Amid CJP led youth unrest, RSS turns to young achievers to tell its story

Hundred Years Young: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a collection of essays by 18 young achievers. Entrepreneurs, sportspersons, actors and activists describe their views of the RSS and their encounters with it. The book includes a special message from Mohan Bhagwat and a foreword by Sunil Ambekar.

Its timing is deliberate. The volume appeared around the RSS’s centenary celebrations, when the organisation was trying to connect more closely with younger Indians. Many essays argue that direct experience of the RSS differed from inherited or public perceptions, especially on minorities, Muslims and social conservatism.

The publication also comes amid youth-led protests over the NEET paper leak and electoral-roll revision. The article presents the book as part of a broader communication effort. By using young, recognisable contributors and personal stories, the RSS is seeking to make its image more authentic and accessible to a new generation.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, is presented in the article as an organised movement whose members work in what contributors describe as the national interest. It is repeatedly associated with discipline, perseverance and collective effort. The book focuses on how people encountered the organisation rather than offering a formal institutional definition.

Sunil Ambekar describes its leadership model as different from systems built around visibility or personal branding. The principle of Prasiddhi Paranmukhta means staying away from personal fame. Responsibility is placed above recognition, and leadership is described as service-oriented rather than personality-driven.

The article also shows the RSS as an organisation that engages with social questions and public debate. Ankit Bhuptani says it was receptive to discussions on LGBT rights, while Rubika Liyaquat describes changing views after personal interactions. These accounts reflect how the RSS wants its public identity understood by younger Indians.

The book brings together 18 contributors, all described as young achievers, with the wider group largely under 40. Their fields are deliberately varied. They include entrepreneurs, sportspersons, actors, activists, investors, journalists and social entrepreneurs. This mix helps the RSS speak through professional and public voices beyond its traditional organisational setting.

Named contributors include Pentonic Infotech founders Yuvraj and Yashraj Bharadwaj, investor Brinda Kotak, actors Vikrant Massey and Bhasha Sumbli, social entrepreneur Sharad Sagar, and LGBT rights activist Ankit Bhuptani. Badminton player Saina Nehwal and former India basketball captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi are also included.

The range is part of the book’s communication strategy. Contributors with direct Sangh connections appear alongside people who describe observing it from outside. Their essays focus on discipline, perseverance, social questions and personal encounters, giving the volume a deliberately broad and youth-oriented profile.

The RSS has increased its focus on young Indians because youth-led agitation has become a major source of political pressure. The article links this moment to protests over the NEET paper leak and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. These movements have kept questions about education, fairness and representation in public view.

The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, led an agitation over the NEET leak that became one of the biggest student mobilisations in recent years. It culminated in Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation in July. The CJP later returned to the streets, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Against this backdrop, the RSS is using a book, young ambassadors and direct dialogue. In August, Bhagwat interacted with around 2,000 students. The broader aim is to reduce distance from younger audiences and address perceptions of the organisation through personal contact and contemporary voices.

A central theme of the book is the gap between how contributors once imagined the RSS and what they say they experienced personally. Several writers describe an inherited perception of the organisation as socially conservative or hostile to minorities. Direct interaction, they argue, produced a more complicated picture.

Ankit Bhuptani expected difficulty when presenting LGBT rights arguments to the RSS. He says he was pleasantly surprised by its receptiveness, including to his view that sexual minorities belonged to India’s ancient culture and society. Rubika Liyaquat similarly writes that, as a Muslim, she initially viewed the RSS with apprehension.

Her fear receded after she invited Sangh representatives onto her prime-time television shows and interacted with them. Other contributors highlight discipline, perseverance and organisation. Together, these accounts are designed to show that personal contact can challenge assumptions and create a more favourable understanding of the RSS.

The RSS wants young ambassadors and personal stories to narrow what it sees as a gulf between public perceptions and direct experience. The book argues that the organisation is often misunderstood, particularly on Muslims, minorities and social conservatism. Personal testimony gives that argument a human and accessible form.

The examples are specific. Ankit Bhuptani describes a receptive discussion on LGBT rights, while Rubika Liyaquat says repeated television interactions reduced her fear of the RSS. Bhagwat’s meeting with around 2,000 students adds direct engagement to the written outreach. These methods rely on contact, testimony and dialogue rather than only formal messaging.

The intended consequence is greater credibility among younger Indians and a stronger connection with a generation active in public protest. The article does not report a measured outcome. It shows an ongoing centenary-year effort to influence perceptions, attract youth and present the Sangh as disciplined and service-oriented.

Youth protests make an organisation confront the issues that matter to a new generation. In this case, the article links student mobilisation to the NEET paper leak and electoral-roll revision. Such pressure can create an opening for organisations to listen, explain their positions and show whether their values match their conduct.

Personal narratives provide concrete evidence of that interaction. Bhuptani’s account of discussing LGBT rights and Liyaquat’s account of moving beyond apprehension illustrate how direct contact can challenge inherited perceptions. Ambekar’s description of service-oriented leadership adds another mechanism: people are encouraged to work for a larger cause rather than seek personal recognition.

Together, protest, dialogue and service can help build legitimacy when they produce credible relationships. The article presents these as the RSS’s current tools for attracting young people. It does not establish that they have already achieved broad acceptance, but it shows a deliberate effort to earn trust through contact and example.