The RSS will cap its string of yearlong activities to mark the completion of 100 years of the organisation with a public meeting of Sarsanghchalak (chief) Mohan Bhagwat in Delhi on November 29.The venue has not yet been finalised, but the Sangh plans to have one lakh Swayamsevaks (volunteers) in Gana Vesh (RSS uniform) attend the event, alongside 50,000 invitees from among citizens.Sources in the Sangh say this will be the completion of the activity of ekatrikaran (congregation) of Swayamsevaks that has been taking place through the year in different cities of India.Bhagwat is expected to speak on the journey of the Sangh, and also on different issues facing the nation in recent times. He is the first RSS chief to have conducted periodic public lectures — the first happened in 2018 — in order to clarify the Sangh’s position on a number of controversial issues. He also conducted a three-day lecture series in Vigyan Bhawan in the capital from August 26 to 28, 2025, on 100 years of the RSS.Bhagwat recently addressed Indian expats at Madison Square Garden in New York, and also travelled to London and Toronto for the global centenary outreach tour. Days after the youth protests in Jantar Mantar in Delhi ended, Bhagwat addressed Gen Z students in Mumbai on August 6. Sangh sources say the Mumbai event was planned several months in advance and was not a response to the Gen Z protest in Delhi and other cities.The RSS had chalked out a multicomponent plan of conducting a string of events to mark its journey from 100 years to the 101st to make Swayamsevaks across India congregate in various locations and to reach out to various sections of society.One component was the Prabuddha Nagrik Sammelan (conferences of enlightened citizens) across all districts of India. The aim was to make an outreach to professionals, doctors, engineers, professors and others to expand the Sangh’s ideology.Story continues below this adAnother campaign involved door-to-door meetings (Griha Sampark) across neighbourhoods where RSS volunteers would interact with people and also distribute the literature of the RSS to them so as to acquaint them with the organisation.The Sangh also organised Hindu Sammelans (Hindu congregations) across the country in rural as well as urban habitations to foster Hindu unity and social harmony among various sections of the Hindu community.The organisation made Panch Parivartan (Five Transformations) part of its agenda to mark its centenary year. It includes social harmony, Kutumb Prabodhan (family consciousness), civic duties, environmental protection and Swadeshi (self-reliance).On July 7, 2025, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh (All India Publicity Chief) Sunil Ambekar said regarding the Sangh’s centenary preparations, “At present there are 58,964 Mandals and 44,055 Bastis. In these Sammelans, there will be discussion on social festivals, social unity and harmony and Panch Parivartan (Five transformation). Similarly, Samajik Sadbhav Baithaks (Social harmony meetings) will be organised in 11360 blocks/towns to promote social harmony in the society. There are a total of 924 districts according to Sangh Structure. In these districts, Pramukh Nagrik Seminars will be organised. In the seminars topics like Ideas of Bharat, pride of Bharat, Bharat’s Sewa etc. will be discussed.”Story continues below this adThe Sangh also conducted Samajik Sadbhav Baithaks (social harmony meets) to bridge caste divides at a time when caste is becoming a source of much debate and polarisation.The lecture series and the global outreach were also part of the centenary events of the RSS.A source in the RSS said that the Delhi public meeting of Bhagwat should be seen as the last event within the ekatrikaran (congregations of Swayamsevaks) plan and will mark the end of the centenary year events of the Sangh.Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More