The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a Hindu nationalist paramilitary volunteer organisation in India. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar, which have presence in all facets of the Indian society, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi, the incumbent Indian prime minister. The present Sarsanghchalak of the RSS is Mohan Bhagwat.
Hindutva ("Hindu-ness") is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other organisations, collectively called the Sangh Parivar.
The Bajrang Dal is a Hindu nationalist militant organisation that forms the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). It is a member of the right-wing Sangh Parivar. The ideology of the organisation is based on Hindutva. It was founded on 1 October 1984 in Uttar Pradesh, and began spreading more in the 2010s throughout India, although its most significant base remains the northern and central portions of the country.
The Sangh Parivar refers, as an umbrella term, to the collection of Hindu nationalist organisations spawned by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which remain affiliated to it. These include the political party Bharatiya Janata Party, religious organisation Vishva Hindu Parishad, students union Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), religious militant organisation Bajrang Dal that forms the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), and the worker's union Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. It is also often taken to include allied organisations such as the Shiv Sena, which share the ideology of the RSS. The Sangh Parivar represents the Hindu nationalist movement of India. Members of the Sangh Parivar are informally referred to as Sanghis.
Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, also known by his moniker Doctorji, was an Indian physician and the founding Sarsanghachalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Hedgewar founded the RSS in Nagpur in 1925, based on the ideology of Hindutva with the intention of creating a Hindu Rashtra.
Kuppahalli Sitaramayya Sudarshan was the fifth Sarsanghachalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation from 2000 to 2009.
The Rashtra Sevika Samiti is a Hindu nationalist women's organisation that parallels the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for men. Even though it is often referred to as the " Sister" of the RSS, the organisation claims that it is independent of the RSS while sharing its ideology. Membership and leadership is embraced to women and its activities are directed to nationalist devotion and mobilisation of Hindu women.
The Durga Vahini is the women's wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). It was established in 1991 and its founding chairperson is Sadhvi Rithambara. The Vishva Hindu Parishad states the purpose of the Durga Vahini is to empower women, encourage more women to participate in spiritual and cultural activities. Kalpana Vyash, a senior leader of the organization, said that the Durga Vahini members dedicate themselves "to physical, mental and intellectual development". The aim of the organization is to establish Hindu solidarity by helping Hindu families during the time of hardship and by providing social services. According to Vyash, the total membership of the group is 8,000 as of 2002, and 1,000 members are from Ahmedabad.
Amrita Basu is an American academic and political scientist. She currently is a professor at Amherst College where she holds affiliations in the departments of Political Science, Sexuality, Women's, & Gender Studies, Asian Languages & Civilizations, and Black Studies.
Sadhvi Nisha Rithambara is a Hindu nationalist ideologue and the founder-chairperson of Durga Vahini.
Mohan Bhagwat is an activist currently serving as the 6th and current Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in India. He was chosen as the successor to K. S. Sudarshan in March 2009.
Shobha Karandlaje is an Indian BJP politician from Karnataka who is currently serving as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare in the Second Modi ministry. She is also the Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Karnataka and Member of Parliament representing Udupi Chikmagalur Lok Sabha Constituency. She was a cabinet minister in the Government of Karnataka. She is a close confidant to Karnataka ex Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" or the correct term Hindū rāṣṭravāda is a simplistic translation and it is better described with the term "Hindu polity".
Pramila Dandavate (1928–2001) was a political activist from Mumbai, associated with the Praja Socialist Party and later with the Janata Party.
Maya Surendrakumar Kodnani is a former Minister of State for Women and Child Development in the Government of Gujarat. Kodnani joined the 12th legislative assembly of Gujarat after being elected to represent the constituency of Naroda as a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Singanayakanahalli Ramaiah Vishwanath is an Indian Politician who is current MLA from Yelahanka constituency since 25 May 2008. He is currently the Chairman of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Member of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Board.
Ganga Prasad Chaurasia is an Indian politician who is former governor of the states of Sikkim and Meghalaya. He was a member of Bihar Legislative Council and was the leader of the opposition during the RJD regime. He also held the post of leader of the Bihar legislative council during the NDA rule in Bihar. He got associated with Jan Sangh and remained associated with the same ideology till date. He is an ardent follower of Arya Samaj and served as Pradhan (Head) of the Bihar Arya Samaj Pratinidhi Sabha unit. He is popularly known as 'Ganga Babu' in the political circle.
Sadhvi Prachi is a sadhvi, Hindu political activist, social worker, religious preacher, and member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, or simply, BJP Karnataka, is the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party of the Karnataka. Its head office is situated at the BJP Bhavan, 11th Cross, Temple Street, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru. The current president of BJP Karnataka is Nalin Kumar Kateel. It is the current ruling party of Karnataka.
Ranjana Kumari is an Indian social activist, writer, and academic. She is the director of the Centre for Social Research in Delhi and chairwoman of Women Power Connect, a national organization of women's groups.
