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RSS@100: Women and nation building
In its centenary year, the RSS’s evolving engagement with women invites reflection — challenging long-held assumptions while also sparking new questions
As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) enters its centenary year, public discourse is once again abuzz with debates about its legacy, ideology, and influence. Amid this flood of commentary, one dimension remains consistently underexplored: its relationship with women. This piece aims to examine the often-overlooked role of women within the RSS ecosystem — and how the organisation, through its affiliates, engages with the evolving realities of Indian womanhood.
Though the RSS itself is a male-only organisation, it functions as the ideological and cultural nucleus of a wider network — the Sangh Parivar — which includes numerous entities that work with and for women. Its approach to women’s roles in society is deliberate, evolving, and deeply rooted in its worldview.
Soon after its formation in 1925, RSS was seized with the idea of accommodating women in its scheme of things. This led to, with encouragement from RSS founder DK Hedgewar, the founding of the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti (Samiti) in 1936 under the leadership of Laxmibai Kelkar. The Samiti continues to draw inspiration from RSS’s philosophy.
Over time, more organizations followed. Sewa Bharti (1979), Bharatiya Stree Shakti (1988), and Durga Vahini (1991), and are among the prominent ones. These bodies focus on various aspects of women’s lives — education, health, self-respect, economic independence, and leadership. It is through these institutions that the RSS’s worldview on women is most directly expressed. Women have played an influential and decisive role in all RSS-inspired organizations.
RSS encourages its associated women volunteers to carry out socio-cultural activities. It focuses on women’s roles in society as leaders and agents of positive social reform. It teaches its volunteers three ideals of womanhood — netritva (leadership), embodied by figures like Rani Laxmibai, emphasising strength, initiative, and vision; kartrtva (action), reflecting the activism of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, stressing competence and social engagement; and matritva (motherhood), which acknowledges the role of motherhood and care within society and its importance in nation building. The RSS sees them as both protectors of tradition and catalysts for change.
The organisations mentioned earlier raise awareness about Western cultural influence and caution against what they see as a drift into radical feminism, which they believe can undermine family and societal cohesion. At the same time, they confront issues like gender-based violence and advocate self-defence and empowerment. Durga Vahini, for example, trains young women in physical self-defence and leadership, reinforcing the idea of women as “protectors of society” and “destroyers of evil.”
The Sangh Parivar seeks to inculcate a sense of responsible behaviour and social awareness in common people. Various types of educational and awareness camps at different levels in all parts of India are conducted periodically. They also run numerous service projects across India for the poor and underprivileged, with regard to religion, caste, creed, sect, gender, or ethnicity. These include goshalas, libraries, computer training centres, and orphanages.
Sewa Bharti, in particular, has led extensive work in vocational training for underprivileged women — offering skills in tailoring, crafts, computing, and hygiene education. It also advocates for domestic workers, providing legal and social support.
The RSS family doesn’t limit itself to small towns and rural areas. It supports professionals in metros through inclusive programs balancing tradition and modernity. Women — doctors, teachers, engineers, CAs, corporate employees — are offered physical training, yoga, intellectual sessions, and discussions on work-life balance, motherhood, cultural values, and feminist identity. They also focus on women’s legal rights, sports facilities, historiographical inclusion, and public awareness via campaigns, conferences, and programs such as Adhivakta Parishad (literally, Lawyers Council) and Krida Bharati (literally, Sports India).
RSS is not stuck in time, as is evident in its response to the changes around it. As India’s women reclaim their space in the public arena, RSS supports their efforts. It has responded with efforts to increase women’s leadership in RSS-affiliated bodies such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, etc, aiming for greater female representation. Millions of female students join the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and develop leadership and self-reliance. Within the political arm Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), women have a prominent presence, including many stellar leaders.
RSS sarsanghchalak (chief) Mohan Bhagwat has publicly emphasised the need for women’s integration in the Sangh’s activities. He has laid stress on equal freedom and rights for women to drive national progress. In 2021, mountaineer Santosh Yadav became the first woman to serve as chief guest at the annual Vijayadashami address, symbolising a shift toward greater visibility and recognition.
As part of its centenary celebrations, the RSS is focusing on themes of women’s empowerment, inclusivity, and grassroots mobilisation. National-level events are planned to encourage women’s participation in development, cultural nationalism, and social reform initiatives. For the RSS, women are not just nurturers — they are shakti, power incarnate. Armed with both ideals and action, the RSS’s women’s wings represent a parallel narrative of India’s renaissance—one that blends tradition with agency, and duty with dignity.
In its centenary year, the RSS’s evolving engagement with women invites reflection—challenging long-held assumptions while also sparking new questions. Whether one aligns with its vision or critiques its methods, the organisation’s sustained efforts toward women’s participation reflect a significant shift in India’s socio-political landscape.
Priyal Bhardwaj is general secretary, BJP Women’s Wing in Delhi, and founder, Sangini Saheli, an organisation working for the empowerment of women. The views expressed are personal
