The moment of prana pratishtha of Shri Ram Lalla, the symbol of aspirations of Bharat, that concluded on 22 January 2024, in Ayodhya is invaluable. Every Bharatiya was delighted, every Hindu across the world and wellwishers of Bharat were filled with immense joy as the day marked the realisation of a longstanding desire and resolution, which, at times, seemed unattainable but is now accomplished.
At this juncture, attention turns towards the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Once, someone asked me, “What contribution has the Sangh made for Bharat after Independence?” I responded, “The Sangh has committed itself to the realms of man-making, character-building, organising the society, and fostering national consciousness. Individuals with a national perspective, supported by an awakened society, naturally accomplish what’s required, expected, and doable. The Sangh doesn’t do anything except social awakening and nurturing individuals with a Bharatiya perspective. But had there been no RSS, a long list could be made of missed opportunities and what could not have transpired in Bharat.”
The year 1963 marked the centenary year of Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, who is known to be the proponent of Hindutva in Bharat and beyond. Before his journey to America, Swamiji embarked on a two-year odyssey across Bharat, culminating in his iconic swim to the Shripaada Shila (a rock situated amidst the sea) in Kanyakumari on 25 December 1892. After three days and nights of deep meditation there, he gained profound insights into the purpose and direction of his life. To commemorate this event, the then Tamil Nadu government proposed erecting a grand statue of Swamiji on the sacred rock in 1962. However, controversy arose as Christian groups claimed the site as a memorial for Saint Xavier.
To avoid further dispute, the Tamil Nadu government abandoned the idea of the memorial. At this point, the then Sarsanghachalak of RSS Shri Guruji entrusted the Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial project to the then Sarkaryawah Shri Eknath Ranade. With the help of swayamsevaks, Shri Ranade initiated the process of reclaiming the rock site to build the memorial.
Funding was gathered through symbolic contributions of 1, 2, and 5 rupees from the public, totalling 80 lakh rupees from 30 lakh people across all states of Bharat. Eknathji’s efforts secured financial support for the memorial from all state governments when most of them were Congress-led. Except for Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir, all states fulfilled their commitments, transcending regional, linguistic, and religious diversity. This sparked a rejuvenation of Hindutva across the country.
Today, the Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial, situated in the distant south, symbolises hope and confidence for all Bharatiyas. While it is undeniable that Hindu society accomplished this feat with their unity, it is equally true that the Sangh played a crucial role in making it possible. Hindu society has a longstanding tradition of different spiritual paths and practices aimed at attaining moksha.
New paths of worship have been added, and will continue to be added; this is the speciality of Hindutva. In 1964, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) was founded under the initiative of Sarsanghachalak Shri Guruji to unite the sadhus, ascetics and heads of various mathas (monastic orders), to deliberate on the prevailing state of the Hindu society and its future prospects. Alongside leaders of major akharas and schools of thought, the VHP, in its inaugural meeting brought together notable representatives from the different folds of Hindu dharma including Jain, Bauddha and Sikh.
In 1966, VHP organised its first Dharma Sammelan in Tirtharaj Prayag, marking a historic gathering of shankaracharyas from all four Shaankara Peethas, along with the heads of major monastic orders and dharmacharyas. Scores of Hindus, who were forcibly converted, desired to return to their original Hindu fold (ghar wapsi). However, a notion had taken hold that those who got converted became fallen (patit or mlechha) and thus couldn’t return. The vulnerable Hindu society, incapable of protecting them, could not avert their forced conversions.
At the Dharma Sammelan, it was recognized that such individuals should be welcomed back into the Hindu fold, and a resolution to this effect was unanimously passed. It was firmly asserted that a Hindu can never be impure or fallen, as proclaimed with the phrase Similarly, the second Dharmacharya Sammelan of the VHP was convened in Udupi, Karnataka, in 1969. The Hindu society, which inherently believes that every individual is potentially divine and all Hindus are children of the same Ishwar, was grappling with issues like untouchability and caste-based discrimination.
At this conference, all spiritual leaders collectively passed a resolution disavowing untouchability and re-emphasized that all Hindus are brothers. While the resolution was unanimously endorsed by mahants and dharmacharyas and not directly by the Sangh, it’s undeniable that the Sangh played a crucial role in facilitating this outcome. The new proclamation framed following this conference was: Meaning: All Hindus are brothers; a Hindu can never be fallen.
The 1981 mass conversion of Scheduled Castes to Islam in Meenakshipuram, Tamil Nadu sent shockwaves nationwide. To curb such conversions, the VHP devised comprehensive plans and initiated sewa prakalps (service projects) to promote social justice for the unprivileged, uneducated and marginalised communities vulnerable to conversions. Focusing on creating cultural awareness, providing education, and instilling social consciousness, sanskriti raksha nidhi (a fund) was collected and the volunteers reached out to the people in over 5,500 villages.
This incident prompted a unified response from people across all political parties in Bharat, fostering empathy and solidarity. Following this conference, an additional verse complemented the earlier proclamation: Meaning: All Hindus are brothers; a Hindu can never be fallen. Ensuring equality is my mantra. I commit myself to protecting the Hindu. Inspired by the success of their previous initiatives, the VHP formulated a plan for three major yatras aimed at fostering unity and a sense of oneness throughout the country.
Collectively known as Ektama Yajna Yatra, these yatras involved carrying an idol of Bharat Mata and Ganga jal (Ganga water). The yatras embarked on three main routes: Kathmandu to Rameswaram (Pashupati Rath), Haridwar to Kanyakumari (Mahadev Rath), and Ganga Sagar to Somnath (Kapil Rath). Additionally, over 300 subyatras connected various places across Bharat in a span of 1,000 days.
People from 38,526 locations across Bharat contributed 77,440 kalashas (urn) of Ganga Jal for worship. Out of the 564,342 places (including hamlets) in Bharat, a remarkable 72,805,520 individuals from 184,592 places actively participated in this event, with 49% of them being women. The Ektama Yajna Yatra sparked a profound emotional awakening that fostered unity within Hindu society, transcending diversities of caste, region, language, and worship. In the midst of this yatra, during a public meeting in Muzaffarnagar, UP, Shri Daudayal Khanna, a minister of the then UP government, pointed out that the temple of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya was locked, and except for the priest, no devotee was allowed to enter for darshan.
Mughal invader Babar demolished the Shri Ram Lalla Mandir and attempted to construct a mosque on the same site, solely to display aggression. Islamic scholars note prayers on forcibly occupied land are unacceptable to Allah.
However, this non-Islamic act was carried out to humiliate the Hindu society. After this incident, persistent efforts were made to regain possession of the illegally occupied site and reconstruct the mandir. Under British rule, in 1938, a court order banned Muslims from entering within 100 metres of the disputed site. In 1949, after the idol of Ram Lalla appeared at the disputed site, the mandir was locked, regular worship of Ram Lalla continued, with only the pujari being allowed inside to perform daily puja rituals.
In February 1986, following the order of the Allahabad High Court, the mandir was unlocked for devotees’ darshan, sparking emotional and spiritual awakening in the Hindu society. VHP played a crucial role in this triumph of truth, igniting plans for a grand Shri Ram Mandir at the disputed site to symbolise victory over aggression.
Nationwide programs were organised for Ramshila pujan (worship of bricks inscribed with “Shri Ram”), which garnered public support. Akin to Somnath Mandir, the vision to build a grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was a concerted effort to restore Bharat’s glory, and not against Islam or the mosque. This clarion call sparked a mass awakening across Bharat. Ramshilas, inscribed with “Shri Ram”, journeyed from distant villages to Ayodhya for the Ram Mandir construction, sparking nationwide outreach.
Over six crore people in 275,000 villages performed the puja of Ramshilas, and the entire country was “Ramamay” (imbued in devotion for Shri Ram). This initiative’s impact transcended the organisational capacity of RSS, underscoring the collective effort of Bharat’s people, with the Sangh playing an integral role. Without the Sangh, perhaps this extensive, systematic public outreach and awareness might not have been possible. Just as when erecting a building, the entire load (weight) is borne by strong RCC pillars or columns that contain a framework of iron rods within them.
It is important to note that the mere framework of iron rods is incapable of bearing the entire load. However, the ability to bear the load in those RCC columns comes from the iron framework that is not visible from the outside. In a similar manner, Sangh works towards organising the entire society and strengthening it from within like the iron framework inside the columns. Thus, the strong and awakened society consciously steers every activity carried out in the interest of the nation and for the welfare of all. The karseva on 6 December 1992 was a notable outcome of this awakening.
The unreasonable delay in the court judgement, despite the completion of all legal proceedings, dismayed over 250,000 karsevaks gathered in Ayodhya, leading to the demolition of the disputed structure. Despite the robustness of the structure, it collapsed within 5 hours. The karsevaks maintained self-discipline in an otherwise chaotic situation. It appeared that there was an order in the disorder which enabled the safe installation of the murti of Ram Lalla in the temporary shed, followed by aarti.
Despite Ayodhya housing around 15 mosques with a Muslim population of 55,000, comprising 10%, not a single mosque was targeted by the lakhs of karsevaks. There was no misconduct towards any Muslim residents, contrasting sharply with the violent behaviour of leftist groups, known for vandalising public property during protests even in small numbers. The self-control of the approximately 250,000 karsevaks stemmed from two factors: First, this movement of awakening was not against any mosque or the Muslim community, and second, the iron framework of these pillars was the Sangh, which provided both strength and self-control to the karsevaks.
The Sangh’s role extends solely to fostering individuals who think, act and contribute to the progress of Bharat. It focuses on the man-making and characterbuilding of such individuals across all fields, including students, farmers, labourers, scientists, artists, lawyers, etc., in the light of Bharat’s inherent “swa” (selfhood). This vision anticipates that an awakened society with a national perspective will collaborate and garner support from the larger society to establish new systems. Swayamsevaks, nurtured by Sangh, have consistently taken initiatives to address societal needs.
In the field of integrated education and holistic development, over 12,000 schools and 84,000 Ekal Vidyalayas (single-teacher schools) rooted in Bharatiya values function across Bharat. Sangh swayamsevaks have undertaken development initiatives in as many as 2,000 villages and 8,000 urban settlements, without depending on the government. Efforts are also taken in the pursuit of creating a harmonious and cohesive society free from social disparities. Through training and support, individuals are empowered to be entrepreneurs and job creators rather than job seekers.
The foundation of Bharat’s “swa” is deeply rooted in its spirituality, one symbol of which is Shri Ram. Amidst the global grip of the deadly coronavirus, Bharat stood out as a nation where a significant portion of society stepped out to aid the government and help the society. Over 5.5 lakh swayamsevaks actively engaged in this effort, reflecting the spirituality of the people of Bharat. Another pillar of Bharat’s “swa” experienced during the pandemic was that Bharat’s societal systems are not dependent on the state but are driven by societal initiatives.
A poignant Sangh song which goes like: It echoes the sentiment: “Do not expect transformation solely from state power; an awakened society will ensure a perennial society.” Sangh, through it s shakhas (activity centres), nurtures awakened individuals (swayamsevaks) who work towards establishing a structural framework (iron framework) across various sectors of societal life. These centres provide strength and direction, while the rest of the work is carried out by the society. Just as the inanimate iron framework, not visible from the outside, enhances the load-bearing capacity of the RCC pillars, the dynamic structure of a vibrant society is carried by living individuals who remain steadfast and resilient throughout their lives, generation after generation.
The Sangh has been preparing these committed, dedicated, and selfless swayamsevaks in the past and continues to do so to date. They say, “Rome was not built in a day.” Similarly, this national awakening did not occur overnight but is the result of continuous efforts of swayamsevaks and consistent support from society. The results of the 2014 parliamentary elections were announced on 16 May 2014, and the editorial dated 18 May 2014, of the Guardian, published in London, commented on the election results, stating: “Today, May 18, 2014, may well go down in history as the day when Britain finally left India.”
It further adds one insightful note stating, “It should be obvious that the underlying changes in Indian society have brought us Mr. Modi and not the other way around.” This national awakening has begun and will continue. The devotion to Shri Ram has made it easier. Walk, we must. Move, we must. Go on, we must. Charaiveti, Charaiveti.
Dr Manmohan Vaidya is Sah Sarkaryawah (Joint General Secretary) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.