COVER STORY
rss at 100
Of these, the RSS has not only survived but has grown and with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power at the Centre and in several states.
Outlook Magazine - Who Is An Indian? - 21 October 2025 Issue
A century after its founding, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has transformed from a small volunteer group into a complex, multi-branched organisation. Outlook’s October 21st issue, titled ‘Who is an Indian’, offers a bird’s eye view of the RSS, testimonies of exclusion, inclusion, organisational complexities, and regional challenges. In ‘Borrowed Pride’, Anand Kshirsagar narrates his tale of Hindutva indoctrination and subsequent unlearning, while social activist Bhanwar Meghwanshi in, Being a Lesser Hindu, recounts his journey from an ardent RSS member to a critic. Christophe Jaffrelot talks about the way forward for the RSS, while Ram Madhav talks about the relevance and ideals of the organisation. In Ad Dharm, Y. S. Alone details the ideological opposition between the RSS and B. R. Ambedkar’s social egalitarianism. Saiyyad Mohammad Nizamuddin Pasha analyses RSS' public posture regarding Muslims in ‘Doublethink’, while Rakesh Sinha counters the critical narratives exploring RSS' success and endurance. A ground report on Rashtra Sevika Samiti, the parallel organisation for women, comes along with Sunila Sovani, emphasising how the organisation views female and male participation as complementary. The story of resistance in Tamil Nadu is presented by A. S. Panneerselvan, while columnists Sanjal Shastri and Deepak Kumar outline the challenges and the expansion of the RSS across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kashmir, North East, and a ground report from Maharashtra's Nandurbar district on the Adivasi quandary—the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (VKA). Harish Khare details RSS' ascent to a political wing, Raghavan Balashankar outlines RSS media outreach while a book excerpt from Dhirendra K. Jha’s book talks about Golwalkar, the RSS ideologue. Read all this and more in our power packed issue, on stands now!
RSS At 100An organisation that takes pride in being rock solid in times of liquid modernity, can it catch up with the change?
RSS At 100In an interview with the Outlook, Ram Madhav explains that while the RSS views India as a Hindu nation, it prioritises qualifications over religion for leadership roles, and he discusses the organisation’s positions on Hindu Rashtra, caste, reservations, women, Adivasis and insights from his new book.
RSS at 100It is clear that the very foundation of the RSS was laid to show Muslims their place and keep them in check.
RSS At 100Has the RSS converted social feeling into the Hindu religious identity?
RSS At 100The RSS thrives on OBC amnesia, offering borrowed pride in Hindu identity in exchange for complete obedience
RSS At 100Organisations like the RSS pretend to promote ‘harmony’, but in truth, they maintain the caste hierarchy. There is no path to liberation for Dalits within Hindutva.
RSS At 100Shared ideas and unimaginable patience in its ambitious mission, along with uncontested moral upbringing of its cadres, has ensured the success of the RSS
RSS AT 100It is ironical that the more the Modi-Shah duo cut the RSS to size, the more it becomes the punching bag for the anti-BJP forces.
RSS At 100For decades, a substantial number of women have been working in all the RSS-inspired organisations, with several of them holding prominent posts and playing leadership roles. The numbers are only going up.
- RSS At 100
An organisation that takes pride in being rock solid in times of liquid modernity, can it catch up with the change?
- RSS At 100
In an interview with the Outlook, Ram Madhav explains that while the RSS views India as a Hindu nation, it prioritises qualifications over religion for leadership roles, and he discusses the organisation’s positions on Hindu Rashtra, caste, reservations, women, Adivasis and insights from his new book.
- RSS at 100
It is clear that the very foundation of the RSS was laid to show Muslims their place and keep them in check.
- RSS At 100
Has the RSS converted social feeling into the Hindu religious identity?
- RSS At 100
The RSS thrives on OBC amnesia, offering borrowed pride in Hindu identity in exchange for complete obedience
- RSS At 100
Organisations like the RSS pretend to promote ‘harmony’, but in truth, they maintain the caste hierarchy. There is no path to liberation for Dalits within Hindutva.
- RSS At 100
Shared ideas and unimaginable patience in its ambitious mission, along with uncontested moral upbringing of its cadres, has ensured the success of the RSS
- RSS AT 100
It is ironical that the more the Modi-Shah duo cut the RSS to size, the more it becomes the punching bag for the anti-BJP forces.
- RSS At 100
For decades, a substantial number of women have been working in all the RSS-inspired organisations, with several of them holding prominent posts and playing leadership roles. The numbers are only going up.
OTHER STORIES
- RSS At 100
Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, revered within the RSS and reviled outside it, remains one of the most polarising figures in modern India
- RSS at 100
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) completed 100 years in 2025. The centenary celebrations highlighted the Sangh’s activities over the years and its vision for the future
- RSS AT 100
Tamil Nadu has more temples than any other state in India, but has refused to endorse a single religion supremacy.
- RSS at 100
In Chennai, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) made a start in 1939. The organisation has continued to grow in Tamil Nadu, with its share of ups and downs over the last eight decades. North Tamil Nadu Joint Prachar Pramukh Dr K. Gopalakrishnan and RSS Media Co-ordinator Chandrasekaran spoke to Lalita Iyer about the organisation’s trajectory in the state. Excerpts:
- RSS at 100
Kerala, long resistant to Hindutva politics, paradoxically hosts more Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakhas than most Indian states today
- RSS at 100
A focus on local, cultural and political realities appears to be the strategy being deployed by both the RSS and the BJP to gain a stronger foothold in Karnataka
- RSS at 100
At Rashtra Sevika Samiti shakhas, women are offered empowerment—but only to a certain extent. Their roles remain largely defined: mothers, cultural custodians and loyal citizens
- RSS at 100
RSS’ Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram works in the fields of education, health and rural development. However, the cultural homogeneity of tribals as Hindus is at the core of its agenda
- RSS at 100
New histories, social work and indigenous faith revivalism have been the three pillars of the RSS’ approach in Northeast India, where ‘national integration’ and Hinduisation are their top agenda
- RSS AT 100
The RSS is trying to bring the Northeastern communities into a broader Hindu fold by inventing cultural connections and by reinterpreting historical events through a religious lens
- RSS AT 100
The RSS and it shadow outfits have lauded Sufi practices and tapped the Muslims in Kashmir but political parties in J&K allege that they are claiming a bogus association with the Valley
- rss at 100
RSS publications are thriving at a time when the print media is facing a big circulation challenge.
