Origins and History of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Founding of the RSS

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was founded in 1925 by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a physician based in the central Indian city of Nagpur.^[16] As a medical student in Kolkata, Hedgewar participated in the revolutionary activities of the Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar, both striving to liberate India from British rule. In 1921, he was charged with sedition by the British administration and served a one-year prison sentence.

Early Life and Revolutionary Influences

Educated by his elder brother, Hedgewar moved to Calcutta, West Bengal, in 1910 to pursue medical studies at the behest of Dr. B. S. Moonje. During his time there, he lived with Shyam Sundar Chakravarthy^[19] and mastered combat techniques from secret revolutionary organizations, including the Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar. He maintained contacts with prominent revolutionaries such as Ram Prasad Bismil.^[20]

His involvement in these revolutionary activities has been documented by various writers, including:

• C.P. Bhishikar^[21]
• M.S. Golwalkar^[22]
• K.S. Sudarshan^[23]
• Rakesh Sinha^[24]

Hedgewar eventually concluded that while revolutionaries possessed immense determination, instigating an armed insurrection across a country of continental proportions was impractical.

Transition to the RSS

Upon graduating and returning to Nagpur, Hedgewar became disillusioned with the armed movement. In his memoirs, the third RSS chief, Balasahab Deoras, recounts an incident where Hedgewar dissuaded him and others from following the path of Bhagat Singh and his comrades. In 1925, Hedgewar departed from these revolutionary organizations to establish the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The Early Years and Organizational Structure

A rare group photo of six initial swayamsevaks taken during an RSS meeting in 1936.

Given his association with the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), Hedgewar adopted the HRA's constitution and implemented it within the newly formed RSS. The organization held its first meeting on Vijaya Dashami in 1925, on a small ground in Nagpur, with only 5–6 attendees, occurring just two months after the Kakori train robbery.

While Hedgewar maintained the RSS's independence from direct affiliation with political organizations fighting British rule, he and his volunteers actively participated in Indian National Congress-led movements. Notably, Hedgewar was arrested during the Jungle Satyagraha agitation in 1931, serving his second term in prison.