celebrates Ra ̄ma’s victory over Ra ̄van.a. Indeed, the corps’ favored deity is
Ra ̄ma, who is particularly popular amongst Hindı ̄-speakers especially since
the time of the Hindı ̄bhakta, Tulsı ̄da ̄s (1532–1623), and in Maharashtra
where Ra ̄ma became a sacred symbol of Mara ̄thı ̄ autonomy since the time
of S ́iva ̄jı ̄ and Ra ̄mda ̄s. The RSS is comprised of a cadre of dedicated “mission-
aries” (“pracharahs”), many of them celibate males. Many of them were
trained as young men in the political and martial arts in gymnasia. In
addition to Ra ̄ma, most are dedicated to Hanuman, the monkey general of
Ra ̄ma’s army, known in Maharashtra as Maruti. The movement is committed
to fostering a national consciousness and cohesion amongst Hindus and
working toward making India a Hindu polity rather than a “secular” country.
RSS “sevaks” (volunteers) have been active in trying to construct Hindu
temples on the sites where mosques have stood and were largely responsible
for the destruction of the famed Babri Mosque in Ayodhya ̄ in 1992. At the
time of the Ayodhya ̄ incident the RSS included some 35,000 local units and
about 2.5 million active members.^26
The Jan Sangh was founded as the political arm of the RSS in 1951 with
the assistance of the politically conservative B. Modhak(born 1920).^27 The
Jan Sangh has led demonstrations to Hinduize the Indian government. For
example, it was active in leading a demonstration march in 1967 seeking a
national law banning the slaughter of cows and has worked with other groups
subsequently to implement the vision of “Hindutva” – a nation representing
Hindu values.
The Vishwa Hindu Paris.ad (VHP – Hindu World Federation) was founded
in 1969 and is specially active amongst overseas Indians. The VHP believes
Sanskrit to be the oldest of languages and sana ̄ tana dharmathe oldest of
humankind’s religions. Many of its members believe Sanskrit should be
compulsory in all India’s schools; and that the slaughter of cows should
be forbidden by law. They assume all mosques and churches were originally
Hindu shrines and should be restored to their “original” state. It is similarly
assumed that Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs are really Hindus (despite the
insistence of these communities to the contrary).^28
The Shiv Sena was spawned in Maharashtra as a movement to advance
Mara ̄thı ̄ interests over those of other ethnic groups. It was named after S ́iva ̄jı ̄,
the presumed Mara ̄thı ̄ hero and founder of the Mara ̄tha ̄ empire. The Shiv
Sena early in the twentieth century was resisting migrations into Mumbai of
ethnic groups from the south who were presumably taking jobs away from
the locals. Under the leadership of Bal Thackeray, a former journalist, the
Shiv Sena became an increasingly militant movement often baiting Muslims
and other minorities and seeking to bring about a more nearly homoge-
neous Mara ̄thı ̄–Hindu culture. The group has been known to threaten
non-Hindu shopkeepers and instigate riots in various parts of Mumbai.
218 Religion in Contemporary India