Outlook Magazine - Who Is An Indian? - 21 October 2025 Issue

A century after its founding, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has transformed from a small volunteer group into a complex, multi-branched organisation. Outlook’s October 21st issue, titled ‘Who is an Indian’, offers a bird’s eye view of the RSS, testimonies of exclusion, inclusion, organisational complexities, and regional challenges. In ‘Borrowed Pride’, Anand Kshirsagar narrates his tale of Hindutva indoctrination and subsequent unlearning, while social activist Bhanwar Meghwanshi in, Being a Lesser Hindu, recounts his journey from an ardent RSS member to a critic. Christophe Jaffrelot talks about the way forward for the RSS, while Ram Madhav talks about the relevance and ideals of the organisation. In Ad Dharm, Y. S. Alone details the ideological opposition between the RSS and B. R. Ambedkar’s social egalitarianism. Saiyyad Mohammad Nizamuddin Pasha analyses RSS' public posture regarding Muslims in ‘Doublethink’, while Rakesh Sinha counters the critical narratives exploring RSS' success and endurance. A ground report on Rashtra Sevika Samiti, the parallel organisation for women, comes along with Sunila Sovani, emphasising how the organisation views female and male participation as complementary. The story of resistance in Tamil Nadu is presented by A. S. Panneerselvan, while columnists Sanjal Shastri and Deepak Kumar outline the challenges and the expansion of the RSS across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kashmir, North East, and a ground report from Maharashtra's Nandurbar district on the Adivasi quandary—the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (VKA). Harish Khare details RSS' ascent to a political wing, Raghavan Balashankar outlines RSS media outreach while a book excerpt from Dhirendra K. Jha’s book talks about Golwalkar, the RSS ideologue. Read all this and more in our power packed issue, on stands now!