Shorts first, soul next?

RSS should use all its influence with the government to push 10% growth, not Hindu culture
Something dramatic happened a week ago. The 90-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh changed its uniform. Its ubiquitous RSS khaki shorts will make way for brown trousers.
This change is superficial at one level. After all, a rose is a rose by any name and an RSS worker is an RSS worker in whatever dress. But it also shows the RSS intent to change with the times. In fact RSS today has a golden opportunity to contribute to India’s progress, its stated mission. This can only happen provided RSS modifies its current ideology as well as some of the means it adopts to achieve its goals.
RSS began life in British times, as an organisation to bring the Hindus together and protect their interests. It was banned during British rule and then thrice after Independence – first in 1948 when Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi; then during the Emergency (1975-77); and after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. Some of these bans were political (Congress saw RSS as an adversary). Eventually all of them were revoked. Such a history does create trust issues for outsiders who wonder what this organisation is really about.
The official RSS website sums up its mission: “Expressed in the simplest terms, the ideal of the Sangh is to carry the nation to the pinnacle of glory through organising the entire society and ensuring the protection of Hindu Dharma.” Further, “Our one supreme goal is to bring to life the all-round glory and greatness of our Hindu Rashtra” and “Bharat must stand before the world as a self-confident, resurgent and mighty nation.”
The mission thus appears to be twofold: one, to restore India’s glory in the world and two, to organise and protect Hindu religion and culture. There is nothing wrong with such goals as such. Problems arise with certain methods RSS uses to attain this so-called mission.
Not all its actions are wrong. RSS does some good charitable work. Its volunteers have helped out in almost all of India’s recent natural disasters. Individual shakhas organise community works like morning fitness classes, helping millions around the nation.
However, problems arise from the RSS belief that nationalism and culture must be inculcated in people (even at the cost of personal liberties), from the imposition of RSS ideas about how glorious India is and how traditional Hindu culture is the cornerstone of a peaceful and prosperous society. The two separate objectives of a glorious India and protecting traditional Hindu culture are frequently intertwined for RSS, which assumes one cannot happen without the other.
This is not true. Worse, this will not achieve the RSS objectives of building a glorious India and saving Hindu culture. So what will make India glorious and respected? The first necessary (but not sufficient) condition for a country to be respected is a certain level of prosperity, per capita income and standard of living. Even we ourselves look up to countries richer than us. So if RSS wants a great India, it needs to focus on something it hasn’t focussed on so far – the economy.
RSS has tremendous influence over the government, and so far it has used this to promote Hindu culture and some charity initiatives. Instead, RSS should set up its own team of economists and demand 10% GDP growth. When that happens, India will BECOME RICH, its youth will get jobs, people will be happier and India will be respected. Without money in your pocket, the world is not going to listen to you.
The second condition for a glorious country is a free society, where a person has liberty to make life choices – who to pray to and how much, who to love and how much, how patriotic to be and how to express that patriotism. The moment you get into imposition mode, some of that glory and greatness is lost.
North Korea makes its citizens chant slogans about its greatness on a regular basis. Does anyone take that nation seriously? It is free societies where people, ideas, culture and artists thrive that create a huge impact on the world. If you aim to take away people’s liberty to restore order, you won’t get glory. You will only get a fascist reputation.
As for helping Hinduism prosper, it will help if RSS becomes more inclusive – reaching out to Dalits, women and Muslims. They need to be on RSS high-level committees and board. All RSS heads in the past have been upper-caste Hindus. Membership is almost entirely Hindu. Is this spreading Hindu culture or building a cult?
If RSS implements the above changes, it can both play a far greater role in Indian society and have a bigger impact in terms of achieving its objectives. While RSS is AFFILIATED with BJP, it doesn’t face similar political pressures. It can take on issues BJP can’t. Its statement about reservation policies needing to be reviewed was welcome, for no political party in India has the courage to say this. It may have cost a Bihar state election, but is the RSS there to take care of Bihar polls or to restore India’s glory? Nation first, politics later. Never dilute that.
A stronger focus on the economy, inclusiveness and placing the nation first will be changes both RSS and India could benefit from. It is not only the shorts, but also the soul of the organisation that needs a bit of a change. Hope we see that soon too.