Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar speaks in the state Assembly on August 19. (PTI)Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also president of the Pradesh Congress Committee, unexpectedly broke into an RSS song in the state Assembly on Friday. BJP MLAs welcomed the recital, while Congress benches remained silent.The RSS songThe 13-line song in Sanskrit, called Prarthana (prayer) by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, starts with “Namaste sada vatsale matribhume (O sacred Motherland, I always bow you)…”, and ends with “Bharat Mata ki jai.”The line before “Bharat Mata ki jai” goes: “Vijetree cha nah sanhata karyashaktir, Vidhayasya dharmasya sanrakshanam, Param vaibhavam netumetat swarashtram, Samartha vabatwashisha te bhrisham (May our victorious organisational work for the protection of this religion through your blessings be successful in taking our nation to supreme glory)”.Sung since 1939The song has been sung at RSS gatherings since 1939, with one swayamsewak leading and the others following him.The daily one-hour shakhas of the RSS usually conclude with the singing of the song; at events where the general public is present, it is sung at the beginning.It is expected that everyone should stand in their places during the singing of the song, with their right hand raised to the chest and folded parallel to the ground, with the palm facing downward.Author of the linesThe Prarthana was written by Nagpur-based Professor Narahari Narayan Bhide, a friend of Dr K B Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS. Prof Bhide taught English, but was well versed in Sanskrit as well.Story continues below this adThe Prarthana emerged from a week-long meeting of swayamsevaks in Wardha district in 1939, where Dr Hedgewar asked for a prayer that could be recited at RSS activities around the country.Prof Bhide wrote the lines, which were subsequently composed into song, based on what the RSS believed was the spirit and essence of its work.Need for a prayerThe tradition of commencing the day’s activities by saluting the Bhagwa Dhwaj (Saffron Flag) and concluding with a prayer had taken firm root in the RSS within a year of its founding in Nagpur on September 27, 1925, Vijayadashami day.This prayer was in Hindi and Marathi, and ended with an invocation to Samarth Guru Ramdas, the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The lines in Hindi, which were recited by swayamsevaks in North India, were: “He prabho Shree Ram dute, sheel humko deejiye…”Story continues below this adBut as the RSS and its activities expanded across the country, Hedgewar felt the need for a uniform Prarthana for all its events.Shyamlal Yadav is one of the pioneers of the effective use of RTI for investigative reporting. He is a member of the Investigative Team. His reporting on polluted rivers, foreign travel of public servants, MPs appointing relatives as assistants, fake journals, LIC’s lapsed policies, Honorary doctorates conferred to politicians and officials, Bank officials putting their own money into Jan Dhan accounts and more has made a huge impact. He is member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He has been part of global investigations like Paradise Papers, Fincen Files, Pandora Papers, Uber Files and Hidden Treasures. After his investigation in March 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York returned 16 antiquities to India. Besides investigative work, he keeps writing on social and political issues. ... Read More© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)RSS