30 Jul 2025
This book offers a rare and courageous analysis of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), cutting through decades of political rhetoric and misrepresentation. It presents the Sangh not as a communal or extremist xtremist body, but as a disciplined and deeply patriotic movement rooted in service, unity and the cultural resurgence of India. It outlines how the RSS strives to overcome caste, communalism and regionalism, focusing instead on national integration, social harmony and moral regeneration.
Shri Anthony has conclusively shown in this book, to which I have the great pleasure to write this foreword, that the RSS has a very broad vision. It does not stand for sectional interests, as many a communal organisation in India does, for example, the Anglo-Indian Association and the Muslim League. True, the RSS stands for the rejuvenation of the national culture of the Hindus. That in itself does not mean that it is anti-non-Hindu, because the Hindutva of the Sangh is tantamount to Bharatityata, or Indianisation.
-Shri Jamnadas Mehta
Over the years, numerous critics, scholars and adversaries have attempted to define the Sangh, often driven by prejudice or a desire to misrepresent it. Yet, one of the earliest and most sincere studies came from an unexpected quarter-a Catholic priest named Father Anthony Elenjimittam. His work remains one of the most overlooked and underappreciated explorations of the RSS and deserves greater attention in the contemporary discourse.
-J Nandakumar (National Convenor, Prajna Pravah)
Father Anthony Elenjimittam (1915-2011) was a Catholic priest, philosopher, social reformer and prolific writer from Kerala, India. A visionary thinker and follower of Gandhian ideals, he believed in national unity, interfaith dialogue and social justice. He was well-versed in philosophy, comparative religion and literature. His scholarly pursuits and deep interest in India’s cultural heritage led him to study and interpret Hindu and Buddhist texts, authoring over fifty books on spirituality, ethics and nationalism.
