New anthology on RSS brings together voices from within and outside the Sangh
Writer Leher Sethi's anthology 'Saffron Shadows: The RSS, A Century of Influence' was launched in Delhi, featuring essays by Sangh ideologues and critics.
A new anthology examining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was launched in Delhi on Sunday, bringing together perspectives from both supporters and detractors of the organisation. Titled Saffron Shadows: The RSS, A Century of Influence, the book has been compiled and edited by writer and social activist Leher Sethi.
The volume collects essays by Sangh ideologues alongside contributions from critics of the organisation. Its release coincides with the centenary year of the RSS's formation.
The launch event featured speakers with long associations with the Sangh — some having served it for as many as eight decades — as well as those opposed to its ideology, including Rajya Sabha MP and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh.
Publisher Ajay Mago of Om Books International described the book's timing as significant, noting that the RSS is marking its 100th year. He observed that for some the organisation stands for cultural identity, discipline, service and a strong organisational tradition, while for others it represents ideological influence over society, politics and institutions, raising questions about Indian democracy.
Journalist Shweta Punj, editor of economic policy at Moneycontrol, said at the launch that the RSS is among the most misunderstood organisations of the present time. She noted that it remains relevant today even as other movements that emerged around the same period in India, such as communism, struggle to survive.
Sanjay Singh questioned the organisation's inclusiveness and representation. Referring to the recent controversy over Vande Mataram, he also challenged what he described as a narrow definition of nationalism, characterising the RSS as an organisation of a small group with a restricted mindset that seeks to impose its ideology on everyone.