R S S Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Bilaspur Training and Education Camp Performance
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh abbreviated as
RSS (
IPA:Rāṣṭrīya Svayansēvaka Saṅgha) (pronunciation: [rɑːʂˈʈriːj(ə) swəjəmˈseːvək ˈsəŋɡʱ], lit. "
National Volunteer Organisation"[11] or National Patriotic Organisation[12]) is a right-wing charitable, educational, volunteer,
Hindu nationalist,[5] non-governmental organisation.[
4][1] It is the world's largest voluntary non-governmental organisation.[13][14] RSS states that its ideology is based on the principle of selfless service to
India.
The RSS was founded on
Vijayadasami Day,
27 September 1925 as a social organisation to provide character training through
Hindu discipline and to unite the Hindu community.[15][16] It proclaims its ideal as upholding
Indian culture and civilizational values more than anything else.[17] It was set up as an alternative to the politics of mass anti-colonial struggle.[18] However, RSS volunteers participated in various political and social movements including the
Indian independence movement.[1] The organisation initially drew inspiration from
European right-wing groups during
World War II.[16] Gradually RSS has grown into an extremely prominent Hindu nationalist umbrella organisation[16] and by the
1990s, allied organisations had established numerous schools, charities and clubs to spread its ideological beliefs.[16]
It has been criticised as an extremist organisation and as a paramilitary group.[2][3][6] It has also been criticised when its members participated in anti-Muslim violence [19] and has since formed militant wing
Bajrang Dal.[16][20] Along with other extremist organisations the RSS was involved in a wide range of riots, often inciting and organising violence against Christians[21] and Muslims.[5]
It was banned during the
British rule,[16] and then thrice by the post-independence
Indian government — first in 1948 when
Nathuram Godse, a former RSS member,[22] assassinated
Mahatma Gandhi;[16][23][24] then during the emergency (
1975–77); and after the demolition of
Babri Masjid in
1992. The ban imposed in
February 1948 was withdrawn unconditionally in July 1948.[25] The ban during 1975-77 was a part of the illegal suspension of individual and collective human rights during the emergency. After
Indira Gandhi lost the elections, the new government withdrew restrictions on human rights. The ban in 1992 was lifted in the absence of material evidence for supporting a ban.[26]