#Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
Love how yall are going around calling us ‘sanghis’ and I didn’t get that it was a slur until the 50th post. Most of us are pretty well meaning you know? And most of us are just here for helping out in shelters, distributing food on diwali to the poor places in town, helping members in need, making good connections, etc.
We just wanna make the world a better place 🥲. Pretty sure half the kids on this site haven’t even heard of RSS, which is where I’m positive the slur originated from. Lol you children realise most of the organization is just people who like to meet up and help others and each other.
Also, yes, I’m a sanghi. I still don’t get why it’s a slur though.
#rss#rashtriya swayamsevak sangh#sangha#sanghi#rambles#desiblr#desi#indian#hindublr#hinduism#sanatandharma
13 notes
·
View notes
Text
RSS; आज के दिन 99 साल पहले हुई थी राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ की स्थापना, जानें संविधान और कौन कौन बने सरसंघचालक
#RSS #FoundationDay RSS; आज के दिन 99 साल पहले हुई थी राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ की स्थापना, जानें संविधान और कौन कौन बने सरसंघचालक
RSS Foundation Day: राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ (RSS) आज 99 साल का हो गया. आज से करीब 99 साल पहले आज ही के दिन पांच स्वयंसेवकों के साथ डॉ. बलराम कृष्ण हेडगेवार ने इसकी शुरुआत की थी. आज संघ के लाखों स्वयंसेवक हैं. संघ के मुताबिक ब्रिटेन, अमेरिका, फिनलैंड, मॉरीशस समेत 39 देशों में भी है. विदेशो में संघ की श���खाओं में ड्रेस कोड भी अलग होता है. RSS का मुख्य उद्देश्य हिंदू समाज का संगठन, चरित्र निर्माण,…
0 notes
Text
Derailed Sarkaar: Unaccountability At Its Peak!
Derailed Sarkaar: Unaccountability At Its Peak!
#art_of_resistance_against_autocracy Down_With_Religious_Extremism#Bharatiya_Janata_Party#dissent_against_saffron_fascism#Down_With_BJP#Down_With_Religious_extremism#Down_With_Saffron_Fascism#Resign_Modi#restore_freedom_of_speech_and_expression#RSS#Save_Democracy_India#Save_Indian_Constitution#Save_Indian_Legal_System#Vishva_Hindu_Parishad_VHP#Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
0 notes
Text
RSS Organizes Guruvandan Program on Guru Purnima in Adityapur
Volunteers gathered at Adityapur Shiv Kali Mandir for a Guruvandan program to honor their gurus on Guru Purnima. On the occasion of Guru Purnima, the Adityapur Shiv Kali Mandir branch of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organized a Guruvandan program to honor gurus. JAMSHEDPUR �� The Adityapur Shiv Kali Mandir branch of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organized a Guruvandan program on…
#Adityapur Shiv Kali Mandir#जनजीवन#Desh Vandana#Guru Dakshina#Guru purnima#Guruvandan Program#Jamshedpur#Life#lr#Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh#Religious Celebration#RSS#Volunteer Gathering
0 notes
Text
Narendra Modi: Everything About The PM Of India
Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India, is a leader who has left an indelible mark on the nation's political, economic, and social landscape. Known for his dynamic leadership, visionary policies, and charismatic personality, Modi has transformed India in numerous ways. This comprehensive blog delves into everything about Narendra Modi, offering insights into his early life, political journey, significant achievements, and influence on India and the world.
Early Life and Background
Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar, a small town in northern Gujarat, India. Coming from a humble background, Modi's early life was marked by hardship and determination. He helped his father sell tea at the local railway station, an experience that shaped his understanding of grassroots issues and the common man's struggles.
Education and Early Interests
As per the UK Newspapers News Modi completed his schooling in Vadnagar and later pursued a degree in political science, earning an M.A. from Gujarat University in Ahmedabad. His early interest in serving the nation led him to join the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization, in the early 1970s. Modi set up a unit of the RSS’s students’ wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, in his area, where he honed his leadership skills and ideological beliefs.
Political Journey
Modi's political journey began with his active involvement in the RSS, which eventually led to his association with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1987. Within a year, he was made the general secretary of the Gujarat branch of the party. Modi played a pivotal role in strengthening the party’s presence in the state, contributing to the BJP's success in the 1995 state legislative assembly elections and the formation of the first-ever BJP-controlled government in India.
Chief Minister of Gujarat
In 2001, Narendra Modi was appointed the Chief Minister of Gujarat, following the poor response of the incumbent government to the Bhuj earthquake. He entered his first-ever electoral contest in a February 2002 by-election, winning a seat in the Gujarat state assembly.
Modi’s tenure as chief minister was marked by both achievements and controversies. His role during the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat drew international criticism, with allegations of condoning the violence or failing to act decisively to stop it. Despite these controversies, Modi’s political career in Gujarat was marked by repeated electoral successes in 2002, 2007, and 2012, establishing him as a formidable leader within the BJP.
Rise to National Leadership
Modi's success in Gujarat laid the foundation for his rise to national prominence. In June 2013, Modi was chosen as the leader of the BJP’s campaign for the 2014 elections to the Lok Sabha. His campaign focused on development, good governance, and anti-corruption, resonating with millions of Indians. In the 2014 elections, he led the BJP to a historic victory, securing a clear majority of seats in the Lok Sabha.
First Term as Prime Minister (2014-2019)
Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 26, 2014. His first term was marked by several significant initiatives and reforms aimed at transforming India:
Goods and Services Tax (GST): Launched in 2017, GST is one of the most significant tax reforms in India's history, simplifying the indirect tax structure.
Demonetization: In 2016, Modi announced the demonetization of high-value currency notes to curb black money and counterfeit currency.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Launched in 2014, this nationwide cleanliness campaign aimed to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management.
Digital India: An ambitious program to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Make in India: Aimed at making India a global manufacturing hub, this initiative encourages companies to manufacture their products in India.
Modi's foreign policy achievements included hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping and making a highly successful visit to New York City, where he met with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Second Term as Prime Minister (2019-2024)
The Modi-led BJP won a majority again in the 2019 general election. His second term saw continued efforts to promote Hindu culture and implement economic reforms:
Revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's Special Status: In October 2019, Modi's government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing it under the direct control of the union government.
COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Modi took decisive action to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, implementing strict nationwide restrictions and promoting vaccine development and distribution.
Despite facing protests and criticism for some policies, such as agricultural reforms, Modi's leadership remained influential. The BJP faced setbacks in state elections in late 2018, but Modi's charisma and a security crisis in Jammu and Kashmir boosted his image ahead of the 2019 elections.
Third Term as Prime Minister (2024-Present)
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 240 seats, and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 293 of the 543 seats, allowing Modi to become Prime Minister for a third consecutive term. Although the BJP did not secure a majority on its own, the NDA's coalition support ensured their continued governance.
Personal Life and Public Image
Narendra Modi is known for his disciplined lifestyle, early morning yoga sessions, and simple living. Despite his high-profile status, he remains deeply connected to his roots and continues to draw inspiration from his early life experiences.
Communication and Public Engagement
Modi's communication skills are unparalleled, often using social media and public addresses to connect with citizens. His monthly radio program, "Mann Ki Baat," has become a popular platform for sharing his thoughts and initiatives with the nation.
Conclusion
Narendra Modi's journey from a small-town boy to the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy is a testament to his resilience, dedication, and visionary leadership. His impact on India's socio-economic fabric, governance, and international relations is profound and continues to shape the country's future.
Whether admired or criticized, Narendra Modi's influence on India and the global stage is undeniable. His story is not just about a political leader but also about the transformative power of determination and leadership.
Stay tuned to our blog for more updates and in-depth analyses of Narendra Modi's policies, initiatives, and their impact on India and the world.
#Narendra Modi#Prime Minister of India#BJP#Bharatiya Janata Party#Indian politics#Gujarat#Chief Minister#Lok Sabha#2014 elections#2019 elections#2024 elections#RSS#Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh#Gujarat Model#economic reforms#GST#Goods and Services Tax#demonetization#Swachh Bharat Abhiyan#Digital India#Make in India#foreign policy#Jammu and Kashmir#COVID-19 response#Narendra Modi achievements#Modi government#Indian economy#Modi's early life#political career#Hindu nationalism
0 notes
Text
As a girl in a pro-RSS family, I asure you all I hear this bullshit like eight times a week.
While I agree with some of the things they say in shakha, when it comes to shit like this my ties to the organization and my family really start to strain.
It’s shit like “LGBT doesn’t really exist and it’s a phase and unnatural” and “Country above all else” and even “You have to marry a good hindu boy and have kids because it is the cosmic law” that makes me want to puke. They say this stuff to my sister. She is barely fucking ELEVEN. As a fellow lesbian and dutiful elder sister, this makes me really uncomfortable.
Sure, not all the stuff they say and do is bad but its things like this that really get on my fucking nerves. Not all people who are in RSS are like this and they mean well but some of them think that they only are right and the rest of the world is stupid and never listen to what we have to say.
I hope our generation is better than this. I pray that such shit doesn’t come up in the future. However, I can only hope.
My eyes are bleeding.
#desi lgbt#rss#rashtriya swayamsevak sangh#homophobia#news#grooming#look at this#misinformation#desiblr
182 notes
·
View notes
Text
MP CM OATH : पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी और गृहमंत्री अमित शाह की मौजूदगी में मध्य प्रदेश के नए मुख्यमंत्री मोहन यादव ने ली पद और गोपनीयता की शपथ
MADHYAPRADESH: सोमवार को मुख्यमंत्री नामित होने के बाद यादव ने राज्यपाल मंगूभाई पटेल से मुलाकात की और अगली सरकार बनाने का दावा पेश किया। जिसके बाद बुधवार को प्रदेश के नए मुख्यमंत्री के रूप में मोहन यादव ने पद और गोपनीयता की शपथ ली। लाल परेड ग्राउंड में राज्यपाल मंगुभाई पटेल ने शपथ दिलाई। मोहन यादव को राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ (आरएसएस) का करीबी माना जाता है और उन्हें शीर्ष पद के दावेदार के रूप में…
View On WordPress
#Breaking News#Chief Minister Madhya Pradesh#CM Mohan Yadav#Exclusive News#Governor Mangubhai Patel#Home Minister Amit Shah#Lal Parade Ground#local headlines today#Mohan Yadav oath#National Breaking News#OBC community#PM Narendra Modi#Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh#RSS#Shivraj Singh Chauhan#Today News#Todays Big News
0 notes
Text
0 notes
Text
Before her surgery, Rohini uploaded a photo of her and her father, Lalu Yadav, with the caption, "Ready to rock and roll." She also asked her supporters to send her luck. Lalu Yadav was diagnosed with kidney-related problems, and doctors advised a kidney transplant. Rohini Acharya had previously stated that she would be donating one of her kidneys to her father. She also referred to herself as a "destiny child." The second child of a seasoned politician, Rohini, said she adores and would sacrifice anything for her parents.
Read More: https://unpluggedtv.in/rjd-leader-lalu-prasad-yadav-undergoes-kidney-transplant-in-singapore/
#LaluPrasadYadav Lalu Prasad Yadav RJD Rashtriya Janta Dal Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Rashtriya Janta Dal - RJD Siwan#Bihar Rashtriya janta dal mission 2020 ( RJD - राजद ) राष्ट्रीय जनता दल
0 notes
Text
i think it's important to remember that martin heidegger was appointed to the position of rector at freiburg university in 1933, he joined the nazi party soon after. and even after the fall of the third reich, a whole host of intellectuals fell over themselves, and each other, to rehabilitate him. if you're still unsure about the close relations between the university and nazism, you can take a gander at heidegger's speech on the commencement of his rectorship.
but that example is about an individual philosopher, and one that i despise. for a contemporary example, you can look at the akhil bharatiya vidyarthi parishad (abvp), the student wing of the rashtriya swayamsevak sangh (rss), which is generally considered the largest student organisation in india. needless to say, they have cadres in every discipline, because it would be absolutely impossible to grow quite so massive without student participation across disciplines.
51 notes
·
View notes
Text
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ram temple in Ayodhya in the key northern state of Uttar Pradesh in January in hopes it would earn him a massive victory in the national election that concluded in June. That didn’t happen—at least not to the extent that Modi, his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and their ideological fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) expected.
In what has widely been described as a shock result, the BJP won merely 240 seats in the 543-seat parliament, after setting a target of 400 seats. Modi has formed a government but only with support from other parties.
Like any election result, the outcome had multiple causes that will take time to fully sort out. But one thing is already clear: Modi failed in his long-running bid to homogenize India’s Hindus across castes and cultures and consolidate their vote for his political benefit.
In 2014, Modi came to power on the back of religious nationalism and security issues, and he continued that trend in 2019. This year, in the absence of any urgent security threat from regional rival Pakistan and rising concerns over unemployment, inflation, and authoritarianism, Modi banked on the RSS’s homogenization strategy.
The Ram temple was built on a site long disputed with Muslims, where a 16th-century mosque stood until December 1992, when a group of Hindu nationalists razed it to the ground allegedly on the BJP’s provocation. Experts said the BJP had envisaged the temple would instill pride in Hindus, feed their Muslim animosity, and bring them under the Hindu umbrella to choose Modi.
Even though, by and large, the Hindu community seemed to have been pleased with the inauguration of the temple, that didn’t translate into votes for Modi across the Hindu hierarchy. Instead, the results exposed the weaknesses of the homogenization exercise.
Hartosh Singh Bal, an Indian journalist and the executive editor of the Caravan, said there is “diversity in Hinduism” and the election results prove that it can’t be “papered over by directing attention and hatred outwards” toward Muslims. This election proves that “Hindus are not a monolith” and that “various segments of Hinduism have a successful chance of taking on the BJP,” he added in reference to tactical voting by lower castes in Uttar Pradesh against the BJP.
Karthick Ram Manoharan, a political scientist at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, said that in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India with the second-biggest economy in the country, the BJP did not win a single seat out of a total of 39.
“Hindus are the absolute majority in Tamil Nadu, but they still mostly vote for the secular Dravidian parties,” Manoharan said in reference to local parties that have emerged out of social movements opposed to an upper-caste Hindu order that the BJP and RSS have been long accused of nurturing and propagating.
In March, just a month before voting began, I witnessed saffron-colored flags expressing support for Modi’s party jutting out from rooftops and windows in tightly packed homes in western Uttar Pradesh. Some people I spoke to said that BJP workers had decided to adorn the neighborhoods as they pleased, but underneath the flag-waving, a large-scale discontent was brewing over a lack of employment opportunities.
The upper-caste youth seemed confused, if not yet disenchanted, with Modi and in the absence of industry and strong local economies once again mourned the loss of government jobs to affirmative action. (The Indian Constitution reserves almost half of all state jobs for people from lower castes and others who confront a generational disadvantage and historical discrimination.)
Meanwhile, Dalits, who sit at the bottom of India’s Hindu hierarchy, in hamlets nearby who depend on the quota for their dignity and livelihood were quietly recalibrating their options. The mood was starkly different from 2014 and 2019 when I visited some of the Dalit-dominated parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh. Back then, Dalits I met were upbeat and decisively pro-Modi. They said they supported him since they believed that he might raise their stature in the Hindu hierarchy.
But 10 years later, they suspected the BJP was plotting to weaken the constitution, the only assurance of rights for marginalized communities in a country where upper-caste Hindus continue to hold social capital and economic power.
Recent comments by BJP leaders that if Modi won 400 seats, he would change the constitution spread anxiety among lower castes that the party intended to scrap the reservation system. The BJP repeatedly denied this, but the suspicion that it is first a party for upper-caste Hindus is deep-rooted among lower castes, and experts believe the comments were part of the BJP’s political strategy.
“They were testing the waters to see what would be the reaction,” said Sushil Kumar Pandey, an assistant professor of history at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow and the author of Caste and Politics in Democracy.
“The opposition picked it up and campaigned on it, telling people a change in the constitution could mean losing your livelihood, your jobs,” Pandey added. “That worked at a time [when] people were also scared of privatization” and in government-run sectors.
For Dalits, it was about more than jobs. The Indian Constitution is nearly worshipped by the community and celebrated en masse on the birth anniversary of the Indian intellectual who wrote it. B.R. Ambedkar was no fan of Ram and advocated against the caste discrimination inherent in Hinduism all his life, even converting to Buddhism when he felt there was no escaping caste-based prejudice. While he couldn’t annihilate the caste system, he ensured that the constitution offered lower castes a quota in government jobs to gradually uplift them.
In his honor, and as an ode to the progressive document, Dalits sing songs in praise of the constitution and hail it as the upholder of their dignity in a society where they continue to be belittled. Any change to the text was unacceptable. “Their cultural identity is linked to this book,” said Ravish Kumar, a journalist and the host of a popular YouTube news show.
In the south, too, there was a fear of culturally being subsumed by a Hindi-speaking upper-caste elite. Indian federal units, or states, were defined in the 1950s on the basis of language, and to this day south Indians identify themselves on the basis of the language they speak. The Ram temple had no resonance in the southern states, particularly in electorally significant Tamil Nadu, with the highest number of seats regionally. Tamils were wary that the RSS’s homogenization agenda would drown out their cultural ethos and impose a secondary status on the Tamil language.
Manoharan, the political scientist, said that in Tamil Nadu, it was “not so much religious but fear of cultural homogeneity” and “a language policy which will give importance to Hindi speakers over Tamil speakers and upper-caste Tamils over other backward castes.”
In a state where “88 percent people come from so-called lower castes” and “69 percent have jobs under affirmative action through a special act,” people were also extremely worried that the BJP may “water down” the employment quota promised in the constitution, Manoharan added.
The southern Indian states have a longer history of resistance to upper-caste domination, a higher literacy rate, better economies, and a tradition of secular politics. While the BJP maintained its tally of 29 seats from the last election, it is being seen as a poor result considering the inroads the RSS has made in the south.
For instance, in the southwestern state of Kerala, the RSS has more than 5,000 shakhas, or branches, second in number only to Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state—yet “despite the fact that the RSS has thousands of training grounds in Kerala, they are unable to get influence,” said K.M. Sajad Ibrahim, a professor of political science at University of Kerala. “That’s because while religion is important, communal harmony is more important to people here. BJP tries to create tensions, and that doesn’t work here.”
The BJP managed to gain one seat for the first time in Kerala, but that isn’t being attributed to its ideological success or expansion of homogenization project but to the winning candidate’s personal appeal. Suresh Gopi, the winning candidate, is a popular movie star.
In many states in the Hindi belt and even in the south, the BJP did well. The upper castes and urban voters are standing firmly behind Modi. Kumar, the journalist, said it would be foolhardy to dismiss Modi—and the bigger Hindutva, or Hindu nationalist, forces backing him—just yet. He said Hindutva hasn’t lost and only faced a setback. “The BJP was trying to dominate caste politics with Hindutva,” he said, “but the election result shows that dominance has cracked.” However, he added, “it has only cracked—the ideology still has wide-scale acceptance.”
Everyone else Foreign Policy spoke to concurred but added that Hindus are far too diverse to be homogenized. Manoharan said the results exposed the weakness of the homogenization agenda and its faulty premise. “Hindutva’s aim for homogeneity is confounded precisely by a structural feature of the religion-culture it seeks to defend—caste,” he said.
22 notes
·
View notes
Text
"Like a state, an operating system “governs” the programs and applications under it and networked with it as well as, to some extent, the individuals who avail themselves of these tools and resources. It defines us in relation to itself, and each other, as “users,” and can reward us, reject our requests, or even bar us from access according to its needs. It can also monitor and surveil us. Referring to giant metaplatforms like Android and Apple, the German sociologist Philipp Staab observes, “Their own systems are continuously optimized for maximum convenience, to reduce the need to switch to another system. On the other hand, they make it as difficult as possible for users to use certain services outside their own ecosystem.” This is our starting point for understanding the State. Its central feature is the legal, administrative, and decision-making structure we refer to as government. But the State is a much larger, more complex phenomenon, a comprehensive means of organizing and exercising power that, once it’s launched, expands to cover more and more aspects of existence according to a direction and logic of its own. “The state could never be the means for any special or definite end, as liberalism conceived it to be,” the German anarchist Rudolf Rocker wrote in his classic, Nationalism and Culture ; “it was rather, in its highest form, an end in itself, an end sufficient for itself.” At the same time, and again like a computer operating system, the State is not a material object or entity. The various pieces of “hardware” we associate with it—big, imposing neoclassical buildings fronted by Greco-Roman columns quite often come to mind, along with military bases, roads, and monuments—are merely material containers and symbols of the immaterial reality. An operating system is soft ware, a collection of embedded commands that direct a machine called a computer. The State, too, is “software”: a collection of ideas, doctrines, commands, and processes that direct the deployment of human beings and their deployment of physical resources. The State is at once a political, social-cultural, and economic entity. Like an operating system, it networks together institutions, organizations, and less formal groups including government but also many others: corporations, banks, other financial institutions (state-chartered, as it happens), and other underpinnings of capitalism; eleemosynary (nonprofit and charitable) institutions; so-called civil society groups and political parties (especially “established” parties like the Democrats and Republicans in the United States, which have evolved into quasi-state institutions); and even basic units like families and households. Other institutions and groupings that form part of the State furnish cultural and even paramilitary support to the social order, strengthen organized religion, and reinforce racial and gender stratification: for instance, the extreme wings of the nativist Alternative for Germany; the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India; and the American Legion, the Ku Klux Klan, the National Rifle Association, militia groups, the Proud Boys, and the Southern Baptist Convention in the United States." -The operating system: An anarchist theory of the modern state
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a grand temple to Hindu god Ram in the flashpoint city of Ayodhya.
He said it heralded "a new era" for India - the temple replaces a 16th-Century mosque torn down by Hindu mobs in 1992, sparking riots in which nearly 2,000 people died.
Top film stars and cricketers were among guests at the event in Ayodhya.
But some Hindu seers and most of the opposition boycotted it, saying Mr Modi was using it for political gain.
General elections are due in India in the next few months and Mr Modi's political rivals say the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be seeking votes in the temple's name in a country where 80% of the population is Hindu.
Critics have also accused the government of exploiting a religious celebration in a country which - according to its constitution - is secular. For Muslims, India's biggest minority, the event evoked fear and painful memories, members of the community in Ayodhya told the BBC in the run-up to Monday's ceremony.
Televised live, it showed Mr Modi performing religious rituals inside the temple's sanctum along with priests and Mohan Bhagwat, head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - the ideological fountainhead of Hindu nationalist parties.
The complex history of India's Ayodhya holy site
Transforming a flashpoint holy city into the ‘Hindu Vatican’
"Today's date will go down in history," Mr Modi said after the event. "After years of struggle and countless sacrifices, Lord Ram has arrived [home]. I want to congratulate every citizen of the country on this historic occasion."
The temple has been constructed at a cost of $217m (£170m), funded from private donations. Only the ground floor was opened - the rest is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The construction work is part of a revamp for the city, estimated to cost more than $3bn.
The building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya fulfils a decades-long Hindu nationalist pledge. Many Hindus believe the Babri mosque was built by Muslim invaders on the ruins of a temple where the Hindu god was born.
The movement to build the temple helped propel the BJP into political prominence in the 1990s.
There was a festive atmosphere as tens of thousands of chanting Hindu devotees waved flags and beat drums - military helicopters showered flower petals on the temple. Saffron flags with pictures of Lord Ram line streets in the city festooned with marigolds, as do banners with the faces of Mr Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Some of India's biggest celebrities, including Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, attended.
Temple rises from ruins of one of India’s darkest days
Listen: The temple at the heart of Modi's India re-election bid
Transforming a flashpoint holy city into the ‘Hindu Vatican’
In many other northern cities Hindus lit lamps, and saffron flags carrying images of Ram are fluttering on rooftops, including in several parts of Delhi. Cinemas screened the event, and big screens relayed pictures from Ayodhya to town squares and residential neighbourhoods.
The ceremony, called Pran Pratishtha, which loosely translates from Sanskrit into "establishment of life force", lasted about an hour. Hindus believe that chanting mantras and performing rituals around a fire will infuse sacred life in an idol or a photograph of a deity.
Several domestic TV stations built huge sets by the side of the river Saryu, a tributary of the Ganges, just behind the temple, and provided wall-to-wall coverage of the event, some proclaiming the moment of consecration as the start of "Ram Rajya" (Lord Ram's rule) in India.
Hindus celebrated the inauguration in other countries too. Massive billboards of Lord Ram graced Times Square in New York, where a group of devotees braved the freezing weather to gather in the middle of the night.
Temples all across the United Kingdom - where Indians are one of the largest diaspora groups - marked the event. Colourful posters had been shared inviting devotees to honour the occasion and celebrations involved flowers, sweets and music. There were also some celebrations in Muslim-majority Dubai - where Indians are a significant population - but from Indian news reports these appeared more muted than elsewhere.
In 2019, the Supreme Court gave the disputed land to Hindus after a protracted legal battle followed the mosque's demolition. Muslims were given a plot outside the city for a mosque but have yet to build one.
One member of the community the BBC spoke to in Ayodhya ahead of Monday's inauguration agreed that Hindus have the right to build the temple after the Supreme Court gave them the site.
"We did not accept that decision happily, but what can we do," he said. Another man said he was happy Hindus are building the temple - "but we are also sad because it was built after destroying a mosque".
The new three-storey temple - made with pink sandstone and anchored by black granite - stretches across 7.2 acres in a 70-acre complex. A 51-inch (4.25-ft) statue of the deity, specially commissioned for the temple, was unveiled last week. The idol has been placed on a marble pedestal in the sanctum sanctorum.
Thousands of police were deployed for Monday's event, despite Mr Modi having appealed to pilgrims not to turn up and to watch the ceremony on television. In many states a full or half day holiday was called, with schools and colleges closed and stock markets shut.
The build-up to a demolition that shook India
The man who helped Lord Ram win the Ayodhya case
But a sour note was struck with some top religious seers saying that as the temple was not yet complete, it was against Hinduism to perform the rituals there, and many opposition leaders deciding to stay away.
Some opposition-ruled states also announced their own plans for the day - West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would pray at the iconic temple to goddess Kali in Kolkata and then lead an all-faith rally. The eastern state of Odisha (Orissa) unveiled huge plans to bring pilgrims to the Jagannath temple in Puri, one of the holiest sites for Hindus.
Authorities say they expect more than 150,000 visitors per day once the temple in Ayodhya is fully ready.
To accommodate this expected rush, new hotels are being built and existing ones spruced up as part of a major makeover and in recent weeks, a new airport and railway station have opened.
Officials say they are building a "world-class city where people come as pilgrims and tourists", but many local people have told the BBC that their homes, shops and "structures of religious nature" have been either completely or partially demolished to expand roads and set up other facilities.
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
Narendra Modi’s electoral success in Gujarat between 2001 and 2014 and on the Indian scene since then stems from his novel blend of populism and Hindu nationalism (Hindutva). Hindutva grew out of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Organization, RSS), a paramilitary-style nationalist group founded in 1925 to bulk up young Hindus both physically and morally so they could stand up to Muslims, who were depicted as a danger to the majority. Modi joined the RSS as a child and devoted his life to it, pursuing no other careers and even living apart from his wife. He rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the chief minister of Gujarat (his home state) in 2001. The following year, he oversaw an anti-Muslim pogrom that left some 2,000 dead— a strategy of religious polarization that won him the December 2002 regional elections. Similar successes in 2007 and 2012 made Modi the obvious prime ministerial candidate for his Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People’s Party, BJP) in 2014. But he left behind the RSS tradition of collective decision-making, putting himself front and center and striving to connect directly with “his” people. Rather than relying on the activist network, Modi held rally after rally where he showcased his flair for speechmaking. He also founded his own television channel, worked social media, and employed a revolutionary strategy: using holograms to simultaneously lead one rally in hundreds of places. Modi even distributed masks printed with his likeness to deepen supporters’ identification with him. In short, he saturated the public arena so as to embody the masses—a task made easier by his low-caste origins, on which he has built a complete narrative. (He worked as a teaboy in his father’s shop.) However, the “masses” meant only the Hindu majority, which he was busy stirring up against one target in particular: Muslims. As in the 2014 elections, in 2019 “Moditva”—Modi’s idiosyncratic hybridization of right-wing nationalist ideology, Hindutva and a personality cult—triumphed on the strength of BJP landslides in the north and west. This success allowed him to bend to his will both the RSS and the BJP—whose MPs had ridden to victory on his coattails—fashioning a government of faithfuls and a parliament of yes-men. The other institutions soon succumbed too—even the Supreme Court, once a beacon of independence. In the summer of 2014, Modi advanced a constitutional reform that would have changed the appointment process for judges, until then picked by a collegium of peers. His co-optation, opposed by the entire political class, would have replaced the collegium with a five-member commission. The Supreme Court eventually declared the amendment unconstitutional, but Modi still got his way: Of the nominees submitted by the collegium, his government finalized appointments only for those he liked. The court thus resigned itself to proposing candidates who were apt to please him.
continue reading
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Narendra Damodardas Modi born 17 September 1950)is an Indian politician who has served as the 14th prime minister of India since May 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Varanasi. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right wing Hindu nationalist paramilitary volunteer organisation. He is the longest-serving prime minister from outside the Indian National Congress.
Modi was born and raised in Vadnagar in northeastern Gujarat, where he completed his secondary education. He was introduced to the RSS at the age of eight. His account of helping his father sell tea at the Vadnagar railway station has not been reliably corroborated. At age 18, he was married to Jashodaben Modi, whom he abandoned soon after, only publicly acknowledging her four decades later when legally required to do so. Modi became a full-time worker for the RSS in Gujarat in 1971. The RSS assigned him to the BJP in 1985 and he held several positions within the party hierarchy until 2001, rising to the rank of general secretary.[c]
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Send from Sansgreet Android App. Sanskrit greetings app from team @livesanskrit .
It's the first Android app for sending @sanskrit greetings. Download app from https://livesanskrit.com/sansgreet
Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Deendayal Upadhyaya (25 September 1916 – 11 February 1968) was an Indian politician and thinker of right-wing Hindutva ideology espoused by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and leader of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the forerunner of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was also known as Panditji for appearing in the civil services examination hall wearing the traditional Indian dhoti-kurta and cap.
#sansgreet #sanskritgreetings #greetingsinsanskrit #sanskritquotes #sanskritthoughts #emergingsanskrit #sanskrittrends #trendsinsanskrit #livesanskrit #sanskritlanguage #sanskritlove #sanskritdailyquotes #sanskritdailythoughts #sanskrit #resanskrit #dindayalupadhyay #deendayalupadhyay #deendayalupadhyaya #deendayal #politician #thinker #hindutwa #rss #bjp #panditji #mathura #uttarpradesh #mughalsarai #celebratingsanskrit #integralhumanism
#greetingsinsanskrit#sanskritgreetings#sanskrittrends#trendsinsanskrit#livesanskrit#sanskrit#celebratingsanskrit#incredibleindia
2 notes
·
View notes