Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh
| राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ | |
 |
|
| Abbreviation | RSS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 27 September 1925 |
| Founder | Keshav Baliram Hedgewar |
| Type | Right-wing volunteer, paramilitary |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Advocating Hindu nationalism |
| Headquarters | Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |
| Coordinates | 21°02′N 79°10′E / 21.04°N 79.16°ECoordinates: 21°02′N 79°10′E / 21.04°N 79.16°E |
|
Area served
|
India |
|
Membership
|
5-6 million 56,859 shakhas (2016) |
|
Official language
|
Hindi |
|
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, the organisation is the world's largest voluntary missionary organization and claims a commitment of selfless service to India. 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 carries the ideal of upholding Indian culture and civilizational values. 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.
RSS was founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a doctor in the city of Nagpur, British India. He had been charged with sedition in 1921 by the British Administration and was imprisoned for one year.
...
Wikipedia