Nagpur, March 19 Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Thursday that the organization has introduced decentralization to empower its volunteers amid its expanding work and rising public expectations.
Speaking at the centenary event of the Marathi newspaper Tarun Bharat in Nagpur, he said that Gen Z is attracted to ideologies having honesty and service to the nation, and he underscored that there is a need for RSS to increase “activism” on social media for a good cause.
Asked about key organizational changes that RSS has introduced recently on the occasion of its 100 years of inception, Bhagwat said that the Sangh’s work has expanded in a big way, and it requires decentralization.
Smaller units will handle important tasks efficiently, while the core method of building friendships and leading by example remains unchanged, he said.
"Since expectations from the RSS have grown, swayamsevaks will also be required to work a lot. Hence, more smaller units would be set up, and the work that was done from the top level would be carried out by these smaller units. This is a natural change when an organization grows," he said.
Instead of 46 ‘prants’ (administrative units), RSS will now have 86 ‘sambhags’ (divisions), he said.
However, he asserted, the working method of the RSS won’t change.
"It will remain the same. That working method is to make friendships and bring in changes by leading by example, which is fundamental," he said.
To a query on how the Sangh grew even in adverse situations, Bhagwat said that publicity may help any organization to expand, but the lifeblood of the RSS is different. "The Sangh does not grow through such mediums. It grows through its work and the affection amongst its karyakarta," he said.
Regarding the younger generation, Bhagwat said that Gen Z is drawn to honesty and service to the nation, underscoring that the Sangh’s ideology is rooted in these values.
Asked whether Gen Z is inclined to attend RSS shakhas and whether the organization is trying to attract them, Bhagwat said, "They do attend shakhas. Where this is not possible or shakhas are not held, our volunteers reach out to high-rise buildings and gated communities.”
Discussions will also be held at Akhil Bharatiya meetings, the RSS’ top-level organizational gatherings, on ways to attract Gen Z to shakhas, he said.
About social media, Bhagwat said it is extensively used by people, and there is a need for the RSS to increase “activism” on such platforms for a good cause.
“Memes and reels are already in circulation. Some content is being disseminated through the RSS’ communication department, and our volunteers are also using social media. This will gain acceptance. I won’t call it an expectation, but we will have to increase our activism there,” he said.
He said the RSS’ publicity department also holds meetings with media influencers and YouTubers. They are invited, briefed about various topics, and provided with relevant material, he said.
“Social media is an open platform, and therefore, it is important to communicate the right message with clarity and wisdom. Training swayamsevaks and encouraging them to use technology in a positive manner is an ongoing effort,” he said.
Bringing people together and transforming society were both necessary and mutually reinforcing, he said. When a committed volunteer is developed, they take up constructive work, which spreads through society and contributes to desired change, said the RSS chief.
To a query about how he feels when, at times, his statements are twisted, Bhagwat said it makes him laugh, and he also feels pity for those doing it.
“This will happen because now people don’t have much to say against the RSS. Hence, they do such things and interpret things wrongly,” he said.
Bhagwat also spoke about the impression of the RSS among the people in its centenary year. Even those who believe in communism and other ideologies admit that, though they are opposed to the RSS, they accept that it is a good organisation. “Their numbers are large,” he said.