RSS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY (HB)

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS) continues to make headlines, despite several books tracing its
journey. Curiosity about the functioning of the RSS has increased
phenomenally as swayamsevaks have risen to top positions in government and
the Sangh’s core ideas of Hindu Rashtra and Ekatmata have become the
mainstream lexicon of our social and political space. So, what is the RSS’s
imagination for India? If India becomes a Hindu Rashtra, what will be the
place of Muslims and other faiths in it? How big is the RSS project of
history writing? Will Hindutva override caste politics? And what is the RSS
view of social issues pertaining to the changing nature of family, the rights
of people with different sexual orientations and the third gender? These contentious
questions are just a few of the myriad political and social issues that Sunil
Ambekar, a high-ranking pracharak, analyses in his book, The RSS: Roadmaps
for the 21st Century. Displaying a deep understanding of facts, clarity of
thought and attention to detail, Ambekar presents a blend of past milestones,
present achievements and future ideas. Having worked at the heart of the
Shakha system, he also highlights the internal working of the Sangh—the
decisionmaking process, the effective coordination system and means of
expansion.