RSS stands for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It was founded by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami in the year 1925 at Nagpur in Central Bharat. Dr Hedgewar, a born patriot and freedom fighter, was a medical doctor but dedicated himself to the service of the nation. He was pained at the disorganised state of Hindu society and with an intention to organise them, he started the RSS.
In the RSS system, there is no formal membership. Those who attend the RSS Shakhas are called Swayamsevaks and any Hindu male can become a Swayamsevak.
As said earlier, there is no formal membership enrolment in the RSS. Anyone can approach the nearest ‘Shakha’ which is the fundamental unit of activity of RSS and become a swayamsevak. There is no fees, no registration form, and no formal application. Once you start attending the daily shakha either in the morning or in the evening as per your convenience, you become the swayamsevak of RSS. It is that simple.
If someone does not know any shakha or Swayamsevak nearby, One can join the RSS online too. BY filling the form on this website, We provide the nearest suitable contact for joining RSS.
Simply put, a shakha is a daily gathering of swayamsevaks of different age groups at a predefined meeting place or ground for one hour. The daily routine programs include physical exercises, singing patriotic chorus, group discussions on varied range of subjects and a prayer for our motherland. But that is not the end. As the third Sarsanghchalak of RSS the late Sri Balasaheb Devras said:
The RSS Shakha is not just a place to play games or parade, but an unsaid promise of the protection of the good citizenry, an acculturation forum to keep the young away from undesirable addictions; it is a centre of hope, for rapid action and undemanding help in case of emergencies and crisis that affect the people. It is a guaranty of the unafraid movement of women and a powerful deterrent to the indecent behaviour towards them, also a powerful threat to the brutal and anti-national forces. But the most important aspect is it is a university for training the appropriate workers to be made available for the requirements of the various fields of life of the nation. And the medium to achieve all this is the games we play on the grounds of RSS Shakha.
Physical exercises and parade are the integral part of the RSS training. They are introduced to inculcate physical and psychological discipline. As such, a definite uniform becomes an inseparable part of this discipline. The physical exercises also help in developing a sense of unity and fraternity among the swayamsevkas coming from different social, economic and educational backgrounds. One uniform for all helps foster the feeling of oneness.
Moreover, the particular uniform is used only for certain ceremonial parades and functions and not daily. One can attend a daily shakha in any suitable and respectable dress. The particular uniform is available at the local RSS offices and the swayamsevaks have to buy the uniform. It is not provided them free of cost.