ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the interest that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organization has in adivasi communities more generally, and that local RSS activists have in the Mohanpur adivasi community in particular. One of the principal arguments of this book is that the successful spread of Hindu nationalism into rural adivasi areas can be attributed to the manner by which RSS activists tailor their strategies to the particular situation that exists at the local level. The Hindu community comprises three-quarters of the village population and is divided into seven jatis. The most important event at which Mahadev is honoured is Gaura, the local festival that celebrates the ‘marriage’ between Mahadev and Gaura Rani. Traditionally, the local ruling elite was in the most favourable position to be elected to such a post, and the office of sarpanch often became another mechanism by which the local Patel could extend his traditional power and be represented within the modern state system.
