RSS nurturing nationalism in the virtual world too

The alma mater of the Sangh parivar is ensuring that its foothold in the virtual world remains firm. About 70 special shakhas run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are ensuring that close to a thousand techies from India’s Silicon Valley do wield lathis too in between clicking the mouses.

The special shakhas keep the nationalistic fervour alive in techies, who attend daily sessions that include singing the praise of the motherland, light exercises, playing rustic games like Kabbadi, and listening to the heroic tales of freedom fighters  narrated by the karyavahas or mukhya shikshaks of the respective shakhas.

“The IT hub has 900 techies in the RSS and they are more regular to the shakhas. They are more meticulous too in maintaining their decorum in the shakhas though they are required to wear the ganaveshas (RSS uniforms) only on special occasions or weekly joint sessions. Some of them do take pride in wearing the khakhi shorts and carry the chequered dandas (lathis) daily to the shakhas near their residences or workplaces,” Ram Madhav, a member of the RSS national executive, said.

The RSS runs special IT shakhas not only in Bangalore but also in Mysore, Mangalore, Hyderabad, Noida and Delhi. Some of the swayamsevaks have had ties with the organisation for as long as 40 years and are in the higher echelons of the top IT companies. Some swayamseveaks work in MNCs. In all, there are 150 special RSS shakhas for techies across the country, he explained.

“With over six million members, the RSS is growing at a steady pace, paving the way for the starting of new shakhas. In several instances, the swelling ranks of swayamsevaks has resulted in the splitting of shakhas into two and three units,” Madhav said.