Shakha is a Sanskrit word that means "branch."
A local "branch" of
the Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh (RSS) whose membership is frequently recruited
from a specific area or region of a city.
The RSS is a fundamentalist Hindu organization whose only
mission is to train Hindu leaders for a revived India.
The RSS has long been known as a cultural and
character-building organization, and it has avoided direct political
involvement for most of its history, while wielding significant influence via
its numerous linked groups.
Each shakha, or local RSS unit, has a daily meeting for its
svayamsevaks ("volunteers"), or members.
A traditional opening ceremony in which the organization's
saffron flag is hoisted; traditional sports or exercises, including martial
drill; and a discussion time in which RSS beliefs may be disseminated and
spread are among the meeting's regular events.
A full-time RSS worker known as a pracharak
("director") administers the shakhas in any particular region,
serving as a bridge between the local units and the RSS leadership and
overseeing RSS operations in his area.
The majority of shakha members will never get beyond the
local level, and those that do are generally skilled leaders.
As a result, the major focus at the shakha level is on
building personal ties with other members in order to foster organizational
loyalty.
Despite the fact that shakhas have a high rate of attrition,
the relationships formed there are frequently quite strong, and they are
especially useful in assisting displaced and newly urbanized people build a
feeling of community.
The Brotherhood in Saffron, edited by Walter K. Andersen and
Shridhar D. Damle, was published in 1987.
