Milind Soman’s RSS connection: Actor gets viral after release of autobiography

Model-cum-actor-cum-fitness enthusiast Milind Soman has been trending on social media since March 10 after it was revealed that he was a part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the formative years of his life.

An excerpt from his autobiography ‘Made In India’ has got published online, where he speaks of visiting a local RSS ‘shakha’ regularly.

The son of a staunch Hindu RSS member, Soman grew up in Mumbai’s Dadar area. He recalled being enrolled in the fringe group’s training centre located in Shivaji Park. The 54-year-old wrote in his memoir that his father believed being a junior cadre of the Hindutva ideologue would teach young boys to live disciplined lives and be physically fit.

Incidentally, Soman represented India in swimming in the inaugural South Asian Games in 1984. It was then known as South Asian Federation Games.

The extract published in The Print read that joining the RSS as a young boy was a “very Shivaji Park thing” to do back in the days.

In the book, the supermodel also speaks about how the communal propaganda attributed to the RSS baffles him, especially since the memories that he has of the shakhas are in complete contrast to such reports. It reads: “Memories of what went on at the shakhas every evening are completely different. We marched about in our khaki shorts, did some yoga, worked out in a traditional outdoor gymnasium with no fancy equipment, sang songs and chanted Sanskrit verses that we did not understand the meanings of, played games and had a bunch of fun with our fellows."

In the book co-authored by Roopa Pai, Soman further recalls: “I don’t know what my shakha leaders felt about being Hindu—they didn’t really air their views on it to us, as far as I remember. Even if they had, I would not have paid attention—it would have made them sound too much like my dad.”

After finding out that he is trending on social media because of the revelation, Soman took to Twitter and wrote:

Trending at 54 for an experience I had at the age of 10. Wish it was about swimming, which was at the same time!

— Milind Usha Soman (@milindrunning) March 10, 2020