I have been watching the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — in its 101st year now — for more than 50 years. An obvious curiosity arises about the secret of its success.

People may point out that Uttar Pradesh chief minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma don’t belong to the RSS fold. That is true, but it is equally true that once you are part of the BJP, you can’t escape the RSS ideology.

The political arm of the RSS, the BJP, is leading the coalition that is in its third successive term at the Centre, and the Sangh’s ideological roots are deepening. The RSS has achieved this despite stiff opposition from the Communists, socialists, and the Congress Party.

How did the RSS succeed? I would like to elaborate on four instances from different decades of Indian history that help explain this.

In 1969, my father admitted me to a Saraswati Shishu Mandir (an RSS-run school), when he was transferred to Allahabad (Prayagraj today). The school was run from a building owned by Rajendra Singh, who later became RSS sarsanghchalak (chief). It had a period dedicated to reading books or magazines in the library. No other school had a whole........

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