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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) continues to make headlines, despite several books tracing its journey. Curiosity about the functioning of the RSS has increased phenomenally as swayamsevaks have risen to top positions in government and the Sangh’s core ideas of Hindu Rashtra and Ekatmata have become the mainstream lexicon of our social and political space. So, what is the RSS’s imagination for India? If India becomes a Hindu Rashtra, what will be the place of Muslims and other faiths in it? How big is the RSS project of history writing? Will Hindutva override caste politics? And what is the RSS view of social issues pertaining to the changing nature of family, the rights of people with different sexual orientations and the third gender? These contentious questions are just a few of the myriad political and social issues that Sunil Ambekar, a high-ranking pracharak, analyses in his book, The RSS: Roadmaps for the 21st Century. Displaying a deep understanding of facts, clarity of thought and attention to detail, Ambekar presents a blend of past milestones, present achievements and future ideas. Having worked at the heart of the Shakha system, he also highlights the internal working of the Sangh—the decisionmaking process, the effective coordination system and means of expansion.
From the Publisher
In Conversation with Sunil Ambekar
Response for Amazon
1. How has the RSS become an organization of ordinary people?
Answer: Since its inception, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is an organisation of ordinary people. Dr Hedgewar or Doctorji, the founder of RSS, always believed in the extraordinariness of the individual and initiated the process of building the organisation with self-developing capacities. Everybody in the Sangh can be helpful to society and contribute to nation-building as per their capacity and interest. These processes encourage individuals to participate for the common good. Shakha is a medium through which the movement of change can be brought into society. In this way, RSS is not just a conventional organisation, but a movement which motivates people to take up the initiative of empowering society.
2. Please recount your experience of working with the past and present generation of RSS greats?
Answer: I once asked Dattopant Thengdiji, the founder of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) “How do you find the time to read with such a busy schedule?” He is well-read and a philosopher with deep understanding and insight into tough topics like economics in contemporary times. He would also find the time to meet with ordinary Karyakartas like me and people outside Sangh circles. He advised me to always carry a book, however busy the day ahead, and practice to read it whenever there was time, even if it was a short gap of 5-10 minutes. He also suggested learning to instantly come out of it, when it was time to do other work. He was a great inspiration for many people.
3. You have known Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, since your student days. What is your experience of working with him?
Answer: Mohanji was always interested in informal discussions with school-going Swayamsevaks. He allowed them to ask questions on any issue of their interest and thus gave them the space to explore and grow. Even as a college student, we used to share our experiences with him. He continues to have a cordial relationship with people from all walks of life, inside and outside the RSS and takes new initiatives to connect with people in different circles.
4. What are the various roadmaps that the book delineates?
Answer: This book suggests roadmaps useful for making families happy and prosperous in a much urbanised and hectic 21st-century life. The last century has witnessed cruel colonial rule, which produced slavery, genocide, world wars and finally nuclear weapon use by Superpowers.
Although enjoying the fruits of the 20th century industrial revolution today, we also face severe environmental hazards. How can our choices be environment-friendly and our technology human-friendly in this century? In an era of high-end communication technology, how can we protect human relationships?
Traversing the 94 years long journey of the RSS in this book, I have tried to deal with current issues important to our future like education, women, Samrasta, the need to change the knowledge source of Bharat, free the 21st century from terrorism and enjoy the joy of coexistence.
Publisher : Rupa Publications India (5 October 2019)
Language : English
Hardcover : 248 pages
ISBN-10 : 9353336856
ISBN-13 : 978-9353336851
Item Weight : 370 g
Dimensions : 21.59 x 13.97 x 1.53 cm
Country of Origin : India
