User:Kautilya3/sandbox/RSS swayamsevak

Swayamsevak (en: volunteer) is the term used to describe the members of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). There were an estimated 4-6 million members in the organistion at the end of 2013, which makes it the world's largest voluntary organisation. The swayamsevaks of the RSS take an oath making a life-long commitment to work towards the goals of the organisation.

History
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded by K. B. Hedgewar at Nagpur in 1925 with the objective of strengthening the Hindu society. In his view, the Hindus were disunited, lacked valour (pararkram) and did not possess a civic character. He recruited energetic Hindu youth with revolutionary fervour, gave them a uniform of a black forage cap, khakhi shirt (later white shirt) and khakhi shorts, emulating the British police, and taught them paramilitary techniques with lathi (bamboo staff), sword, javelin and dagger. Hedgewar also held weekly sessions of baudhik (idealogical education) consisting of simple questions to the novices concerning the Hindu nation, its history and heroes, especially Shivaji. The saffron flag of Shivaji, the Bhagwa Dhwaj, was used as the emblem for the new organisation. Its public tasks involved protecting Hindu pilgrims at festivals and confronting Muslim resistence against Hindu processions near mosques.

Full members, called swayamsevaks, were selected in small numbers from among the youth that attended the daily training sessions (called the shakhas). They took an oath to devote themselves to the RSS "with [their] whole body, heart and money, for in it lies the betterment of Hindus and the country." The organisation was extremely selective. A new member had to obtain the sponsorship of two existing swayamsevaks. Hedgewar intensively questioned the aspiring members himself. The oath was changed to a life pledge in 1928, thereby committing the members to a life-long association and dedication to the cause of the RSS. The wording of the pledge has been changed occasionally over the years, but retaining the same spirit. The only significant change appears to be the deletion of the secretiveness present in the 1928 oath.

Training
The function of the RSS is to define and establish the `Hindu nation' (Hindu Rashtra). The swayamsevaks of the RSS are imagined as the ideal members of the nation, the RSS itself forming a `Hindu nation' in miniature. The millenarial programme of the RSS is to grow the RSS to the point when it encompasses the entire society.

To be such ideal members, the swayamsevaks are expected to participate in daily training (sadhana) for one hour everyday, seven days a week. The training happens in a daily gathering of the local branch (called the shakha) in an open ground, where the participants engage in playing nationalistic games, performing physical exercises, and listening to intellectual discussions highlighting hinduism and nationalism. This is called the character-building or `man-making' programme.

The participants can join a shakha from age 6, and are graded into groups by their age. Shishu swayamsevaks (child volunteers) of ages 6-10, bal swayamsevaks (boy volunteers) of ages 10-14, tarun swayamsevaks (youth volunteers) of ages 14-28 and proudh swayamsevaks (mature volunteers) of ages 28 and older. When the RSS was banned in 1948, the Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel insisted that RSS should not be open to minors. However, the then RSS chief M. S. Golwalkar did not agree to the condition, stating that there was no such requirement on any other organisation. The Government relented, given the assurance that minors can be withdrawn from participation at the option of their guardians.

Participants of all ages gather at the same location at the same time for the shakha, but they are divided into groups (gatas) in accordance with age groups. Each group has about 20 members and is assigned a leader (gatanayak) who is expected to act as an "elder brother" to all its members. He is responsible to the superiors for the group's behaviour and their loyalty to the RSS. He also expected to be an ideal swayamsevak whom his group-mates can emulate. In addition, every group also has a teacher (shikshak) who teaches the games and the exercises the group is required to master. The teacher may also lead the group in discussion. The entire shakha has a chief teacher (mukhya shikshak) who has the overall responsibility for running the shakha.

Absence from a shakha is considered a serious offence. A member who misses the shakha is visited by the group leader and the chief teacher at his home at the end of the session. The other members of the group are also encouraged to join for the visit. If the absentee member has been ill or has had an emergency then the congregation expresses sympathy, which helps to build a support system. If the member had no legitmate reason to be absent, he is given an "impassioned talking-to" by the chief instructor, reminding him of his obligation and duties as an ideal swayamsevak. If a member is visiting another city, he is expected to report the RSS office (karyalay) there. Most RSS karyalays provide room and board for a visiting swayamsevak.

The strict discipline, self-control and brotherhood engendered in the shakha are prized by all the members of the RSS, including those that leave the organisation.

Membership
Even though all participants in shakhas are referred to as swayamsevaks, full-fledged swayamsevaks are those that take the life pledge. Only a small percentage of those that attend the shakhas (estimated to be 40%) become full members, because the requirements are quite stringent. A prospective member should demonstrate loyalty to the RSS by regularly attending the shakha and other activities (marches, festivals, camps etc.) and show an ability to work in groups. He must conform to the behaviour model of an ideal swayamsevak.

After taking the oath, one becomes a life-long swayamsevak. Members are allowed to resign if their interests diverge. The RSS constitution also allows members to be dismissed for misconduct or "any act prejudicial to the interests" of the RSS.

Financial support
The swayamsevaks also form the financial backbone of the RSS. Each year, a guru puja day is celebrated, at which all the members are asked to contribute a guru dakshina, an ancient system of financial contributions made by students to their teachers in gratitude for the teaching imparted. In RSS imagery, the RSS flag bhagwa dhwaj is considered the teacher and the members place their contributions in front of the flag in sealed envelopes. Teh different ghatas in the shakha compete with each other to make maximum contribution. These contributions form the main income stream to the RSS, through which the costs of the organisation are borne.

When the RSS was banned in 1948, shakhas could not be held and the income stream stopped. Even after the ban was lifted in July 1949, the RSS continued to lose members. Loans were taken to keep the organisation running, including the payment of maintenance for all its full-time workers (the pracharaks), and Golwalkar is said to have considered selling the RSS Headquarters in Nagpur to pay off the loan. It was not until 1956 that the RSS was able to pay off the debts.