RSS and its Ideologues: A Brief Glance

The recent exchange of dialogue between Charanjit Singh Bal and Mr. Prafful Nikam, moderator of Sangh Parivar website has prompted me to write the following write up.

I have restrained myself from presenting my views and tried my level best to quote the words and works of Sangh parivar’s heroes, ideologues and mentors. They can be called the Hindutva activists as they like to call themselves or Hindu Nationalists.

Whatever I will present here about RSS will be the views, writings, and opinions of these Hindu Nationalists i.e.,from the Horse’s own mouth.
I will not pass any judgment and leave it upon the readers to decide for themselves the aims, objectives and agenda of Sangh Parivar.

I will try to restrict myself to the two Sangh ideologues: Savarkar and Golwalkar, while briefly touching their Guru and mentor from whom these two derived inspiration and whose teachings they followed.

Sangh Parivar is not a single organization but a conglomerate of different Hindutva organizations such as Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Mahasabha and its political wing Bhartiya Janata Party or Jan Sangh as it was known earlier.

The most recent proof of this is that just a few days ago L.K.Advani has been replaced as the chief of BJP by a RSS activist Nitin Gadkari. RSS has openly said that it is time for moderate policies to go and Gadkari has been placed forcibly against the wishes of Advani.

What is RSS and what it stands for can be clearly understood by the statement of RSS chief K.S.Sudarshan who said that the twenty-first century will be the century of Hindutva and that there will be an epic war between the Hindus and non-Hindus of India.

Kuruvachira[1] is justified in being concerned about the Hindu Nationalists when he writes “The Hindu Nationalists are planning their next strategy to come back to power with vengeance and to confront secularists and religious minorities of India., and if possible obliterate them from the face of the earth, for such is their hatred towards them. Even now they have their ideologically trained persons in all possible departments to carry on their agenda. There are hardcore Hindu nationalists in disguise even in the Congress and other political parties.”

RSS or Hindu Nationalist mentality has been beautifully compared to cockroach by Kuruvachira.He says “that you can stamp on a cockroach. Five minutes later when you think it is totally dead, it suddenly turns itself upside down and runs away. We may compare the Hindu Nationalist ideology to such a cockroach.”

I will begin by presenting the portfolio of Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar who headed RSS from 1940 to 1973.

An important organizational measure taken by him was to utilize this organizational structure of the "family" to create a political front which would be always under the leadership and control of the RSS. In 1951, he sent cadres to help Shyama Prasad Mukherjee to start the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, whose later incarnate is today's BJP. Among those who were sent were Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Atal Behari Vajpayee, L.K.Advani and S.S. Bhandari (This fact is mentioned in Basu, Datta, Sarkar, Sarkar and Sen, 1993, p. 48.)

He wrote a book called We, Our Nationhood Defined which has been called as RSS Bible by SitaRam Yechury. It is the basic primer in the indoctrination of Sangh volunteers. It was so radical and inflammable against minorities that RSS itself took it out of circulation for the time being. His another important work is Bunch of thoughts.

I will now present information from Golwalkar’s works to show what RSS is and what is its agenda and ultimate aim.

Bunch of thoughts

Basically RSS means Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh and Rashtriya at the beginning is just to misguide people. Golwalkar tells us that the word rashtriya naturally means ‘Hindu’ and therefore the word ‘Hindu’ need not be used at all.

Adherents of all other religions found in India are either guests or refugees or mere residents in the country. (p156)

Golwalkar tells Sikhs that they are Hindus, he says :

Sikhism came into being in order to contain the spread of Islam in Punjab.(p 103)

Golwalkar advised Sikhs to register themselves as Hindus.(Shri Guruji : A Profile)

Rather he advises everyone to register themselves as Hindus :

Our brethren in the far eastern region – they may be Naga, Khasi, Jayantia, Mikir, Mizo etc. all should designate their community as Hindu only.(p362)

When some of the Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists declared that they are separate from Hindus, he said :

It is clearly written in our constitution that the term ‘Hindu’ include Sikhs, jains and Buddhists. (p 106)

Worshipping and Adoring Hitler:

Hitler is not an exception but a culmination of the 2000 year long oppression of the jews by the Christians. (p 159)

Views about Buddhism and supporting Caste system:

He calls Buddhism a religion of fanatics, enemies of the cultural values and nationalist traditions of India. He writes:

--the Buddhist fanatics invited and helped the foreign aggressors who wore the mask of Buddhism. The Buddhist sect had turned a traitor to the mother society [Hindu Society] and the mother religion [Hinduism] (p 70)

He further says that where the influence of Buddhism had disrupted the caste system, it fell an easy prey to the onslaught of Muslims.

He calls Adi Sankara a fearless philosopher whose activities aroused a national consciousness and threw out the treacherous elements of Buddhism as a distinct sect. (p 70)

Golwalkar’s advises Jews and Parsis that they are guests in the Hindu Rashtra and they should merge themselves with the mainstream of Hindu life.(p 138)

We, Our Nationhood defined

" ... The conclusion is unquestionably forced upon us that... in Hindusthan exists and must exist the ancient Hindu nation and nought else but the Hindu Nation. All those not belonging to the national, i.e., Hindu Race, Religion, Culture and Language naturally fallout of the pale of real `National' life. We repeat: in Hindusthan, the land of the Hindus, lives and should live the Hindu Nation - satisfying all the five essential requirements of the scientific nation concept of the modem world. Consequently only those movements are truly `National' as aim at re- building, revitalizing and emancipating from its present stupor, the Hindu Nation. Those only are nationalist patriots, who, with the, aspiration to glorify the Hindu race and nation next to their heart, are prompted into activity and strive to achieve that goal. All others are either traitors and enemies to the National cause, or, to take a charitable view, idiots" (p43-44).

We must bear in mind that so far as 'nation' is concerned, all those, who fall outside the five-fold limits of that idea, can have no place in the national life unless they abandon their differences, adopt the religion, culture and language of the Nation and completely merge themselves in the National Race. So long, however, as they maintain their racial, religious and cultural differences, they cannot but be only foreigners " (p. 45).

There are only two courses open to the foreign elements, either to merge themselves in the national race and adopt its culture, or to live at its mercy so long as the national race may allow them to do so and to quit the country at the sweet will of the national race... From this standpoint, sanctioned by the experience of shrewd old nations, the foreign races in Hindustan must either adopt the Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but those of the glorification of the Hindu race and culture, i.e., of the Hindu nation and must lose their separate existence to merge in the Hindu race, or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu Nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment - not even citizen's rights. There is, at least should be, no other course for them to adopt. We are an old nation; let us deal, as old nations ought to and do deal, with the foreign races, who have chosen to live in our country. ( pp. 47-48).

Inspiration from Fascism: The adulation of fascist Germany could not have been more naked.

The ancient Race spirit, which prompted the Germanic tribes to overrun the whole of Europe, has re-risen in modern Germany, with the result that the Nation perforce follows aspirations, predetermined by the traditions left by its depredatory ancestors. Even so with : our Race spirit has once again roused itself as is evidenced by the race of spiritual giants we have produced, and who today stalk the world in serene majesty(p. 32).

Golwalkar acclaims Manu as the "first and greatest lawgiver of the world" who "lays down in his code, directing all the peoples of the world to go to Hindusthan to learn their duties at the holy feet of 'eldest born' Brahmins of this land." (pp.55-56).

Note the following report that appeared in the RSS mouthpiece Organiser (May 10, 1992):

`The 2nd state Hindu Advocates Conference Organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad at Madurai on April 18 and 19, 1992, has demanded the review and redrafting of the Constitution. Shri V.K.S. Chaudhary, Advocate General of U.P. in his key-note address asserted that the Manusmriti rendered `justice for all'. Manu took the entire mankind and its needs for ages and evolved his code. Manusmriti was for all times and ages and for all mankind".

At the end to conclude the portfolio of RSS’s Godfather Golwalkar I would like to present the views of J. Kuruvachira from his book Hindu nationalists of Modern India: A Critical study of the intellectual genealogy of Hindutva:

Golwalkar was a narrow minded Hindutva ideologue who lived for a Hindu rashtra and judiciously cultivated an anti-‘other’ attitude towards the religious minorities of India. He drew inspiration for his ideology from Adi Sankara, Swami dayanand Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, Adolf Hitler and his Nazi ideology.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

Savarkar has been for a long time veer(brave hero) in the RSS folklore and in the school textbooks sponsored by them. He has been given the title Swatantrya Veer(brave warrior of freedom).

Whether he deserves this epithet or not and his secret dealings with British rulers and how he had his punishment reduced is not the purpose of this write up.

He used to consider himself as the grand gatekeeper of the Hindu values and Hindu Nationalism. In 1923, he published his controversial Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? Which won him the title ‘Father of Hindutva’. After its publication K.B.Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, met him to obtain his support for the founding of the RSS, inaugurated in 1925.

Again we will not go into the claims of upkeeping Hindu values or his homosexual relations with Nathuram Godse.

Savarkar aimed at establishing a Hindu rashtra in India and he passionately appealed to the communal instincts of the Hindus. His oft-repeated slogan was Hindustan Hinduonka(India belongs to the Hindus).

To Savarkar the calling of the Hindu kingdom of Nepal as a foreign country was intolerable. He held that the brave and warlike Gurkhas were part and parcel of Hinduism and any move to keep them segregated from India was strongly and relentlessly opposed by him. In fact, under his guidance, the Ratnagiri Hindu Sabha initiated a movement to bring them back to pan-Hinduism.(C.Gupta, Life of Barrister Savarkar)

It was Savarkar who propounded the theory that Muslims and Christians are foreigners and therefore they have no place in India. It is this Savarkarism that has seeped so deep into the blood and soul of Advani, Narendra Modi, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Pravin Togadiya, Bal Thackeray that led to the massacre of Muslims in Godhra, Gujarat and the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

It was this Savarkarism that prompted them to shout slogans like ‘Ek dhakka aur do Babri Masjid tod do’, ‘Ram Lalla aayenge musalman bhagayenge’.

Again whether Ram existed or not is not the topic under concern.

It was this Savarkarism that led to the burning of Christian missionary Graham Staines in Orissa with his two young children who were roasted alive while Savarkar’s pupils were shouting ‘Har Har Mahadev’.

This is what Savarkar writes in his Hindutva:

Mohammadens and Christian communities possess all the essential qualifications of Hindutva but one and all that is that they do not look upon India as their holyland. Their holyland is far off in Arabia and Palestine. Their mythology and Godmen, ideas and heroes are not the children of this soil. Consequently, their names and their outlook smack of foreign origin. Their love is divided.(p 113)

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Tilak can be considered as the inspiration and guide of all the present day Hindutva activists. In his own time Tilak became the guru of Savarkar. It was Tilak who recommended the case of Savarkar for a scholarship to go to London for studies. In London Savarkar was busy with production of bombs, eventually sending a manual on this subject back to Tilak.

The founder of RSS, Hegdewar also came under the influence of Tilak, another prominent leader of RSS who was influenced by Tilak was Balkrishna Shivaram Moonje(1872-1948), the founder of Bhonsle military school in Nasik.

In short Tilak’s thoughts have influenced the Hindu Mahasabha, Jan Sangh , RSS or together we can say the Sangh parivar.

One of the most monumental work of Tilak is the interpretation of Bhagwad Gita which is called Gitarahasaya. Tilak used it to preach violence and intolerance against minorities.

The authorities even considered seriously the question of proscribing the Gita; but a holy book which the Hindu masses use as a daily prayer could not be proscribed as a seditious volume.

Many were influenced by Tilak’s ethics based on Gita. In short, Tilak promoted Gita as a handbook of terrorism. Damodar Chapekar, who was executed for assassinating a British officer, appealed to Tilak for a copy of Gita on the eve of execution, and Tilak gave him his own copy.

It is interesting to note the views of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar(known widely as the Father of Indian Constitution) as well about Gita. This is what Ambedkar says in Annihilation of Caste :

The Bhagvat Gita is not a gospel and it can therefore have no message and it is futile to search for one. The question will no doubt be asked : What is the Bhagvat Gita if it is not a gospel? My answer is that the Bhagvat Gita is neither a book of religion nor a treatise on philosophy. What the Bhagvat Gita does is to defend certain dogmas of religion on philosphic grounds. If on that account anybody wants to call it a book of religion or a book of philosophy he may please himself. But essentially it is neither. It uses philosophy to defend religion. My opponents will not be satisfied with a bare statement of view. They would insist on my proving my thesis by reference to specific instances. It is not at all difficult. Indeed it is the easiest task.

To say that killing is no killing because what is killed is the body and not the soul is an unheard of defence of murder. This is one of the doctrines which make some people say that the doctrines make one's hair stand on their end. If Krishna were to appear as a lawyer acting for a client who is being tried for murder and pleaded the defence set out by him in the Bhagvat Gita there is not the slightest doubt that he would be sent to the lunatic asylum.

Tilak started Ganesh and Shivaji festivals as a violent front against Muslims. Khushwant Singh adds that everytime Ganesh and Shivaji festivals were celebrated there were Hindu-Muslim riots.

Tilak was against Buddhism and Jainism and praised Sankaracharya who aggressively fought against these two religions. Tilak said :

Buddhism flourished and attacks were made on Hindu religion by Buddhists and Jains. After 600 years of chaos rose one great leader, Shankaracharya and he brought together all the common philosophical elements for our religion and proved and preached them in such a way that Buddhism was swept away from the land.

Tilak’s views about other religions :

There is no other religion on the face of the earth except the Hindu religion wherein we find such a hopeful promise, a promise that God comes to us as many times as necessary. After Mohammed no prophet is promised, and Jesus Christ came once for ever. A time will come when our religious thoughts and our rights will be vindicated.

Non Hindu religions are partial truth while our Hindu religion is based on the whole, the Sanatana truth. Hindu religion is very comprehensive as comprehensive as its literarture itself; we have a wonderful literature. Wisdom as is concentrated in the Gita and epitomized in about 700 verses, that wisdom, I am confident, cannot be defeated or overcome by any philosophy be it western or any other.

Tilak promoted lying, back stabbing and treachery to achieve anything you want by quoting from Hindu religious texts. This is what he writes in his Gitarahasaya :

The reason is of greater importance than action. If one considers only the external action it is often misleading.

Telling a lie has been found, after mature deliberation, to be much better than speaking the truth.

There is no sin in speaking the untruth on the following five occasions, namely, if in jock[sic] or while speaking with women or at the time of marriage, or if your life is in danger, or for protecting your own property.

It is stated in Vedas that even Gods themselves broke the pledges made by them.

At the end, I would just like to quote the views of B.R.Ambedkar in response to the slogan of Sangh Parivar ; Hindu, Hindi, Hindustan:

Now the Hindu Religion, as contained in the Vedas and the Smritis, is nothing but a mass of sacrificial, social, political and sanitary rules and regulations, all mixed up. What is called Religion by the Hindus is nothing but a multitude of commands and prohibitions. Religion, in the sense of spiritual principles, truly universal, applicable to all races, to all countries, to all times, is not to be found in them, and if it is, it does not form the governing part of a Hindu's life. That for a Hindu, Dharma means commands and prohibitions is clear from the way the word Dharma is used in Vedas and the Sinritis and understood by the commentators. The word Dharma as used in the Vedas in most cases means religious ordinances or rites. Even Jaimini in his Purva-Mimansa defines Dharma as "a desirable goal or result that is indicated by injunctive (Vedic) passages ". To put it in plain language, what the Hindus call Religion is really Law or at best legalized class-ethics. Frankly, I refuse to cull this code of ordinances, as Religion. I have, therefore, no hesitation in saying that such a religion must be destroyed and I say, there is nothing irreligious in working for the destruction of such a religion. (Ambedkar, Annihilation of Caste)

Notes:

1. J.Kuruvachira is a senior lecturer in Philosophy of Religion,Phenomenology of Religion and Indian Culture at the Salesian College of Higher Education, Nagaland University.
What RSS is and what it stands for and what they preach has been very beautifully exposed by J. Kuruvachira in his book : Hindu nationalists of Modern India: A Critical study of the intellectual genealogy of Hindutva.

References:

1. Hindu nationalists of Modern India: A Critical study of the intellectual genealogy of Hindutva. J. Kuruvachira
2. Annihilation of Caste. B.R.Ambedkar
3. What is this Hindu Rashtra? SitaRam Yechury(http://www.sacw.net/DC/CommunalismCollection/ArticlesArchive/Yechuri1993.html)
4. Prophets Facing Backward : Postmodern Critiques of Science and Hindu Nationalism in India. Meera Nanda