This article challenges the detractors of RSS who have been abusing it for decades as chauvinist and anti-Muslim. By confronting them with the unchallengeable truth about the RSS philosophy which they either don’t know or they conceal.
The context is self-evident. The RSS just entered its Centenary year on Vijay Dasami Day on 12 October 2024. As an RSS insider and as one in public life for 5 decades without accepting any position I owe a duty to tell the public about what the RSS is.
My extensive experience across diverse and seemingly disconnected fields—ranging from religion and spirituality to law, journalism, economics, politics, anthropology, academics, and geopolitics—over the past five decades allows me to view the RSS both from within and from an external perspective. The RSS is the culmination of a century of tireless dedication, shaped by the silent sacrifice of thousands of pracharaks and lakhs of swayamsevaks who have devoted their entire lives, often without recognition, to realizing Swami Vivekananda’s vision of “man-making and nation-building.”
But RSS’ adversaries trash its concept of Hindu nationalism as narrow, anti-Muslim. But if I prove RSS’s Hindu nationalism was not its innovation, but it has adopted it from Swami Vivekananda and Maharishi Aurobindo, will they call them anti Muslim?
If I prove that Hindu nationalism preached by Swami Vivekananda was expressly accepted by Nehru what will the adversaries of RSS say? Will they say that Nehru who endorsed a narrow, anti Muslim idea was as bad as RSS?
If I prove Mahatma Gandhi held the same view as the RSS that India’s unity lies in Hinduism and minorities must be assimilated into national mainstream, will the RSS baiters say Gandhi was Hindu chauvinist and communal?
If I prove that the Supreme Court has ruled that Hindutva which is the foundation of Hindu nationalism constituted the national ethos, way of life and culture of Bharat, will the detractors of RSS say the highest court is wrong?
Here is the irrefutable proof that Swami Vivekananda and Maharishi Aurobindo swore by Hindu Nationalism, Mahatma Gandhi swore by Hinduism as the basis of India’s unity and nationhood, Nehru accepted Hindu nationalism and Supreme Court endorsed Hindutva.
“Swami Vivekananda very eloquently, forcefully preached the gospel of nationalism. His nationalism was Hindu nationalism, it had its roots in the Hindu religion, culture. This was not in any way anti-Muslim or anti-anyone else.” Who said this?
Pandit Nehru.
Pandit Nehru did not just say off the cuff media response or extempore speech. He consciously wrote it in his most famous book Glimpses of World History [p. 437]. He must have edited the draft many times before it was printed. He said more.
“It (is) not easy…to draw a line between Hindu nationalism and true nationalism. The two overlap as India is the only home of Hindus, they form a majority there.” This is what Nehru wrote again in Glimpses of World History [p720]
Nehru unequivocally accepted Hindu nationalism in 1935. He again wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine US in January 1937 “Indian background and unity is essentially cultural; not religious in the narrow sense of the word”.
In 1935, Nehru acknowledged Hindu nationalism, and by 1937, he recognized culture as the foundation of Bharat’s unity. However, the RSS had already embraced both principles as its core philosophy in 1925. Nehru’s father, Motilal Nehru, had praised Dr. Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, and Nehru himself later endorsed Vivekananda’s Hindu nationalism, which had been “eloquently and forcefully preached” half a century earlier. Nehru’s belief in culture, rather than narrow religious identity, as the basis of India’s unity came a full decade after the RSS had integrated these ideals.
Congress party [usurper of the original Congress brand], secular parties, intellectuals, journalists and Rahul, who swears by Nehru might not have read his writings. If Rahul reads this article can he deny Nehru owned Hindu nationalism? If Nehru did, can he disown Nehru?
S. Gurumurthy is the Editor Of Tamil political weekly magazine Thuglak.
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