Sangh Parivar
Encyclopedia
The Sangh Parivar refers to the family of organisations of Hindu nationalists which have been started by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) or are inspired by its ideas. The Sangh Parivar represents the Hindu nationalist movement. It includes the RSS and several dozen smaller organisations, whose members' expressed opinions have been diverse over a range of topics. Nominally, the different organizations within the Sangh Parivar run independently and have different policies and activities.
. RSS also supported the formation of a trade union, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh
and a student's organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
and many other organisations like Seva Bharati
, Deendayal Research Institute etc.
These organisations started and supported by the RSS volunteers came to be known collectively as the Sangh Parivar. Next few decades have seen a steady growth in the influence of the Sangh Parivar in the social and political space of India.
The political opponents of the Sangh Parivar have often termed Sangh Parivar’s concerns about cultural intrusion by the Western commercial interests as ‘Rightist’. But as David Frawley
has pointed out the cause is similar to the cause of native and tribal peoples all over the world, like Native American and African groups, who too are trying to protect their native cultures. The cause of the natives is supported by Liberals in America.
Sangh Parivar leaders have been very vocal in their criticism of Globalization especially its impact on the poor and native people. They have been suspicious of the role of International agencies such as World Bank
and the International Monetary Fund
. Sangh constituents have advocated and promoted decentralized village centric economic growth with emphasis on ecological protection.
The Bharatiya Janata Party
, a constituent of Sangh Parivar, is one of the very few political party at that included the concerns on Climate Change
in its election manifesto for the National Elections of 2009. The manifesto promised prioritising "Combating climate change and global warming", "programmes to arrest the melting of Himalayan glaciers", "afforestation" and emphaisis on "protecting India's biodiversity".
and majoritarian religious nationalism in India. Flemish freelance Indologist Koenraad Elst
has dismissed the portrayal of Sangh Parivar's ideology as fascist by some leftist groups. He writes in his doctoral thesis, which is now published as a book The Saffron Swastika
, “So far, the polemical arrows have all been shot from one side, replies from the other side being extremely rare or never more than piecemeal”.
, affiliated to the Sangh Parivar, adopted 100 children, most of them Muslims, from militancy affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir to provide them education.
The leaders of the Sangh Parivar have also been involved in the campaigns against female fetocide and movements for the education to the girl child.
belonging to the tribal community, who was the organizing secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, became the first Chief Minister of the state of Jharkhand
. Other such leaders of Sangh Parivar who belong to the tribal community include Karia Munda, Jual Oram
both ministers in the Union Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee
.
The emergence of the Sangh Parivar in Indian politics also brought many Dalits and representatives of the backward classes, who had been victims of social neglect, to prominent positions in the Government and Administration. Dr Suraj Bhan, a dalit
, who had been a member of the RSS, became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India, in 1998. Other leaders of the Sangh Parivar from the backward classes, who rose to prominence include Gopinath Munde
, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and Shivraj Singh Chauhan
, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
The Sangh Parivar has spread Hindu nationalism
through local "Bhagat schools", in which children are provided a Sangh-sanctioned education. In many villages across India
, Dharma Raksha Samitis (Duty/Relegion Protection Committees) promote religious discourse and form an arena for bhajan
performance. The Sangh sponsors calendars of Hindu deities and provides instruction on sanctioned methods of conducting Ganesh Chaturthi
and Navaratri. This phenomenon has been documented in Tamil Nadu
, where workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
and Hindu Munnani
share Tamil dalit
s (untouchables) devotional hymns and persuaded many dalits to begin celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi
, a festival not widely marked in Tamil Nadu
.
retired from politics at the peak of his political career in 1977 and founded the Deendayal Research Institute, dedicated to building a rural based economic model of development. It was found that rural people were wasting a lot of resources in litigations, which left them both impoverished and exploited. Deshmukh and the Institute developed a method of sorting conflicts and differences based on the ancient Indian principles of consensus making and alternate conflict resolution, which has been called the Litigation-Free Model
. Based on this model, villagers would sort all disputes amongst themselves amicably with least dependence on the Government. The initiative has been highly praised, e.g. by Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Prominent industrialist, Jehangir Wadia
, the grandson of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
, is influenced by the work of
Sangh organisation, Deen Dayal Research Institute (DRI), and is now a volunteer of the DRI. He says
"At 26, I realised that while I was seeking responses to my questions, the answer was always in front of me. That's when I joined Nanaji and got involved in social work at Chitrakoot,"
"Nanaji (founder of DRI) envisions self reliance for 600,000 villages in his life time. It is my dream to
translate Nanaji's vision of ameliorating the lives of this rural population."
.
Political opponents of the BJP allege that the party's moderate face merely serves to cover the Sangh Parivar's "hidden agenda" of undiluted Hindutva, detectable by the BJP's efforts to change the content of history textbooks and syllabi
as well as other aspects of the education system.
Such criticism of the BJP arises from the fact that BJP had only 2 seats in the parliament in 1984 and only after playing the communal 'master'-card of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 (a topic that was dear to many Hindus all over India at the momment) did the party gain national recognition, and only then it rose to power in 1998.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
(RSS) or are inspired by its ideas. The Sangh Parivar represents the Hindu nationalist movement. It includes the RSS and several dozen smaller organisations, whose members' expressed opinions have been diverse over a range of topics. Nominally, the different organizations within the Sangh Parivar run independently and have different policies and activities.
Members
The Sangh Parivar includes the following organisations (1998 membership figures in brackets):- Rashtriya Swayamsevak SanghRashtriya Swayamsevak SanghRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
(RSS), National Volunteer Association (2.5-6 million) - Bharatiya Janata PartyBharatiya Janata PartyThe Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP), Indian People's Party (23m) - Bharatiya Kisan SanghBharatiya Kisan SanghThe Bharatiya Kisan Sangh is an Indian farmers' representative organization affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It is one of the well-known Sangh Parivar organization. The BKS was established by Dattopantji Thengdi on March 4, 1979 at Kota, Rajasthan. It has units in all states of...
, Indian Farmers' Association (8m) - Bharatiya Mazdoor SanghBharatiya Mazdoor SanghThe Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh is the largest central trade union organization in India. It was founded by Dattopantji Thengdi on July 23, 1955, which also happens to the birthday of Bal Gangadhar Tilak....
, Indian Labour Association (10 million as on 2009) - Fishermen's Co-op Societies (2.2m)
- Vivekananda Medical Mission (1.7m)
- Akhil Bharatiya Shaikshik Mahasangh, Indian Teachers organisation (1.8m)
- Vivekananda KendraVivekananda KendraVivekananda Kendra is a Hindu spiritual organisation based on the principles preached by Swami Vivekananda. It was founded 7 January 1972 in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India by Shri Ekanathji Ranade. Its current president is P. Parameswaran.-Sphere of influence:...
(1.8m) - Bharatiya Vikas Parishad (1.8m)
- Deen Dayal Shodh Sansthan (1.7m)
- Rashtra Sevika Samiti, National Volunteer Association for Women (1.8m)
- Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi ParishadAkhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi ParishadAkhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad , is an all India student organization working in the field of education. ABVP was founded in 1948 and formally registered on 9 July 1949.-History:...
, All India Students' Forum (2.8m) - Bharatiya Janata Yuva MorchaBharatiya Janata Yuva MorchaThe Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha , translation: Indian Popular Youth Front) is the youth wing of Bharatiya Janata Party . It is founded in 1978 and first national president was Kalraj Mishra.-Organization:...
- Youth wing of BJP (1.8m) - Shikha Bharati (2.1m)
- Vishwa Hindu Parishad, World Hindu Council (2.8m)
- Hindu Swayamsevak SanghHindu Swayamsevak SanghThe Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh is an organization that engages in community activities, social services and religious work amongst the adherents of any religion across the world....
, Hindu Volunteer Association – overseas wing - Swadeshi Jagaran ManchSwadeshi Jagaran ManchThe Swadeshi Jagaran Manch or SJM is an economic wing of Sangh Parivar that again took the tool of Swadeshi advocated in India before its independence to destabilize the British Empire. SJM took to the promotion of Swadeshi industries and culture as a dote against LPG. It is usually recognised as...
, Nativist Awakening Front - Saraswati Shishu MandirSaraswati Shishu MandirSaraswati Sishu Mandir are a group of schools run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. “Saraswati” is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and other creative arts. In Sanskrit “sishu” means children and “mandir” means temple....
, NurseryNursery schoolA nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare... - Vidya BharatiVidya BharatiThe Vidya Bharati are the network of schools and institutions of higher education run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the largest Hindu nationalist organisation in India.Vidya Bharati...
, Educational Institutes - Vanavasi Kalyan AshramVanavasi Kalyan AshramThe Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram is an organisation working for the socio-economic upliftment and development of India's indigenous tribes in the remote tribal areas of India. The Ashram has been undertaking a series of programs in remote tribal villages. It has branches all over the country...
, Organisation for the improvement of tribals - Muslim Rashtriya ManchMuslim Rashtriya ManchMuslim Rashtriya Manch is purportedly a Muslim organization in India under the RSS. It was formed in the year 2002 imbibing the spirit of Indian nationhood.-Office Bearers:*Marg Darshak - Shri Indresh Kumar...
, Organisation for the improvement of Muslims - Bajrang DalBajrang DalThe Bajrang Dal , a hardline and militant Hindu organization in India, is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and is based on the ideology of Hindutva. Founded on 1 October 1984 in Uttar Pradesh, India, it has since spread throughout India...
, Army of HanumanHanumanHanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
(2m) - Bharat-Tibet Maitri Sangh, India-Tibet Friendship Association
- Anusuchit Jati-Jamati Arakshan Bachao Parishad, Organisation for the improvement of Dalits
- Sanskar Bharati, Organisation of artists
- Sahkar Bharati, Organisation of co-operatives
- Adhivakta Parishad, LawyerLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s' association - Vit Salahkar Parishad, Financial consultants' association
- Seva BharatiSeva BharatiThe Seva Bharati is an Indian non-governmental organization in India. It works especially among the economically weaker sections and the tribal and indigenous communities in India...
- Organisation for service of the needy(founded in 1984) - Bharatiya Vichara KendraBharatiya Vichara KendraBharatiya Vichara Kendra The [Bharatheeya Vichara Kendra] was established in 1982, by Mr P Parameshwaran as a centre of research and studies aimed at national re-construction. It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram...
- Thinking Tank - Bhartiya Itihas Sankalana Yojana
- Deendayal Research Institute
- Vishwa Samvad Kendra - Spread all over India for media related work, having a team of IT professional.http://samvada.org/
- Rashtriya Sikh SangatRashtriya Sikh SangatThe Rashtriya Sikh Sangat is a cultural organization affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It was formed on 24 November 1986 on the Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev.- History :...
a Socio- Cultural Organisation to spread the knowledge of Gurbani to not only Sikh masses of India, but also to the rest of 97-98% Indian society.
History
In the 1960s, the volunteers of the RSS joined the different social and political movements in India, including the Bhoodan, a land reform movement led by prominent Gandhian Vinobha Bhave and the Sarvoday led by another Gandhian Jayaprakash NarayanJayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan , widely known as JP Narayan, Jayaprakash, or Loknayak, was an Indian independence activist and political leader, remembered especially for leading the opposition to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s and for giving a call for peaceful Total Revolution...
. RSS also supported the formation of a trade union, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh
Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh is the largest central trade union organization in India. It was founded by Dattopantji Thengdi on July 23, 1955, which also happens to the birthday of Bal Gangadhar Tilak....
and a student's organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad , is an all India student organization working in the field of education. ABVP was founded in 1948 and formally registered on 9 July 1949.-History:...
and many other organisations like Seva Bharati
Seva Bharati
The Seva Bharati is an Indian non-governmental organization in India. It works especially among the economically weaker sections and the tribal and indigenous communities in India...
, Deendayal Research Institute etc.
These organisations started and supported by the RSS volunteers came to be known collectively as the Sangh Parivar. Next few decades have seen a steady growth in the influence of the Sangh Parivar in the social and political space of India.
Philosophy
The ideology of the Sangh Parivar has been seen to have a diverse set of thoughts and opinions that has made it difficult to be categorized by the Western stereotypic divisions of ‘Leftists’ and ‘Rightists’. While some of their policies are seen as ‘Conservative’ and ‘Rightist’, on a range of different issues, they have shared similar concerns as Leftists, Liberals and the Green activists.Culture and diversity
Sangh ideologue M S Golwalkar articulated the Sangh’s vision on diversity and pluralism, as follows, “Individuals and nations in all parts of the globe have distinctive traits and features, each of them having its own place in the scheme of the universe. The different human groups are marching forward, all towards the same goal, each in its own way and in keeping with its own characteristic genius. The destruction of the special characteristics, whether of an individual, or of a group, will therefore not only destroy the natural beauty of harmony but also its joy of self-expression. Evolution of human life also, which is a multifaced one, is retarded thereby.”The political opponents of the Sangh Parivar have often termed Sangh Parivar’s concerns about cultural intrusion by the Western commercial interests as ‘Rightist’. But as David Frawley
David Frawley
David Frawley is an American Hindu author, publishing on topics such as Hinduism, Yoga and Ayurveda. He is the founder and director of the American Institute for Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which offers courses on Yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, and Hindu astrology...
has pointed out the cause is similar to the cause of native and tribal peoples all over the world, like Native American and African groups, who too are trying to protect their native cultures. The cause of the natives is supported by Liberals in America.
Economics
While the BJP governments have been progressively seen to be industry friendly, the opinions and the views of the Sangh Parivar constituents like Bharateeya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) find consonance with the known Leftist stands on labor rights. The Sangh Parivar, as a whole, even the BJP in its earlier days, has advocated ‘Swadeshi’ (Self Reliance).Sangh Parivar leaders have been very vocal in their criticism of Globalization especially its impact on the poor and native people. They have been suspicious of the role of International agencies such as World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
and the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
. Sangh constituents have advocated and promoted decentralized village centric economic growth with emphasis on ecological protection.
Ecology
The constituents of the Sangh Parivar have been known for their demands for steps to “protect the environment, natural-ecology and agro-economy” and for establishment of a “self-reliant village-oriented economy”. They have been vocal in their demand against the use of Chemical fertilizers and have supported preservation and development of Organic farming in India. Many of these views are seen to mirror the concerns of the Green Party.The Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
, a constituent of Sangh Parivar, is one of the very few political party at that included the concerns on Climate Change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
in its election manifesto for the National Elections of 2009. The manifesto promised prioritising "Combating climate change and global warming", "programmes to arrest the melting of Himalayan glaciers", "afforestation" and emphaisis on "protecting India's biodiversity".
Reception
The Sangh Parivar has been described with monikers spanning the spectrum from "patriotic Hindus" to "Hindu nationalist". Some Marxists have also labeled them "Hindu chauvinist". While its constituent organisations present themselves as embedded in the traditional ethos of Hinduism, their ideological opponents, mainly the Marxists and Naxalite terrorists, have characterised them as the representatives of authoritarian, xenophobicXenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
and majoritarian religious nationalism in India. Flemish freelance Indologist Koenraad Elst
Koenraad Elst
Koenraad Elst is a Belgian writer and orientalist .He was an editor of the New Right Flemish nationalist journal Teksten, Kommentaren en Studies from 1992 to 1995, focusing on criticism of Islam, various other conservative and Flemish separatist publications such as Nucleus, t Pallieterke,...
has dismissed the portrayal of Sangh Parivar's ideology as fascist by some leftist groups. He writes in his doctoral thesis, which is now published as a book The Saffron Swastika
The Saffron Swastika
The Saffron Swastika: The Notion of Hindu "Fascism" is a book written by Koenraad Elst and published as two volumes in 2001. It discusses in detail the concepts of Hindutva and Hindu nationalism. He also argues against the idea that the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh...
, “So far, the polemical arrows have all been shot from one side, replies from the other side being extremely rare or never more than piecemeal”.
Social impact
The activities of the Sangh Parivar have had considerable social and religious impact.Service programs
The voluntary organisations which are part of the Sangh Parivar, today run more than one lakh service projects in remote areas of the country mostly within the economically and socially neglected sections of the society. As against the commonly held belief that the Sangh Parivar is anti-Muslim, there have been many instances where the Muslims have been directly benefitted from its service projects. One such instance was when Seva BharatiSeva Bharati
The Seva Bharati is an Indian non-governmental organization in India. It works especially among the economically weaker sections and the tribal and indigenous communities in India...
, affiliated to the Sangh Parivar, adopted 100 children, most of them Muslims, from militancy affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir to provide them education.
Social reform
In 1979, the religious wing of the Sangh Parivar, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad got the Hindu saints and religious leaders to reaffirm that untouchability and caste discrimination had no religious sanction in the Hindu scriptures and texts. “. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is also spearheading efforts to ordain Dalits as priests in temples across India, positions that were earlier usually occupied only by people of "upper castes".The leaders of the Sangh Parivar have also been involved in the campaigns against female fetocide and movements for the education to the girl child.
Social and political empowerment
The service programs, over the years, have led to the empowerment of the economically and socially underprivileged sections of the society, mostly the tribal, who have long remained politically under-represented. Babulal MarandiBabulal Marandi
Babu Lal Marandi was the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He is the founder and national president of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha . He is the Member of Parliament from Koderma Lok Sabha constituency. He was the Minister of State, Forests & Environment, Govt...
belonging to the tribal community, who was the organizing secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, became the first Chief Minister of the state of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
. Other such leaders of Sangh Parivar who belong to the tribal community include Karia Munda, Jual Oram
Jual Oram
Jual Oram was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Sundargarh constituency of Orissa and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party political party....
both ministers in the Union Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
.
The emergence of the Sangh Parivar in Indian politics also brought many Dalits and representatives of the backward classes, who had been victims of social neglect, to prominent positions in the Government and Administration. Dr Suraj Bhan, a dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
, who had been a member of the RSS, became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India, in 1998. Other leaders of the Sangh Parivar from the backward classes, who rose to prominence include Gopinath Munde
Gopinath Munde
Gopinath Munde ) is an Indian politician. He is a senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party.-Early life:Gopinath Munde was born in Nathra Village, Parali, Beed, Maharashtra, India, in a farmer's family in rural Maharashtra. According to him, his parents "struggled against heavy odds and did not...
, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and Shivraj Singh Chauhan
Shivraj Singh Chauhan
Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the current chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. He replaced Babulal Gaur as the chief minister on 29 November 2005. He served as General Secretary of the BJP and State President, Madhya Pradesh BJP. He joined the RSS in 1972...
, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
The Sangh Parivar has spread Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expressions of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of historical India...
through local "Bhagat schools", in which children are provided a Sangh-sanctioned education. In many villages across India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Dharma Raksha Samitis (Duty/Relegion Protection Committees) promote religious discourse and form an arena for bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
performance. The Sangh sponsors calendars of Hindu deities and provides instruction on sanctioned methods of conducting Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival...
and Navaratri. This phenomenon has been documented in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, where workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
and Hindu Munnani
Hindu Munnani
Hindu Munnani is a religious and cultural organization based in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu which was formed to defend the Hinduism and protect Hindu religious monuments.-History:...
share Tamil dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
s (untouchables) devotional hymns and persuaded many dalits to begin celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival...
, a festival not widely marked in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Deendayal Research Institute
Veteran RSS leader Nanaji DeshmukhNanaji Deshmukh
Chandikadas Amritrao Deshmukh aka Nanaji Deshmukha was a social activist in Bharat/India. He did exemplary work in the field of education, health and rural self-reliance and has been honored with Padma Vibhushan title by the Government of India...
retired from politics at the peak of his political career in 1977 and founded the Deendayal Research Institute, dedicated to building a rural based economic model of development. It was found that rural people were wasting a lot of resources in litigations, which left them both impoverished and exploited. Deshmukh and the Institute developed a method of sorting conflicts and differences based on the ancient Indian principles of consensus making and alternate conflict resolution, which has been called the Litigation-Free Model
Litigation-Free Model
Litigation Free Model is the social and community model for managing rural development conceived and developed by Nanaji Desmukh, a social worker and veteran leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ....
. Based on this model, villagers would sort all disputes amongst themselves amicably with least dependence on the Government. The initiative has been highly praised, e.g. by Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Prominent industrialist, Jehangir Wadia
Jehangir Wadia
Jehangir Wadia , also known as Jeh Wadia, is an Indian businessman belonging to the Wadia family. He is currently the managing director of GoAir, a budget airline which he founded, as well as, Bombay Dyeing, a flagship textile company...
, the grandson of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum ....
, is influenced by the work of
Sangh organisation, Deen Dayal Research Institute (DRI), and is now a volunteer of the DRI. He says
"At 26, I realised that while I was seeking responses to my questions, the answer was always in front of me. That's when I joined Nanaji and got involved in social work at Chitrakoot,"
"Nanaji (founder of DRI) envisions self reliance for 600,000 villages in his life time. It is my dream to
translate Nanaji's vision of ameliorating the lives of this rural population."
Politics
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which represents the Sangh Parivar in national politics, has formed two governments in India, most recently being in power from 1998 to 2004 under prime minister Atal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
.
Political opponents of the BJP allege that the party's moderate face merely serves to cover the Sangh Parivar's "hidden agenda" of undiluted Hindutva, detectable by the BJP's efforts to change the content of history textbooks and syllabi
Syllabus
A syllabus , is an outline and summary of topics to be covered in an education or training course. It is descriptive...
as well as other aspects of the education system.
Such criticism of the BJP arises from the fact that BJP had only 2 seats in the parliament in 1984 and only after playing the communal 'master'-card of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 (a topic that was dear to many Hindus all over India at the momment) did the party gain national recognition, and only then it rose to power in 1998.
External links
- RSS.org
- VHP.org
- SanghParivar.org – Unofficial website of Sangh Parivar