The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has evolved greatly during the last two decades.
Originally housed in a one-storey building in 1962 in Jhandewalan, Delhi, the BJP’s ideological mentor now has a refined new workspace with modern amenities in the same location.
It will be almost eight years before the Sangh moves into its new office.
Here’s all we know about it.
Features and amenities
The RSS office, which spans 3.75 acres, has about 300 rooms spread across three 12-storey towers.
The new headquarters will house RSS leaders and workers and host RSS activities.
The construction, which started in 2018, includes ancient and modern methods.
The three towers are called Sadhna, Prerna, and Archana; they have a ground level and 12 stories. A sculpture of Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the first RSS chief, is located on the building’s grounds. The building will continue to be called Keshav Kunj.
The building’s windows are embellished with facades that draw inspiration from Gujarati and Rajasthani traditional architecture. Also, 1,000 granite frameworks have been used to lessen the requirement for wood.
The office is also a modern powerhouse, including two sophisticated auditoriums that can accommodate 473 and 123 people, respectively, as per News18.
There are several halls, one of which can hold at least 600 people, to guarantee room for important discussions. One of the halls is named after the former Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) President Ashok Singhal, who was one of the main proponents of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, as per PTI.
There is also a well-equipped bhojanalaya that can seat more than 100 people at once.
“The architect of this building is Gujarat-based architect Anup Dave. Tower one largely has offices, and Tower 2 has residential spaces. All three towers have a ground floor and 12 other floors. There are 300 rooms in total – including residential and official spaces,” The Print quoted an RSS functionary as saying.
The structure has a large solar power plant and a waste recycling sewage treatment system.
There are more than 8,500 books in the newly built “Keshav Pustakalaya” library. Numerous ideological texts, ranging from Buddhist and Sikh ideas to Christian and Islamic studies, line the pages of the books. The library is open to the general public.
The headquarters also houses a five-bed hospital for medical care, large lawns for relaxation, and a Hanuman temple.
People living nearby, especially in slum areas, can use the building’s dispensary amenities, as per The Print.
There are currently 135 parking spaces available, and that number will rise to 200.
The office premises will also house its mouthpieces Panchjanya and Organiser offices, as well as the publishing company Suruchi Prakashan, which has been releasing books and other publications.
The construction of the new facility costs Rs 150 crore, and at least 75,000 donors have contributed to it.
Phased relocation to the new building began last year prior to Dussehra, according to The Print citing RSS sources.
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About the building
RSS’s first local office was established in 1939 in the same area, and since then, it has undergone numerous changes.
“We had the first office in Delhi in 1939. Later, a single-storey building came into being in 1962 (the old Keshav Kunj) and then in the 80’s another floor was added. Sarsangchalak Mohan Bhagwat ji laid the foundation stone of this building (the new Keshav Kunj) in 2016, and the organisation in Delhi then shifted to the Udasin Ashram on rent from 2018 to 2024,” an RSS functionary told The Print.
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the building, which took more than eight years.
Following the start of the restoration and renovation project at the location, the Sangh had been operating out of a rented space as its office since 2016.
Beginning the work in the new building
On February 19, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale will attend a “karyakarta sammelan” of the Delhi unit to celebrate the start of its operations from the new building at Jhandewalan, Delhi.
The group with its headquarters in Nagpur will hold its annual “Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha,” which is regarded as the highest decision-making body of the RSS, in Bengaluru from March 21 to March 23.
About 1,500 people, including senior RSS leaders and those from related institutions, will gather to talk about important topics, such as organisational challenges.
Resolutions outlining the RSS’s stances on several issues will be passed.
With inputs from agencies