Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh
 |
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| Abbreviation | RSS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 27 September 1925 |
| Founder | Keshav Baliram Hedgewar |
| Type | Right-wing volunteer, paramilitary |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Hindu nationalism and Hindutva |
| Headquarters | Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |
| Coordinates | 21°08′46″N 79°06′40″E / 21.146°N 79.111°ECoordinates: 21°08′46″N 79°06′40″E / 21.146°N 79.111°E |
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Area served
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India |
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Membership
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5-6 million 56,859 shakhas (2016) |
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Official language
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Hindi |
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Chief
|
Mohan Bhagwat |
|
Key people
|
Suresh 'Bhaiyaji' Joshi (general secretary) |
| Affiliations | Sangh Parivar |
| Mission | "Selfless Service to Motherland" |
| Website | rss |
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, abbreviated as RSS (Rāṣṭrīya Svayamsēvaka Saṅgha; IPA: [rɑːʂˈʈriːj(ə) swəjəmˈseːvək ˈsəŋɡʱ], lit. "National Volunteer Organisation" or "National Patriotic Organisation"), is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation that is widely regarded as the parent organisation of the ruling party of India, the Bharatiya Janata Party. The RSS is one of the principal organizations of the Sangh Parivar group.
Founded on 27 September 1925, and claiming a commitment to selfless service to India. The organisation is the world's largest voluntary missionary organization.
The initial impetus was to provide character training through Hindu discipline and to unite the Hindu community to form a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation). The organisation promotes the ideals of upholding Indian culture and the values of a civil society and propogates the ideology of Hindutva, to "strengthen" the majority Hindu community. It drew initial inspiration from European right-wing groups during World War II. Gradually, RSS grew into a prominent Hindu nationalist umbrella organisation, spawning several affiliated organisations that established numerous schools, charities, and clubs to spread its ideological beliefs.
The RSS was banned once during British rule, and then thrice by the post-independence Indian government – first in 1948 when a former RSS member assassinated Mahatma Gandhi; then during the emergency (1975–77); and for a third time after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.
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