The Brotherhood in Saffron - The Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh and Hindu Revivalism

The Brotherhood in Saffron - The Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh and Hindu Revivalism

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Author: Walter K Andersen
Shridhar D Damle/
Publisher: Sage Publications
Year: 1999
Language: English
Pages: 317
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8170360536

Description

Hindu revivalism, a growing force in India, is rooted in the belief that Hinduism is endangered. This book focuses on the best-organized and largest group committed to Hindu revivalism in India - the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (the RSS).

This perception comes from many sources: the political assertiveness of minority groups like the Sikhs and Muslims, efforts to convert Hindus to other faiths, suspicions that the political authorities are pandering to minority groups, and the belief that foreign political and religious ideologies undermine community bonds.

Tracing the growth of the RSS since its formation in the mid-1920s, the authors examine its ideology and training system. They argue that the strength of the RSS lies in its ability to develop close bonds among its members and to sustain these links when members join the various RSS affiliate groups. The swayamsevaks (members) are the steel frame of the family of organizations around the RSS that work in the political arena, in social welfare, in the media, and among students, laborers, and Hindu religious groups. The symbiotic links between the RSS and the family are maintained by recruiting into the affiliates RSS members who have already demonstrated organizational skills. This superb training system is likely to serve the RSS well as it reaches out to a growing circle of individuals and groups buffered by change and in search of a new community identity.

Contents

List of Tables

Introduction

Hindu Revivalism

Formation and Development of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

RSS: Ideology, Organization, and Training

The RSS Family takes Shape

The RSS in Politics

The Triumph of Activism

Conclusion

Appendices

Bibliography

Index