For a large part of my life, my perception of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was filtered through the prism of prejudice. I say this candidly because I, like many in the Christian community in India, grew up with a narrative that painted the RSS as an organization that was anti-minority, anti-Christian, and diabolical in its ideology. It was the whispered fear passed on in our churches, in community discussions, and in mainstream political narratives that sought to demonize the Sangh.

But as I reflect on the centenary of the RSS – 100 years of existence of an organization that has shaped India’s socio-political landscape in profound ways – I feel it is important to write about my own journey from suspicion to understanding. This is not an attempt to glorify, nor is it a submissive

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