In the third and final episode of this series, we pick up from where we left off – the blossoming of the RSS under its third chief, Balasaheb Deoras. Unlike his predecessors, he did not look down on politics and politicians, so his vision to expand the organisation included using politics as a tool.

Moving through the JP movement to the Emergency to the birth of the Janata Party, this episode tracks the role of the RSS across epochal moments in India’s history. It also scrutinises how Deoras reformed the internal cohesion in the RSS family and the growth of its affiliates, notably the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Vishva Hindu Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and, of course, Bharatiya Janata Party.

From Deoras to Rajendra Singh to KS Sudarshan to Mohan Bhagwat, the episode moves into the 21st century, spanning the consolidation of the Hindutva establishment and Babri Masjid demolition, the first BJP-led union government, and the ascent of Narendra Modi. It also tries to answer a fundamental question: where will the RSS go from here?

Hosted by Abhinandan Sekhri and Shardool Katyayan, and featuring guest panellists like Hartosh Singh Bal, Walter K Andersen and Bhanwar Meghvanshi, this is Let’s Talk About: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

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