Overview
- The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, speaking in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, described the group as the largest voluntary organisation in the world and said it is widely misunderstood.
- Bhagwat urged people to experience the Sangh from within and said a lecture or a book can reassure those who want to test and understand the organisation.
- He acknowledged that visible practices such as uniformed route marches and the promotion of traditional games and martial arts often create impressions of a paramilitary group or a nationwide gymnasium.
- Bhagwat said the RSS was not founded as a reaction to any single event and does not stand opposed to any section of society or political party, framing its roots as service to the nation.
- The comments were made as part of the RSS centenary year outreach, which the organisation says is intended to dispel misconceptions and may lead to more public programmes and local engagement explaining its work; the RSS was founded in 1925.