# RSS: The Long and the Short of It **Author:** Devanura Mahadeva **Date Read:** **Rating:** 4/5 **Bookshelves:** india, politics ## My Review More of a pamphlet (in the classical use of this term) than a book, yet a concise, simple and a withering take-down of the current politics of the RSS-BJP-associates. Devanura Mahadeva is quite well known for his critical reflections on how caste and the growing majoritarian construction of the modern Hindu identity. Starting with excerpts of text from Savarkar, he traces the origins of the ideology that is currently feeding the RSS and its associate organisations. Language is very simple and is spoken much more as an appeal to what he calls "Vishaala hindu samaaja (wideest hindu people)" to not give in to hatred and divisiveness. This book is the English translation of the original written in Kannada. Upon reading it, <a href="https://www.daktre.com/2022/07/ಆರ್-ಎಸ್-ಎಸ್-ಆಳ-ಮತ್ತು-ಅಗಲ-rss-aaala-mattu-agala/">I had immediately put out an unofficial</a>, unauthorised English translation which <a href="https://archive.org/details/englishv.-29">someone has uploaded on the Internet Archive </a> and has already seen >1500 views/downloads. It is also available in several other Indian languages. My only grouse is the pricing: the Kannada one is priced at 40 while this one is nearly 5 times that: nonetheless affordable, accessible and irrespective of one's political leaning, something to be "engaged" with.