RSS stresses on training of functionaries at Prayagraj meet

At the meeting, the internal system of the Sangh and the working behaviour of volunteers were reviewed in detail, a senior RSS office bearer said

The four-day meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) national executive that concluded at Gauhania, about 25 km from Prayagraj city, on Wednesday saw the organisation lay special emphasis on the training of functionaries, a move that comes at a time when there is a notion among some that becoming a Sangh ‘karyakarta’ is no less difficult than acquiring a professional degree.

RSS karyakartas during a shakha. (HT File Photo)

Usually, professional courses last two years, but the Sangh keeps training its functionaries at regular intervals throughout their lives.

At the meeting, the internal system of the Sangh and the working behaviour of volunteers were reviewed in detail, a senior RSS office bearer said.

The Sangh traditions, such as observing a simple conduct in private and public life with strict discipline, are just some of the prelaid conditions which have to be fulfilled by all functionaries.

The purpose of the training, as stated by RSS founder KB Hedgewar, is to raise a cadre that can communicate the organisation’s vision to the society at large. Special emphasis continues to be on encouraging reading, writing and personality development.

Training camps are conducted at four levels and the duration varies from seven to 25 days.

RSS does not have any formal membership and anyone can join the nearest ‘shakha’, the basic unit of the organisation. As on March 2022, 60,929 ‘Shakhas’ of RSS were held at 38,390 sites across the country.