Q: Let's start with the journey of RSS. Where does RSS find itself after 88 years of its existence in terms of achieving the objectives with which Dr Hedgewar had founded the organization?
Ram Madhav: This is a very good question. It's always important for every organization to do some kind of a stock taking exercise which we do from time to time. The RSS was founded by Dr Hedgewar with an avowed objective of uniting Hindu society which was riddled with caste differences and many other forms of divisions within. Then the idea was to unite the society, then inculcate values like patriotism, love for the culture, religion and country and encourage the people of this country especially the youngsters to take up the service of our motherland and deprived people of this country through different means.
Looking back, I can say that we are satisfied at the way the organization has progressed in last 88 years. Today you will find RSS members in various walks of social lives. You find them running schools, teaching millions of students in around 25,000 schools that they run, they are serving the tribal people. They are working in political arena. They have become PMs and CMs. I would say the organization is progressing successfully towards achieving the objectives with which Dr Hedgewar had launched the RSS in 1925.
Having said it, I should also add that we are conscious of the fact that the mission is not complete. Even to this day, we still see a lot of division in Hindu society. It is still riddled with caste differences. We still have a number of social evils. Women are not feeling safe in this country. We are conscious of different problems and our people are doing a lot of hard work to retrieve the country from this morass.
Q: As you said, one of your major objectives was to unify the Hindu society. But casteism is at its worst. For example, take the case of Ram temple. Ram temple is not being opposed by Muslims only. It is being opposed by that section of Hindu society that feels that they were persecuted in the past. So what is the RSS is doing in this area?
Ram Madhav: See, most of the opposition coming from Hindu society to issues like Ram temple is motivated by political consideration and vote bank politics. Otherwise, larger Hindu society, irrespective of caste, supports the idea that there should be a grand temple at the place Lord Rama was born. In fact, Ram temple has become a major unifying factor in this country as far as caste differences are concerned.
Q: Do you believe that caste system should be abolished from Hindu society?
Ram Madhav: RSS has always believed that the present caste system has nothing to do with ancient varna system. The present caste system under which a person is directly born into a particular caste and then you have created an artificial divisions like some castes are upper castes, some castes are lower castes, these are all artificial divisions.
We are for certain privileges to the deprived sections of our society that they get on caste identity. While they should get those privileges, we have to reach a goal where in this country we have a society that is free of caste differences. Today the caste system has outlived its utility and now it should go lock, stock and barrel. How will it go is a major challenge. Today politicians want it although they shout from roof top that they want casteless society. Will it go if you play caste politics is a big question?
So how should we overcome it? We tried a very unique model. We said let the larger identity is promoted, the larger identity of our cultural oneness. We are all one. Our culture is ancient and in that culture no inequality, no one is big or small.
One of our previous Chiefs Balasaheb Deoras himself said that this caste system has outlived its utility and it should go.
