 Summary of this article
- From the outset, the Rashtra Sevika Samiti was not constituted as a wing of the RSS.
- It was autonomous, reflecting both the gendered boundaries of the Sangh and the acknowledgement that women required platforms of their own.
- This autonomy generated a paradox that endures to this day.
As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) turns 100 in 2025, questions about women’s place within its ideological and organisational universe acquire fresh urgency. From its very inception in 1925 under the leadership of K.B. Hedgewar, the RSS was conceptualised as a fraternity of men. Its daily shakhas revolved around martial drills, physical discipline and camaraderie. It was an idiom tailored for male bonding and brotherhood. |
