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Bharatvaarta podcast is a commentary on politics, policy and culture focused on India. The podcast brings together people from different walks of life who have varied and interesting perspectives on what's happening around us.
Inside the RSS: How the Sangh Shapes Policy & Politics in Modern India | Sachin Nandha
Bharatvaarta
1 hour 53 minutes
2 weeks ago
Inside the RSS: How the Sangh Shapes Policy & Politics in Modern India | Sachin Nandha
⚔️ Sachin Nandha — Inside the RSS, Rashtra vs Raja & How Power Really Works in India 🇮🇳🧠
The RSS has never contested an election — yet it remains one of the most influential forces shaping modern India.
So what exactly is the RSS?
An ideology? An organisation? A movement?
Or something far more complex?
In this deep, nuanced, and often uncomfortable conversation, Sachin Nandha breaks down how the RSS actually functions — not as a conventional institution, but as a bottom-up social movement built around the daily shakha, psychological rootedness, and the long project of rebuilding the Rashtra.
We explore how the RSS creates citizens rather than cadres, why it avoids direct control over the state, how it relates to the BJP and political power, and why tension between the Rashtra (people) and the Raja (state) is not a bug — but the point.
From caste, religion, and civilisational identity — to seva, social capital, discipline, and decentralised power — this episode goes beyond slogans to examine the RSS as it understands itself.
Not defence.
Not propaganda.
A serious attempt to understand one of the most misunderstood movements in India.
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⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – 00:55 • Introduction
00:55 – 04:20 • What the RSS Really Is — Organisation or Movement?
04:20 – 07:05 • The Shakha as an Engine That Creates Citizens
07:05 – 11:20 • Rootedness vs Ideology: The Psychological Core
11:20 – 18:05 • Rashtra, Raja & Why the State Exists to Be Disciplined
18:05 – 26:50 • Caste, Class & Equality Inside the Shakha
26:50 – 36:15 • Seva, Duty & Why the RSS Is Action-First
36:15 – 44:20 • How a Bottom-Up Movement Sustains Itself
44:20 – 53:30 • The RSS and Religion: Civilisation vs Belief
53:30 – 01:02:40 • RSS, BJP & the Limits of Political Power
01:02:40 – 01:13:20 • Power, Unease & Holding the Raja to Account
01:13:20 – 01:53:06 • India’s Formative Phase & What Comes Next
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🎧 Listen & Subscribe
X → https://x.com/bharatvaarta
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/bharatvaarta/
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👤 Guest — Sachin Nandha
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thesachinnandha/
X → https://x.com/sachinnandha
Author of Hedgewar | Researcher on the RSS, Civilisational Movements & Power Structures
Get the book 'Hedgewar'
https://www.amazon.in/Hedgewar-Founder-Rashtriya-Swayamsevak-Sangh/dp/0143467662
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👤 Host — Roshan Cariappa
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carygottheblues/
X → https://x.com/RoshanCariappa
Bharatvaarta
Bharatvaarta podcast is a commentary on politics, policy and culture focused on India. The podcast brings together people from different walks of life who have varied and interesting perspectives on what's happening around us.
