A TIMELY AND EXTENSIVELY RESEARCHED BOOK THAT MARKS THE CENTENARY YEAR OF THE RSS. Founded in 1925 by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the RSS has grown from a small group of swayamsevaks in Nagpur into one of the world’s largest, most structured voluntary organisations, admired and opposed in equal measure. In its centenary year, this book sets out to document its fascinating history, warts and all. Drawing on thirty years of ground reporting, seasoned political journalist Vijai Trivedi explains the inner workings of a gargantuan system that calls itself a cultural organisation working for the uplift and unification of the Hindu Rashtra. Through primary research and interviews with senior RSS cadres as well as ground workers, he peels back the many layers of RSS’s hundred-year history, including its role in the freedom struggle, the Emergency and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. From the Sangh’s early consolidation under Hedgewar and Golwalkar to the rapid growth of its network of affiliates, its impact at diverse levels in the public sphere, its relationship with the ruling party, past and present—this book explores every aspect of the organisation’s evolution with exemplary attention to detail and nuance.