Part 2 of the series explains how the RSS in Andhra imparts its core ideology of 'Hindutva' to generations of young men and women.
RSS and Vidya Bharati schools. (South First)
The first-part of the series explains how the RSS in Andhra Pradesh ‘recruits’ swayamsevaks, its structure, and plans for the upcoming elections. Click here to read.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its political unit, BJP, have something similar to benefit from their affiliated unit — the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan.
Its vast network of schools imparts values and core ideologies of ‘Hindutva’ to generations of young men and women, influencing them to carry these ideals forward in their lives, which is significant for both the RSS and the BJP, as explained in this two-part series.
A key functionary of the RSS explains the concept of working in the education field to shape the generations that will define the country’s future towards a Hindu Rashtra by instilling the seed of ‘Hindu’ culture in children.
Recalling from Part-1, he referred to an adage: “Mokkai vanganidi maanai vanguna?” A close Telugu translation is: “If it does not bend when a sapling, would it when a tree?”
The first such seed was planted in Kurukshetra, named Gita School, in 1946 by Golwalkar. However, the ban on the RSS after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse in 1948 put an end to Golwalkar’s Gita Schools.
It was in 1952, in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, that a school named Saraswati Shishu Mandir, reportedly founded by Bharat Ratna Nanaji Deskmukh, laid the foundation stone for what is today a network spanning all over India, reaching as far south as Andhra Pradesh.
Conflicts over religion in schools are hardly new in India. Religion permeates India’s education system through Article 28(2), which allows “any endowment or trust that requires religious instruction to be imparted in such institutions”. Religious instructions are prohibited only in state-owned schools.
Just like schools funded by some Christian missionaries and Muslim trusts, etc, which imbibe their religious ideology respectively to their members, the RSS, under its Sarsanghachalak (supreme chief) Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, has been credited with expanding the organisation through various wings that function across all aspects of human life, including the establishment of Hindutva schools in the education sector.
Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan is one such affiliated NGO of RSS that operates in the education field and promotes the ‘Hindutva’ ideology. Here is what Golwalkar said in his last speech on RSS modus operandi in several streams:
“Our brothers are working in different spheres of national life, such as students, labor, politics, etc. They work in those spheres in accordance with its constitution, rules, and its modus operandi, which are, however, distinct from ours. Nevertheless, the Swayamsevaks will have to work in those fields with the basic conviction of Hindu Rashtra which they have imbibed in the Sangh and try to influence and permeate those fields also with that life-giving thought.”
Thus, the idea of ‘Hindutva’ ideology in schools dates back to 1952, and the national body Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan was eventually established in 1977. Today, as many as 12,754 such schools are running nationwide, providing education to 3,292,896 students.
Vidya Bharathi High School, BHEL, Hyderabad. (Supplied)
In Andhra Pradesh, there are 161 schools across the state with 36,700 students. Seven registered bodies operate under it in Andhra Pradesh, such as Sri Saraswathi Vidya Peetam, aka Sishu Mandirs, Andhra Kesari Vidya Kendram, Bharatiya Vidya Kendra, Vijnana Vihara, and Hari Hara educational societies. These are non-profit models with fees ranging from 20,000-35,000, as claimed by the Vidya Bharath unit in Andhra Pradesh.
“The RSS intends to spread its Hindutva ideology through the field of education as it helps the generation to imbibe Hindu culture and values for their lifetime. The entire process is called ‘Vyakti Nirman’ (personality development), and we know that change doesn’t happen in one or two years. RSS only plans for the long-term, so eventually, through their entire schooling, Vyakti Nirman will happen,” a key functionary from the Andhra’s Vidya Bharati unit, who is also a Pracharak of the RSS, tells South First. He was deputed to oversee its schools in the state.
From the interpretation of the key functionary, what follows when the student becomes an adult is the priority of the ‘Hindu’ nation first.
The curriculum for these schools is the same across the country, with slight changes per the state’s requirements made by a 29-member Central Executive Committee led by patron Brahmadeo Sharma.
While some schools operating in Andhra Pradesh follow the CBSE curriculum, others operate under the state syllabus in English medium, which was introduced in 2016 due to high demand from parents.
A text book with the aim of Vidya Bharathi schools. (South First)
These schools operate differently from what we often see in private or government-owned schools. However, during a visit to one such school in Ayodhya Nagar, Vijayawada, South First did not come across any negative propaganda against any religion; nor was there any mention of secularism.
Everything is related to one ideology — Hindutva — from the morning prayers to the preference for a “second” language, interactive sessions, and extracurricular activities.
During South First’s ground visit, it accessed the textbook from the school in Ayodhya Nagar in Vijayawada, where the aim of the Sansthan is articulated.
It states, “The aim is to develop a National System of Education which would help build a generation of young men and women committed to Hindutva with patriotic fervour. Fully developed physically, vitally, mentally, intellectually, spiritually and capable of facing the challenges of modern life situations successfully.”
The term ‘Hindutva’ aims to foster a generation committed to it. It’s essential to underline the difference between the terms Hinduism and Hindutva, as several definitions have been at play in debates since the inception of the BJP in the 1980s.
According to a publication by the Association for Asian Studies titled ‘The Difference Between Hinduism and Hindutva’ by Arvind Sharma, Hinduism is a religion (however defined), while Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, is a political ideology.
The paper states, “The relationship between Hindu nationalism and the religion of Hinduism could be considered analogous to the relationship between Christianity and Christian fundamentalism or Islam and Islamic fundamentalism.”
The curriculum from LKG to the Class 10 is designed in line with Hindutva ideology by the central committee. They design extracurricular activities and incorporate many stories reflecting Hindutva ideology. This is taught in parallel with the core subjects as the state government education board guidelines instruct.
One such subject is called ‘Sadachar’ in Sanskrit language, where stories of the Hindu kingdoms of Chandragupta Maurya and Chhatrapati Shivaji and tales from ancient texts such as Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and Mahabharatham are crafted and taught. There is a mandatory exam for this subject.
They also have extracurricular activities such as yoga, music, ethics, and physical education. The vice-principal of a Vidya Bharati school in Vijayawada, also a pracharak of the RSS, claims that all activities that align with and promote the Hindu culture and tradition are taught.
He confirms that Sanskrit is the only second language subject, which is mandatory. This is against the guidelines of the state education department, which includes optional preferences among languages such as Telugu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Arabic, French, Tamil, Kannada, Oriya, and Marathi; but with no options provided, Sanskrit is the only choice for students at the school.
According to the state functionary of the Vidya Bharati schools, “It is the language of the Gods and our ancestors, and it has to be taught to the children in order to enrich and preserve it.” He states that the efforts will not go in vain, as Sanskrit as the national language will be realised one day.
His statements are in line with RSS’s former chief, the late Golwalkar, who stated, “As a solution to the problem of ‘lingua franca’, till the time Sanskrit takes that place, we shall have to give priority to Hindi on the score of convenience.”
It was around 9 in the morning when the approximately 200 school children in Ayodhya Nagar of Vijayawada, affiliated with Vidya Bharati, gathered for the prayer called ‘Saraswati Vandanam’.
The caretakers placed carpets on the ground. They adorned portraits of Saraswati, the Aum, and Bharatha Mata with flowers.
Microphones were set up, and drums and other musical instruments were arranged. As the children slowly settled into their places, the vice principal joined. A girl took the mic and began counting “ek, do, teen,” moving her chin along with her head up and down and straight, similar to the RSS swayamsevaks’ salutation to the Bhagwa Dhwaja (saffron flag) in the shakhas.
A Vidya Bharathi school in Ayodhya Nagar, Vijayawada. (South First)
Later, they started with the Saraswati mantra in Sanskrit. Surprisingly, all were in sync from third to tenth grade, with a few sixth-grade students playing instruments parallel to their classmates’ recitals.
The prayer continued for 15 minutes with various other shlokas and ended with yoga and recitals, after which everyone dispersed. There was no reference to India’s national anthem or national song.
The vice principal mentioned that a prayer book is taught in class to ensure everyone is on the same page. They also have similar short prayers before lunch and at the end of the school day.
When asked their opinion on the school being more driven by religion, two parents waiting outside to drop off their kids vehemently replied, “What is wrong with this? It is India, and Hindu values are taught. It’s more about our culture, which is being taught along with other subjects, which is indeed required worldwide. When there were schools of other religions, why didn’t you have an issue?”
An alumnus now working in the government sector, on condition of anonymity, echoed the same sentiment.
Not just prayers, the schools also celebrate ‘Akhand Bharat Diwas’ on 14 August to invigorate the dream of a united India from the pre-Independence era. A school functionary explains that this is done to inform the new generation that ‘Akhand Bharat’ or undivided India, is still not entirely free, as some parts of it remain under different names and rules, referring to Pakistan and its occupied territory of Kashmir.
According to the functionary of Andhra’s Vidya Bharthi, not a single rupee was spent on advertising, yet the schools were successful. It holds the Guinness World Record for gathering over 15,000 alumni, 2,000 teachers, and 500 other VIPs in 2020 in Hyderabad.
“This illustrates the footprint of the alumni network in the Telugu states and how far it has advanced in enrolling students, rivalling competitive private schools, without spending a single rupee on advertisements,” he added.
When asked how it directly benefits the RSS or BJP, he replied that they don’t force anyone to join the RSS or BJP. He stated, “Our core agenda is Vyakti Nirman, and wherever the students pursue their lives, they retain the Hindutva ideology taught to them until the end of their lives.”
He proudly cited several alumni, including Telugu film director Prasanth Varma, who recently directed a Hanuman film, Bandi Sanjay, a Telangana BJP MP, and many lawyers, doctors, and engineers. “This reflects our success; everyone doesn’t need to work in the RSS or BJP,” he remarked.
“With ideologies aligning closely with the BJP on the political front, many alumni support it. We don’t ask them; they do it voluntarily,” this statement of his sheds light on how instilling a religious ideology through schooling could benefit a political entity like the BJP electorally.
A shakha in Vidya Bharathi’s school ground. (South First)
As reported in Part 1, most of the shakhas (one-hour RSS activity) are conducted in schools, colleges, temple grounds, or Vidya Bharathi schools. With some faculty members reportedly from an RSS background and the management being affiliated with the RSS, there was a free hand for the shakhas to be held on the Vidya Bharathi school grounds.
The South First has observed that several children, ranging from class three to ninth grade in the same school, are even joining the Shakhas after completing their schooling. Five children, from third to ninth grade, have returned to the school grounds after completing their classes.
They all waited on the grounds for the shakha, which commenced around 6:30 in the evening when a white-haired old man arrived. The children are interested in patriotic and religious historical stories and games.
The shakha was conducted by two old men who are pracharaks and have dedicated their lives to the RSS. When asked the children if their family members knew this, everyone answered ‘yes’ and later left for Republic Day decorations, running to the caretakers for assistance.
Another child said that his maternal uncle made him join to imbibe discipline.
Through the Hindutva ideology and Vyakti Nirman, both the RSS and BJP have an advantage as they operate on the same ideology, a former Mukhya Shikshak (key trainer) turned atheist told South First.
This is what the RSS functionary confidently referred to in Part 1: “Just like we created a wave recently in the Northeastern states, especially Assam, in favour of BJP — which are Christian- and tribe-dominated — we will bring about a change in the caste-dominated Andhra Pradesh as well.”
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