Spread of Saffron

Author: Ruben Banerjee
Publication: India Today
Date: January 27, 2003

Introduction: Beyond the public gaze, Sangh Parivar outfits in the state are making political hay

The contrasting receptions rolled out for Pravin Togadia within a span of few months narrate the story. In his earlier trips to Orissa, the international secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had evoked little or no fervour. His whirlwind visit last fortnight, though, was markedly different. Near hysteria broke out and Togadia was treated like a VVIP. As supporters of Hindutva followed him deliriously, so did a star-struck media.

The hype was not entirely misplaced. Fresh from the BJP's landslide victory in Gujarat, Togadia has grown in stature and captured the public imagination. But more importantly, the Hindutva wave that had been creeping up across Orissa, discovered in Togadia's visit a cause to celebrate its new-found confidence.

"Hindutva has arrived," Togadia grandly proclaimed, visibly gladdened by the adulation he received. But then, Orissa's Hindutva brigade had not exactly been waiting for such a high-profile certificate. Far beyond the public glare and silently driven by a committed workforce, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its associates already have sizeable tracts of Orissa under their spell.

Their success has certainly left the critics of Hindutva shaken. "Orissa is Hindutva's next laboratory," warns CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan. From the Congress to the communists, the Sangh Parivar's progress in Orissa has come under the scanner and high-decibel protests have been made in its condemnation. But all in vain.

"The Parivar is well-established in Orissa and we are now unstoppable," claims Dharmendra Pradhan, a young Orissa legislator who is also the national secretary of the BJP. "Orissa is much more than a Hindutva laboratory," explains Rabi Das, editor of the Oriya daily Paryabekshyak. "The state is also a showcase of the Sangh Parivar's secretive strengths and structures." On the surface, the BJP has been making rapid strides in the state, increasing its presence in the Assembly from a single seat in 1985 to 41 now. What has eluded notice is the growth of organisations like the RSS and VHP, and the ever-widening influence of the Parivar. As the Parivar expands and its cadres notch up goodwill on the ground through social work, the BJP undoubtedly stands to gain.

"Which political party benefits does not bother us," insists Gopal Mohapatra, joint secretary of the RSS in Orissa. "Our sole concern is the social emancipation of Bharatiya society." The Parivar already has an elaborate empire in place in the state to realise its goal. The RSS is at the top of the pyramid with over 2,500 shakhas and a lakh swayamsevaks dedicated to the cause of "building human character". Below it are no less than 30 big and small organisations, the most noteworthy of them being the VHP, BJP, ABVP, BMS, the Banabasi Kalyan Ashram, the Utkal Bipannya Sahayata Samiti and the Hindu Jagran Samukhya. Some of the bodies even have sub-organisations: the VHP itself has 30, giving it unparalleled reach. Much to the BJP's delight, the Parivar is probably reaching out to a million people every day.

"Several factors have worked in the Parivar's favour in Orissa," says Rita Ray, a sociologist with the Utkal University. One is that Christian missionaries have been active in the state's backyards, helping the RSS trigger a backlash among people. Also important has been the near absence of casteism that has allowed the Hindu community to be more cohesive and easier to address.

The Parivar has had most success in taking rural Orissa under its sweep. A whole range of organisations have been nurtured. Some like the Seva Dhanyantari Shasthya Pratisthan do social work by running hospitals, while others like the 1,940 Satsang Kendras-where Hindu scriptures are read-seek to rekindle religious sentiments. The Shishu Mandir schools run by the Parivar fill a social need and groom talent. Last year, four out of the top 10 students in the state-level high-school certificate examination were from these institutions.

But it isn't the students alone who are faring well. The results have been startling for the Parivar too. "We have been growing at a very rapid pace over the past few years," admits Sudhangshu Mohan Patnaik, organising secretary of the state VHP. In about three years time, the RSS has increased its members from 70,000 to one lakh. The Bajrang Dal has extended its number of akharas from 50 to 200 while the VHP's strength has gone up from 22,000 to 60,000 members in the same period.

The BJP, expectedly, hopes to ride on all this goodwill later. Its ministers in the state cabinet may be seen to be dishonest and corrupt-many party leaders are also known to be opportunists-but the Parivar's army of pracharaks and volunteers ensures that the party retains a clean image in the public mind. There is a perception that sooner or later, the BJP will edge out the BJD and take up the anti-Congress space in Orissa. As and when that happens, the credit for the achievement should go to the Parivar's silent army. After all, it is the secret behind Hindutva's long, successful march.

FAR AND WIDE: THE REACH OF THE PARIVAR IN ORISSA

RSS: At the pop, it has 2,500 shakhas, 167 full-time pracharaks and one lakh swayamsevaks

Some of the 30 organisations under the RSS
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VHP:
Strength: 60,000
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Banabasi Kalyan Ashram:
Its 1,534 projects include schools in 21 tribal districts
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ABVP:
Has a presence in 299 colleges; strength 20,000
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Sikh Bikash Parishad
Runs 391 Shishu Mandir schools; Student strength: 1.11 lakh
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Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh
Has 171 trade unions; Number of members 1.82 lakh
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BJP
4.5 lakh members
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Bharatiya Kisan Sangh
Present in 100 blocks; 30,000 members
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Utkal Bipannya Sahayata Samiti
Works throughout Orissa for disaster mitigation Runs medical facilities in 32 villages.
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Rashtriya Sevika Samiti
Women’s counterpart of the RSS, is active in 80 places.
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Sub-organisations
There are 30 organisations under the VHP in Orissa
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Ekak Vidyalaya
Runs 730 schools in 10 districts
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Harikatha Yojana
Active in 780 places
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Dhanyantari Shasthya Seva
Runs four hospitals and six mobile centers, each visiting 10 villages daily.
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Yasodha Sadan
Runs three orphanages.
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Bajrang Dal
Runs 200 akharas; Members 20,000.
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Satsang Kendras
In 1,940 places.
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Dharma Prasar Bibhag
Reconverted 5,000 people to Hinduism last year.
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Durga Vahini
Has 7,000 centres in 117 places also runs 33 Bal Vikash Kendras
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