Gandhi ji and the RSS: Similar underpinnings
RSS keeps Gandhi ji’s teachings and essence alive, and relevant in the 21st century; Untouchability, Simplicity, Swadeshi, Proselytization and the Common Man.
One fine day my father narrated an incident that would continue to have a tremendous impact on me. I don’t remember the exact date or the occasion, for it has been over two decades. Its imagery even today is vivid in my mind. In 1948, a Muslim/Congress¹ mob had attacked our home in Nagpur with stones, following Gandhi ji’s assassination. Their target was my grandfather who was active in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakha in the neighborhood. I learned from my grandmother that she had to beg¹ to the mob for his life. My grandfather survived the deadly attack, however, he became distant with the RSS for the rest of his life (perhaps due to concern for his family). His younger brother, on the other hand, would go on the become a lifelong pracharak of the RSS. Many such attacks had happened across the nation targeting swayamsevaks and their families, especially those belonging to Nathuram Godse’s caste.
Beyond the annual school holiday on October 2nd , some very boring chapters in the curriculum, caricaturing images in textbooks, and the INR currency notes, my father’s narration was my first substantial interface to Gandhi ji. For remainder of the blog, I refer to Gandhi ji as MKG (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) for the sake of brevity.
The Marathi book “Gandhi-hatya Aani Mi” (Gandhi’s assassination and I) by Gopal Godse (Nathuram’s brother who faced life imprisonment) was my literary introduction to MKG. Followingly, I read “Panchavanna Kotinche Bali” (Victims of Fifty-Five Crore), by the same author. This book is a collection of Nathuram’s speeches/testimonies during the trial for MKG’s assassination. MKG’s image was then set in my mind as a man who betrayed the nation by laying the foundation for India’s partition. In that context, I used to wonder why MKG had a massive following. Any praise I heard for him simply baffled me for everything I had known and read about him made me feel disgusted with his hypocrisy. To be fair to Godse brothers, they did praise few positive qualities of MKG and his ability to connect with people.
Many years later, in a RSS program, the vakta (speaker) surprised me by saying that MKG greatly influenced² the founder of RSS — Dr. KB Hedgewar! Also, that MKG had visited an RSS shakha in Wardha, Maharashtra where he had praised the model, especially because untouchability was nonexistent. I had found it difficult to comprehend. Not that I ever believed RSS had any role in MKG’s assassination, but for some inexplicable reason, I had assumed RSS and MKG would never get along. In the following years it turned out that my understanding of the RSS and MKG would grow, and that I initially only had a hazy grasp of both. In the last decade, I have read multiple articles and books, including MKG’s autobiography, and talked with senior RSS karykartas to understand the relationship and commonalities between the RSS and MKG. I found similarities in a few values/ideas espoused by both.
Not everything that MKG did, believed, or experimented with is relevant to the RSS. Below I provide a list of manners and matters, in my opinion, where RSS and MKG fully or partially overlap, or meet orthogonally. I will keep the description brief for the ease of reading. Please keep in mind that things attributed to MKG below are not necessarily originated or exclusively practiced by him. Rishis, Sadhus, or any Dharma practitioners exhibit similar traits. Nonetheless, MKG certainly championed them. Likewise, RSS has been putting these values to practice since its inception. It is not a stretch to say their source of inspiration and motivation is rooted in Indian Civilization.
Removing social barriers
MKG referred to Dalits as Harijans (children of Hari/Ishwar) intending to provide them dignity. He extensively wrote and spoke about the ills of untouchability. On a few occasions, MKG had fasted to make his message reach a wider audience. RSS has had a different recipe. In the daily RSS shakha, many physically engaging games are played where swayamsevaks across caste boundaries take part. Thus, pulling, pushing, holding, tapping, and lifting each other has naturally become a norm. Swayamsevaks have been refraining from untouchability and caste-identities since 1925!
Practicing simplicity and cleanliness
Winston Churchill had called MKG a fakir for his simplicity. Well, what else do you expect from a top-notch racist? Inarguably, MKG lived, clothed, and consumed in a simple manner. RSS even today is an embodiment of simplicity. Rich and poor equally participate in RSS activities. I have been to several varga/shivir (camps) of RSS. Everybody sleeps on a carpet, bathes using a bucket of water, and washes their plates. Aplenty anecdotes tell about MKG’s focus on cleanliness — that he would sweep the surroundings himself. When swayamsevaks use a facility for any karyakram (event), they leave it cleaner than before taking the possession. Just by looking at the arrangement of shoes, one can tell if it an RSS event!
Practicing self-reliance
Both MKG and RSS have been practitioners of Swadeshi on multiple dimensions — social, economic and political. MKG’s charkha and insistence on khaadi have become synonymous with a brand for Swadeshi. RSS, on the other hand, has laid out economic policies and models through Swadeshi Jagaran Manch. Also, RSS’s insistence on promoting indigenous agriculture and Govansh (cattle-resource) through Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and hundreds of swayamsevak-led Goshalas is well known in society. In addition, swayamsevak-led organizations such as Laghu Udyog Bharati promote entrepreneurship, self employment, and indigenous technology in the MSME sector.
Bringing out a mass movement
MKG had extensively traveled the length and breadth of India on his mentor’s advice after he came back from Africa. In this process, he had an in-depth insight into the lives of the common man of India, especially the most vulnerable. MKG methodology thus became of involving the masses into the freedom movement, which was till then mostly led by the educated and the elites. The highlight of his methods was to motivate everybody to do simple things consciously, keeping the society and nation in focus, like fasting. The pracharaks of RSS over the last ninety years have collectively traveled, lived, interacted, and set up projects all over India. Thus, RSS has a grassroots connect and understanding of the different strata of the society — from a penniless sadhu to a multibillionaire business tycoon. The primary focus of the RSS is to bring new people from every section of the society to shakha to motivate and train them to run this continuous pipeline. Like MKG’s methodology, inspiring people to do Tyaaga (personal sacrifice) of selfish motives in the interest of the nation underpins the growth of RSS.
Against Proselytization
MKG extensively spoke about and wrote against the intent and methods of proselytization. He considered religion a deeply personal matter. He believed proselytization was neither meant for nor resulted into social upliftment. It, however, gives rise to suspicion and perhaps secret hostility³. He also believed that making somebody denounce their religion in itself is a form of violence⁴. RSS has been a vocal critic of the targeted proselytization of the vulnerable (especially tribals) under the garb of providing equality and emancipation. Through Dharma Jagaran Manch (DJM), swayamsevaks create awareness against the ills of targeted proselytization. DJM also aids in reconversion of those who want to come back into the Hindu fold but are challenged by severe social pressure. Both MKG and the RSS view(ed) targeted proselytization of the vulnerable as a deliberate act to disturb the social fabric of a community.
The manners and matters covered above are not extensive. However, I intend to provide a glimpse into the evolution of a swayamsevak from the lens of MKG’s relevance to RSS. I admire MKG for his tremendous contributions to India and his ability to inspire people across the globe. However, I believe his conscious support to the Khilafat movement and giving a long-rope to Islamic fundamentalism laid the foundation of India’s partition. Having read the account of Nathuram’s defense, which is emotionally moving, I still unequivocally condemn his actions. While MKG brought about a vast mass movement, his inability to work along with the likes of Veer Savarkar, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, and Subhash Chandra Bose speaks volumes of his style of leadership.
I intend to write an extensive piece that looks at MKG from various angles. It might be the most challenging piece of blog I would have written. I look forward to writing it soon.
Bharat Mata Ki Jai.
I would like to thank Ajay Vangapaty, Kiran Muthal and Pavan Savoy for proofreading, providing insights, and helping me in fine-tuning the tone.
P.S: It is often alleged that Nathuram Godse was inspired by the RSS, which led to MKG’s assassination. Firstly, there is no possible scientific method known to mankind for such inferences. Let me concoct a non-sensical hypothesis — Nathuram was influenced by Chandrashekhar Azad or Chapekar Brothers who also had shot their enemies. Secondly, Nathuram attended a high school and a college. Could he not have been influenced there? Thirdly, Nathuram was disenchanted with the ways of RSS several years before he plotted the assassination. And lastly, after two years of investigation, the Nehru government could not find any proof of RSS’s involvement. Nehru government or Congress have not apologized to the RSS till date for their grossly unfair and unscientific over-adventure. Some readers would be surprised to know that by his own admission Nathuram was inspired by MKG during his initial years. He had also adopted MKG’s ways of peaceful protest and civil disobedience against the state of Hyderabad.
[1] This incidence is a telling and retelling from my grandmother to my father and then to me. It is possible that the people were a mix of Muslims and Congress workers or Muslims Congress workers.
[2] The vakta could have said that Dr. Hedgewar had a great respect for MKG. However, as of the May 2020, I remember him having said Dr. Hedgewar was greatly influenced by MKG. Human memory … I tell you!
[3] What Jesus means to Me, Chapter 10 — Proselytization
[4] I could not a find a source online to cite this. I vividly remember reading it from a book, which could be his autobiography.
