The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its political unit, BJP, have something similar to benefit from their affiliated unit — the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan.
Its vast network of schools imparts values and core ideologies of ‘Hindutva’ to generations of young men and women, influencing them to carry these ideals forward in their lives, which is significant for both the RSS and the BJP, as explained in this two-part series.
A key functionary of the RSS explains the concept of working in the education field to shape the generations that will define the country’s future towards a Hindu Rashtra by instilling the seed of ‘Hindu’ culture in children.
Recalling from Part-1, he referred to an adage: “Mokkai vanganidi maanai vanguna?” A close Telugu translation is: “If it does not bend when a sapling, would it when a tree?”
The first such seed was planted in Kurukshetra, named Gita School, in 1946 by Golwalkar. However, the ban on the RSS after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse in 1948 put an end to Golwalkar’s Gita Schools.
This story was originally published in thesouthfirst.com. Read the full story here.