This book claims, and aims, to meander into the labyrinth of RSS to disrobe supposedly mysterious and secret world of this organisation from an insider’s perspective having ample knowledge and understanding of the philosophy, organisational structure and working of the National Volunteer Organisation (RSS).
While being actually conceptualized as a kind of primer about the RSS it turned out to be a serious attempt to unfold the enigmatic world of RSS. The original title of the book was Secrets of RSS to hint towards its, as per Madhu Kishwar Purnima, sinister secret cult.
This book is not a scholarly treatise, nor an academic study such, as Pralay Kanungo’s RSS’s Tryst with Politics and Christopher Jafferlot’s The Hindu Nationalist Movements and Indian Politics. This book encompasses the highs and lows of the RSS by quoting some selective “Indologists”. This book is an attempt by the author to battle “intellectual tyranny of the left” by questioning the oft repeated charge that RSS didn’t participate in the freedom movement and other charges.
The book declares Nehru responsible for “systemically hounding “RSS by dubbing it communal and fascist and stigmatising it for the murder of Gandhi.
Ratan Sharda consider the Leftist position on Indian History as “the Left-Islamist narrative who act as foot soldiers of Islamists who got anointed as cultural czars”.
Ratan Sharda considers Rightist historians like SR Goel, Dharampal, Ram Swarup, Meenakshi Jain etc as representatives of the cultural subaltern of India.
The RSS creed as per the author pivots around the “fact” that Christianity and Islam are non Indic religions and both should not nurture extra territorial values.
The book is divided into three parts which elaborately discusses the spirit of India as per RSS prism why there is need to organise Hindus, the form of RSS, Shakha, Organisational structure, institution of Pracharak and off shoots of RSS besides epilogue and 5 Annexures.
This book describes following seven defining moments of RSS:
1. Partition of India: How it was opposed, Prof Balraj Madhok’s role in 1947 in J and K as RSS Chief Organiser as mentioned in his book Kashmir Jeet ya Haar and K C Agnihotris book Jammu Kashmir Ki Ankahee Kahani which disclose how RSS hold onto villages, why 2 lac Jammu Muslims were massacred, how intelligence was provided to Army, how support was given to army movement. This role of RSS in J and K has also been disclosed in Jyoti Jalaa Nij Praan Ki by Manikchandra Vajpayee especially role of then RSS chief M S Golwalkar is also discussed at detail).
2. First Ban on RSS in 1948: mentions how the Kapoor Commission exonerated RSS of any part in M K Gandhi’s assassination, how Sardar Patel was ready to lift ban on RSS if it had merged with the Congress and how Congress was scared and envious of the growing popularity of RSS and its organisational muscle.
3. Construction of Vivekanand Rock Memorial: How Vivekananda was appropriated by RSS as Mascot of Hindu assertiveness.
4. Second ban during National Emergency: How RSS reinvented itself during emergency
5. Ekaatmataa Yatra: How the most seen iconic image of “Bharatmata” was created and popularised during this campaign in 1983.
6. Dr Hedgewar Birth Centenary Celebrations: Mentions how with a beginning of targeted 1000 social service projects, RSS and its affiliate organisations conduct nearly one lakh seventy thousand social service programmes now.
7. Ram Janam Bhoomi Movement: The author talks about non existing Sikh exodus (1989) from Kashmir Valley. This book talks about “cult of inverse communalism” without further elaborating it empirically.
The author talks about Seva Bharata prog under which at Jammu RSS is running residential schools for orphans of violence.
Part 2 is the essence of this book as it discloses the inner structural organisation of RSS.
This part details how and why only six customary festivals of Varsh Pratipadaa, Hindu Saamraajya Din, Guru Poojan, Rakhsha Bandhan, Vijayaadashamee and Makar Snakraman are celebrated, and not Independence Day or Republic Day.
Part 3 gives an account of 14 big affiliated off shoots of RSS.
The book makes a clear mention of how RSS provided organisational backbone to the Amarnath Land Row agitation in Jammu and how local VDCs in Jammu region are fully supported by RSS members.
The book also discloses that highest number of Sewa Projects (16911) are in Kerala.
A must read for those who are interested to decipher political dynamics of the rise of the Right. This book leaves a lot unsaid. Punctuation errors here and there have blighted this book. Surprising to note how a publishing house like Bloomsbury allowed the use of words like Muslim Plunders and Goons for the workers of the Muslim League.
Demystifying exercise has mystified RSS more and playing apologetic has wilted the scope of this book.
Junafar Khan”