The RSS: 100 Years of the Indian Right

About the Book A TIMELY AND EXTENSIVELY RESEARCHED BOOK THAT MARKS THE CENTENARY YEAR OF THE RSS. Founded in 1925 by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the RSS has grown from a small group of swayamsevaks in Nagpur into one of the world’s largest, most structured voluntary organisations, admired and opposed in equal measure. In its centenary year, this book sets out to document its fascinating history, warts and all. Drawing on thirty years of ground reporting, seasoned political journalist Vijai Trivedi explains the inner workings of a gargantuan system that calls itself a cultural organisation working for the uplift and unification of the Hindu Rashtra. Through primary research and interviews with senior RSS cadres as well as ground workers, he peels back the many layers of RSS’s hundred-year history, including its role in the freedom struggle, the Emergency and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. From the Sangh’s early consolidation under Hedgewar and Golwalkar to the rapid growth of its network of affiliates, its impact at diverse levels in the public sphere, its relationship with the ruling party, past and present—this book explores every aspect of the organisation’s evolution with exemplary attention to detail and nuance. About the Author Vijai Trivedi has travelled across the country and abroad in pursuit of news and worked in nearly every form of media—radio, print, television, digital and podcasts. His professional career started as a journalist, working for various media outlets including the Times Group, Rajasthan Patrika, Akashvani, NDTV, News Nation, Sahara TV, First India TV and HS News (the digital arm of Hindustan Samachar). He is now associated with Satya Hindi. He has written for several magazines, such as Dharmyug, Saptahik Hindustan, Ravivar, Dinman, Chauthi Duniya, India Today, Outlook and Lokmat Samachar. His books—Haar Nahi Manunga: Ek Atal Jeevan Gatha on Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Yada Yada Hi Yogi on Yogi Adityanath and BJP: Kal, Aaj aur Kal, tracing the journey of the national party—were bestsellers and received overwhelming support from readers. About the Translator Subha Pande is a multilingual translator fluent in Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Hindi, and English. Her translation portfolio includes Krishnayan and Madhyabindu by Kaajal Oza Vaidya (Gujarati to English); Win All Your Battles by Vishwas Nangre Patil and An Invisible Battle by Girish Kuber (Marathi to English); eleven novels and a short story collection by Sivasankari (Tamil to English); and Sita’s Sister, Fisher Queen’s Dynasty by Kavita Kane, and Ancient Science of Mantras by Om Swami (English to Hindi). Read more