Реферат: Hindu Revival Essay Research Paper Hindu revivalism

RSS membership had previously been largely, upper caste Hindu?s in Maharastra.

The RSS was beginning to attract, and continues to attract, low income Hindus

and small shopkeepers, who were concerned with their opportunities in a

government that favoured the high class or minorities. The RSS always kept a

certain mystery and secrecy of their membership and their future plans. It was

always under some form of scrutiny or ban from the political authorities. Under

the leadership of Hedgewar, the RSS remained a cultural and social organization

committed to the advancement of the Hindu people. Although, the RSS trained its

disciples to be aggressive and protective of their culture, Hedgewar insisted

that they not get confrontational or purposely attack other communities.

Hedgewar also insisted that the RSS remain out of politics totally. Members were

allowed to join politics on their own, but the organization was to remain

completely apolitical. Hedgewar felt that politics was a ?dirty? business

and he was more concerned with training the youth, which would have a domino

effect on later politics in India. His successor, Golwalker, respected his

wishes and kept the RSS out of politics. However, with Golwalker the RSS began

to receive an anti-Muslim sentiment directly from the leader. The RSS membership

always seemed to have contempt for the Muslims as well as the British, but it

was now more evident in the writings of their leader. In his book, We or Our

Nationhood Defined, Golwalker made claims of a Hindustan that was to be the land

of the Hindus where they could practice their all-prevailing religious

traditions without contamination from European or Muslim culture. ?Any

non-Hindus in India must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion,

must entertain no idea but those of glorificationof the Hindu race and culture,

and could only stay in the country wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation,

claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential

treatment.? (Brown 347) With the insurgence of new blood into the RSS from its

many student affiliate groups, the RSS began to grow and expand. The RSS

membership began to divide on its future objectives and goals. The