OPINIONS on the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh may vary, but the evidence is clear: since its inception at Nagpur in 1925 under Keshav Baliram Hedgewar with a handful of followers, it has emerged as the organisation articulating Hindu revivalism. All along, its goal too has been clear: establishing a "vibrant Hindu nation" with the ethos of the alleged Golden Vedic Age at its core. Simultaneously, it has sought to consolidate the Hindu community from within. This long-gestation project has been worked on with a single-mindedness, with an instinctive penchant for absolutes.