Sangh Parivar (SP) is the family of Hindu (fundamentalist) organisations built around the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
to unite Hindus and promote Hindutva. Some members of the Sangh Parivar also accept the Swadeshi ("self-reliance") philosophy.
Sangh Parivar could be defined as the umbrella organization networking with RSS, BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, ABVP and BMS in promoting Hindu Fundamentalism through propagating Hindutva ideology. These organizations concentrate on different sections of the population at different levels in Sangh Parivar’s attempt to promote Hindu Fundamentalism. RSS is a socio-cultural ideological organization, with trained cadres for defending the Hindutva ideology. BJP is the Political wing of the SP. VHP is the organization translating Hindutva political agenda on the emotive and religious ground internationally. Bajrang Dal is the youth group active on the streets, using violent means in imposing Hindu norms and symbols on the population. Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram(VKA) works in rural tribal areas promoting Hindu norms amongst the Adivasis. ABVP is the student wing of the BJP and it spreads Hindutva ideology among the students. Finally, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh(BMS) is the saffron trade union promoting Hindu fundamentalism amongst the working class. All these organizations are collectively called as Sangh Parivar.
Members Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, "RSS"
Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, on Swadeshi
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Students’ Union
Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Nursery Schools
Vidya Bharati, Educational Institutes
Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, For Vanavaasi brethren
Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Trade Union
Rashtriya Sevika Samiti, For Women
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Political Party
Emergence of Sangh Parivar
Sangh Parivar as an umbrella organization came into prominence only in the late 1970s and in the beginning of the 1980s. However, Hindutva as an ideology had its origin in the later part of the 19th century and the RSS, the most important constituent of the SP, had its formation by 1925. Therefore, we shall analyse the emergence of Sangh Parivar in Four Phases.
First Phase (1850-1875) Hindu Nationalism
The two important developments in this line were Naba Gopal Mitra starting an annual gathering of Hindu Mela to promote national feeling and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee raising nationalism to the dignity of religion. His Bande Matharam is called the Bible of Hindu Nationalism.
Second Phase (1875- 1905) Arya Samaj
Formation of Arya Samaj by Dayanand Saraswati on April 10, 1875 was an attempt to reform Hinduism on the basis of Vedic traditions, though it was militant and aggressive. Dayanand Saraswati was the first one to use Swaraj and Swadeshi. Through this he wanted Hindus to settle scores with Muslims and Britishers. Another important development in this line was the formation of Ramakrishna Mission. Ramakrishna and Vivekananda projected Spiritual superiority of India and of Hinduism. During this period, Theosophical Society was started by Madame Blavatsky and Col. Olcott, and later joined by Annie Besant in 1893. Besant was a great champion of Hinduism. She wrote on religious approach to Nationalism and glorified Hinduism and its past.
Third Phase (1905-1920) Militant Nationalism
This phase was marked by the role of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Aurobindo Ghose. They looked for developing Indian Nationalism relying more on Hinduism. Tilak used religious appeal and popularized the Ganesh festival and Shivaji Jayanti in Maharashtra. Tilak said that the common factor in Indian society was the feeling of Hindutva or devotion to Hinduism. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar were inspired by the extremist movement of Tilak.
V.D. Savarkar, the Maharashtrian Brahmin, of Chitpavan caste was inspired by the life and work of the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini, an Italian Fascist. He founded Abhinev Bharat modelled after Mazzini’s Young Italy. At the age of 12 he led a batch of his schoolmates to stone the village mosque and showered stones at it to retaliate the atrocities committed against the Hindus during the Hindu-Muslim riots of Bombay and Poona in 1894-95. He said, “we vandalized the mosque to our hearts content and raised the flag of our bravery on it”. It was the beginning of the shaping of Hindutva’s war-machine or rathayatra.
Savarkar is the most original exponent of ‘Hindutva’ which is more than ‘Hinduism’ or ‘Hinduness’. It concerns the whole life of Hindus.
According to Savarkar the essence of Hindutva are:
1. Rashtra (common nation)
2. Jati (common race)
3. Sanskriti (common civilisation)
During the same period, Aurobindo Ghosh associated religion with politics and national movement on a spiritual basis and it was supported by Bipin Chandra Pal.
Fourth Phase: Hindu Mahasabha
The first Hindu Sabha was formed in Punjab as a cultural body in 1907 and it took up the task of organizing All India Hindu Mahasabha. In 1915 the first session of the AIHM met under the leadership of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and Lala Lajpat Rai.
In 1920s Mahasabha directed its activities against Muslims and Muslim League. In 1925 Lala Lajpat Rai enunciatedHundu Mahasabha’s programme:
– To organize Hindu Sabhas
– To provide relief to Hindu riot victims
– To reconvert Hindus who were forcefully converted to Islam
– To organize gymnasiums for Hindu youth
– To organize seva samitis
– To popularize Hindi
– To celebrate Hindu festivals
– To promote good feelings with Muslims & Christians
– To better the condition of Hindu women
– To represent communal interests of the Hindus
– To use the temple spaces for assembling and discussing on social and religious interests