The daily Shakha is undoubtedly the most visible symbol of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Shakha is as simple in its structure as it is grand in conception. After almost 100 years since the inception of the Sangh, people continue to be surprised as to how such a simple tool as the daily Shakha can produce millions of volunteers, thousands of full-time workers who dedicate their lives for the organisation and the cause. Herein lies the extraordinary vision, skill and foresight of Dr KB Hedgewar, the Founder of the Sangh, who devised the format of the ‘Shakha’ which is the backbone of the RSS.
The Shakha’s Discipline
An RSS Shakha begins with the ‘Swayamsevaks’ bowing their head to the Saffron Flag. This is called ‘Dhwaj Pranam’ (salutation to the flag). The ‘Dhwaj pranam’ is done by putting the right hand on centre of the chest near solar plexus with palm facing the ground and bowing the head slightly while standing in attention. A Shakha ‘ends’ with a similar ‘Dhwaj Pranam’. The flag is hoisted every day and then it is unhoisted at the end of Shakha, neatly folded and a Swayamsevak takes it to his home to bring it back the next day.
The process of induction into the RSS is informal. Anyone who comes and does ‘Dhwaj Pranam’, becomes a ‘Swayamsevak’. There are no forms to be filled, no screening. Each Shakha head is known as ‘Shakha Karyavah’. The second-in-command is designated as ‘Mukhyashikshak’ and the third-in-command is known as ‘Gan-Shikshak’.
Each ‘Shakha’ is divided into a number of sections for functional purposes. Each section is called ‘Gatt’ and it is headed by one of the experienced Swayamsevaks. The latter is designated as ‘Gattnayak’. The emphasis of the RSS ever since its inception has been on running a ‘Daily Shakha’. This is a unique feature of the organisation as there is no holiday. The reason cited by RSS functionaries is that in everyday life, we must give at least one hour for social work. This makes ‘Shakha’ an inherent part of the Swayamsevaks’ daily routine and helps to strengthen the bond with the organisation.
Another reason cited is that the volunteers get ‘Samskars’ (good values) by attending ‘Shakha’ and everyday Swayamsevaks in their day-to-day lives get influenced by a number of negative things. So just as a utensil used for eating food or drinking water has to be cleaned every day to keep oneself healthy, similarly, a human body needs to go through positive physical, mental and spiritual experiences every day to maintain good values in oneself.
There has been a tradition of naming ‘Shakha’ and each Shakha is generally named after one of the great Indians of the past. So, you have ‘Shakhas’, named after Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Abhimanyu, Arjun, etc.
For several decades, the emphasis of the RSS was primarily on ‘Daily Shakhas’. However, as many RSS Swayamsevaks went to different countries and settled there, they started holding weekly Shakha.
An interesting offshoot of this flexibility imbibed by the RSS is “IT (Information Technology) Shakha.” This a virtual Shakha meant primarily to allow “periodic connect” with the IT professionals. IT Shakhas are mostly weekly in nature and there are one or two coordinators, who generally organise it online. The ‘IT Shakhas’ have been growing robustly ever since their inception.
Tradition And Continuity
So, the RSS has daily Shakha, weekly Shakha as well as the IT Shakha. The daily Shakha is also of two types, morning Shakha and evening Shakha. The morning Shakha is generally attended by the adults and the older lot. The evening Shakhas focus on the students.
On the basis of the age group, RSS has categorised all ‘Swayamsevaks’, who attend any kind of Shakha into four categories, “Shishu (kid), Baal (Child), Tarun (adolescent), Praud (old).” The broad age criteria for these categories are five years and below, 6-12 years, 13-18 years, above 50 years respectively.
The philosophy guiding the concept of an RSS Shakha has been elaborated lucidly in, “The Story of the Sangh” (written by someone from the RSS under the interesting pseudonym of ‘A Swayamsevak”). It says, during and after the Shakha timings, Swayamsevaks interact in an extremely friendly and homely atmosphere. The members of the Shakha also maintain a warm and cordial relationship with the members of the Swayamsevaks’ families, be they young or old, men or women.
As a result, new persons who come to participate in the Shakhas feel delighted and at home and unlike others in the society, the Swayamsevak never feels that social work is a burden to him. Slowly, but steadily, seeing the dedication of senior Shakha workers, the Swayamsevaks start giving more and more time for the Shakhas. Simultaneously, in keeping with each one’s ability, they are given some small responsibilities. They are also provided with adequate training to effectively carry out these responsibilities.
In the process, a succession of trainees grow to become trainers and the continuity from one generation to another is maintained. It is through this process that some of the Swayamsevaks choose to become full-time workers of Sangh. They are sent to various parts of the country depending on the organisational requirements. Such full-time workers are known as Pracharaks. At present, the RSS has more than 60,000 shakhas and 6000 plus Pracharaks.
Earlier RSSFACTS columns can be read here.
Arun Anand has authored two books on the RSS. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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