
anil5457@gmail.com
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1925 by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, stands as a premier nationalist organization in India, far beyond its social and cultural roles. Its disciplined cadre embodies patriotism, fostering national unity through selfless service during crises and nation-building efforts. RSS has significantly contributed to nation-building since India’s independence in 1947 through selfless service, social harmony, and territorial integration. Its Swayamsevaks’ (Volunteers) disciplined efforts have addressed Partition’s aftermath, disasters, external aggressions, national integration, floods, epidemics and cultural revival. This article explores its exemplary contributions, debunking politically motivated criticisms.
During the 1947 Partition riots, RSS volunteers formed relief committees like Hindu Sahayata Samiti, rescuing millions, setting up refugee camps, providing food, medical aid, and protection across Punjab and Bengal. Under Guru Golwalkar, they rehabilitated Hindus, escorted families to safety, and defended communities, a role later acknowledged by figures like Khushwant Singh during 1984 anti-Sikh riots where they sheltered Sikhs.
RSS aided princely states’ merger into India. In Jammu & Kashmir, Golwalkar convinced Maharaja Hari Singh to accede in 1947 amid Pakistani invasion, with volunteers supporting the army in logistics and refugee relief from Mirpur and Muzaffarabad. They contributed to liberating Goa from Portuguese rule and integrating Dadra-Nagar Haveli, preserving sovereignty.
Post-independence, RSS built institutions like Vidya Bharati (running 12,000+ schools educating millions) and Ekal Vidyalayas for rural tribals, promoting education and self-reliance. Seva Bharati drives healthcare, rural development, and women’s empowerment, while affiliates like Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh uplift labourers. RSS swayamsevaks consistently lead relief efforts in natural calamities, wars, and disasters, often arriving before government agencies. During the 2013 Uttarakhand floods, thousands of volunteers rescued over 100,000 people, built helipads, distributed food and medicines, and collaborated with the army despite losing 19 members in a helicopter crash. In the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, they pulled survivors from rubble, set up camps for 1.5 lakh people, and managed rehabilitation without seeking publicity.
Their response extends to floods, cyclones, and pandemics. They led relief in events from Bihar famine (1960s) to recent cyclones, often first on ground with supplies and rescues. In the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, RSS affiliates like Seva Bharati supplied millions of meals, masks, oxygen, and medical aid nationwide, including remote Northeast areas. During Manipur’s 2023 ethnic clashes and recent floods, Swayamsevaks provided shelter, essentials, and skill-training for thousands in affected villages. In the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war and 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, RSS volunteers formed the core of civil defence organisations as well as aided refugees and soldiers, earning national recognition.
The RSS has played a pivotal role in integrating India’s Northeast, countering insurgencies and alienation through grassroots outreach. Since the 1950s, shakhas (daily gatherings) in states like Manipur, Nagaland, and Assam promote cultural unity under “Akhand Bharat,” blending local traditions with national pride. In Manipur, swayamsevaks run schools, hostels, and vocational programs via Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, uplifting tribal communities and fostering harmony.
During Assam’s 1980s unrest and Manipur’s crises, RSS mediated peace, organized sports events, and established Ekal Vidyalayas for remote education, reaching lakhs of children. Their century-long work-marked by 100 years in 2025-has built trust, reducing separatist appeal and weaving Northeast into India’s fabric.
1963 will be etched as a patriotic milestone in its 100 years’ glorious history. RSS’s patriotism shone in the 1963 Republic Day Parade, where Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru personally invited 3,000 Swayamsevaks to march, honouring their valour in the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Volunteers had guarded borders, dug trenches, and supported troops in Arunachal and Ladakh, showcasing unmatched discipline. This historic participation symbolized national gratitude, with RSS volunteers marching impeccably past the India Gate, reinforcing their role as a patriotic force.
RSS instils patriotism via shakhas, training camps, and affiliates like Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Vidya Bharati schools, educating millions in values of self-reliance and unity. It unites Hindus beyond caste, promotes social reforms, and drives rural development, embodying “Nation First.”
Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi manufacture controversies against RSS, falsely labeling it “fascist” or “anti-Constitution” to mask their electoral failures against its vast, disciplined network of over 50,000 shakhas. Gandhi’s rants ignore RSS’s constitutional loyalty-upheld by Supreme Court judgments-and relief work that governments envy. These smears stem from envy of RSS’s apolitical outreach, which mobilizes millions without state funds, unlike opposition’s vote-bank politics.
Such attacks peaked post-2014 and 2024 elections, with Gandhi alleging RSS threatens democracy, despite its Gandhian roots and aid to all communities. Courts have dismissed bans post-Gandhi assassination as politically timed, affirming RSS’s patriotism. Opposition cannot match RSS’s cadre-driven service, so they demonize it. A Swayamsevak is an epitome of selfless service and devotion solely inspired by a spirit of idealism, without any desire or expectation in return, something rare and uncommon in today’s materialistic world. They often go without food, forsake rest and sleep without undermining their zeal and commitment.
RSS’s century of service-from disaster fronts to national integration to cultural revival-proves its nationalist core. Its Swayamsevaks’ discipline and patriotism continue strengthening India against internal divisions and external threats. Despite relentless demonization by leaders like Rahul Gandhi and his allies, who brand it a “fascist right wing entity” to discredit its disciplined cadre and apolitical outreach, the RSS’s tangible contributions affirm its role as Bharat Mata’s patriotic backbone.
The politically motivated smears rooted in electoral rivalry rather than facts, fail to eclipse Sangh’s selfless service that continues to strengthen and unite the nation against divisive forces and toolkit mechanisms. More they demean the Sangh, stronger becomes the resolve of its cadre making the RSS even stronger.
(The author is a Jammu based veteran, security and strategic affairs analyst and political commentator.)
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