How RSS integrates festivals with its ideological framework

In this week’s column we discuss three of the six festivals celebrated by RSS.

RSSFACTS is a column that demystifies the functioning, organisational structure and ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) celebrates six festivals at different times of the year. We have explained in last week’s column why and how three of these are celebrated. These were -Vijaydasahmi, Makar Sankranti and Varsh Pratipada. In this week’s column we will discuss the rest of the three.

Hindu Samrajya Diwas: This festival is different from the rest of the festivals celebrated by the RSS. “While the rest of the festivals celebrated by the RSS are also celebrated by the common people outside RSS also, it is the only festival which is generally not celebrated in the society at mass level. In fact, many people don't even know that a historical event took place, which deserves to be celebrated,” mentions Sangh Utsav, a booklet published by an RSS inspired publication Suruchi Prakashan. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the coronation of Maratha warrior and King Chhatrapati Shivaji. The coronation was done on May 19, 1674. Along with this coronation, a Hindu empire came into existence officially as Shivaji himself announced that day, “Hindu self-rule should be established, that is the will of God.” He also said, “This kingdom does not belong to Shivaji but to the ‘dharma’.”

“The Hindus were at the receiving end when this momentous event happened and it electrified the Hindu consciousness across the country. “It was the time when Hindus could not even think of being rulers. The moral of Hindus was so low that they couldn’t think of reaching up to that level and they had accepted that only Muslims can become rulers and Hindus can only serve them. In such a desperate situation, Shivaji’s act of setting up a Hindu empire boosted the morale of the Hindus immensely. So, if we have to move on our path rightly, it is imminent to remember great men like Shivaji who created history.” The festival is celebrated at every RSS
Shakha by worshipping portraits of Shivaji and his master (Guru) Samarth Ramdas. The famous letter written by Shivaji to Rajput King Jai Singh is also read on this occasion, the letter calls upon the Rajput warrior not to shed the blood of Hindus for Mughals and exhorts him to join Shivaji for the greater cause. On this occasion anecdotal tales of Shivaji’s valour are shared by the senior Sangh functionaries in the form of intellectual discourses with Swayamsevaks (RSS volunteers). At times, several Shakhas
get-together to celebrate this festival. Tributes are offered to Shivaji and Samartha Guru Ramdas. The role played by Shivaji’s mother Jijabai and his other colleagues like Taana Ji is also dwelt upon in great detail. Jijabai, along with Shivaji, remains one of the most revered figures in Sangh Parivar for the way she motivated her son to fight back the Mughals and set up ‘Dharma Rajya’, which may be broadly translated as the ‘Rule of the righteousness.” As part of the celebrations, Swayamsevaks also recite patriotic songs especially penned for the festival by many writers and published by the RSS inspired publications.

Gurupurnima Mahotsav: In Hindu Dharma, the place of the Guru is considered to be even above the God. This festival is an occasion to express gratitude to the Guru for showing the right way to live life and imparting knowledge. In the RSS, the Bhagwa Dhwaj (Saffron Flag) is the Guru. So the Swayamsevaks worship the ‘Bhagwa Dhwaj’, on this day. The festival is celebrated in the Hindu month of Aashaad and on a full-moon day. The day is also known as ‘Aashaadi Poornima’. The Swayamsevaks generally wear white clothes (preferably traditional Indian dresses like dhoti-kurta or
kurta-payjama), and the black RSS cap on this occasion and worship the Saffron Flag by offering floral tributes. It is followed by intellectual discourses on the importance of the Guru in life and Swayamsevaks are reminded why RSS chose the Saffron Flag instead of an individual as the ‘Guru’. The message conveyed through this festival is subtle but quite
meaningful that the ideology is bigger than any individual and the RSS is not an individual centric organisation but an ideology-driven outfit.

Rakshabandhan: This is a very popular festival in India and celebrated by almost all the communities and religions. The sisters tie a thread commonly known as ‘Rakhi’, to their brother’s wrist as a mark of the commitment of the latter to protect them. There are several historical incidents and tales associated with it. The RSS Swayamsevaks celebrate Rakashabandhan by tying threads to each other’s wrists as a symbol of their commitment to protect each other and stand by each other, whatever the circumstances may be. This helps to strengthen a feeling of brotherhood among Swayamsevaks. The RSS celebrates this day as ‘Adhiktam Sankhya Diwas’(Maximum Attendance Day). The Swayamsevaks at every Shakha try to have the maximum number of persons attending Shakha that day. The attempt is, get all those who have ever attended the Shakha at least once and to get many new Swayamsevaks also who attend the Shakha for the first time on this particular day. This helps to consolidate as well as expand the reach of the RSS Shakhas.

The public parks where Shakhas are held wear a real colourful look on this particular day as the attendance on many Shakhas cross more than 100. With so many persons playing various games simultaneously, singing patriotic songs and raising slogans like, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ (Long Live Mother India), one often sees hundreds of bystanders watching this impressive show even as the Swayamsevaks continue with their disciplined activities unperturbed by all the attention they attract. After the Shakha starts, the sacred thread is tied to the Saffron Flag first and the Swayamsevaks tie this sacred thread to each other after the Shakha ends. Over the last several decades, the RSS has expanded this programme in a very interesting manner. After tying sacred thread to each other, the Swayamsevaks go to the nearby slums, Jhuggi-Jhonpri (JJ)clusters or habitats where the poor and the underserved live and tie ‘Rakhi’ to the residents living there.

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.