India at a crossroads - 100 years of the Hindu nationalist RSS movement | DW Documentary
India’s identity is shifting, with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh reshaping the nation. As the Hindu nationalist RSS movement marks its centenary, DW explores how it’s become one of India’s most influential and controversial organizations.India is at a crossroads. Gandhi’s vision of secularism, once central to the republic’s identity, is increasingly challenged by religion-based nationalism. At the heart of this shift is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — a large network with millions of followers. The RSS presents itself as the guardian of Hindu values, while critics widely classify it as a paramilitary organization. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has deep roots in the RSS, its influence reaches to the highest levels of political power.
The documentary follows families, activists, and eyewitnesses who have been profoundly influenced by the RSS across generations, as well as those negatively impacted by its ideology. It reveals how the RSS, through discipline, rituals, and targeted youth training, is moulding a new generation for whom "Hindutva" — the idea of a Hindu nation — is becoming a lived reality. At the same time, religious minorities and interfaith couples face increasing social pressures and uncertainty.
Founded in 1925 by K. B. Hedgewar, the early ideological figures of the RSS — most notably M. S. Golwalkar — engaged with European nationalist thinking at a time when fascist regimes were gaining ground. While they did not adopt these ideologies wholesale, aspects of the organizational models employed by Mussolini and Hitler appear to have informed the movement’s structure and strategies.
As the RSS marks its 100th anniversary, its enduring and growing influence raises pressing questions: What remains of Gandhi’s vision for a pluralistic India? Where is the country heading? And who does India belong to?
Through historical insight, personal narratives, and exclusive interviews, the film traces a nation at a crossroads — between tradition and modernity, inclusion and exclusion.
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