Call for Better Documentation of Nagpur, Vidarbha, and RSS History State Information Commissioner Rahul Pande emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive documentation of Nagpur, Vidarbha, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during a discussion at the release of the book RSS@100: Shatakveer Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at Nagpur’s Press Club. Pande highlighted that inadequate historical records have hindered the preservation of key events and figures, urging scholars, journalists, and researchers to conduct deeper studies on these subjects. He noted that themes such as religious conversions, radicalization, and social changes, which frequently appeared in RSS leadership speeches over the past century, remain underexplored in academic circles. Pande drew a comparison to the meticulous archival efforts of the British colonial era, arguing that modern resources, institutions, and technology should enable systematic documentation of India’s history. “History never forgives those who forget history,” he remarked, stressing the importance of preserving records to avoid the erasure of significant contributions. He also reflected on his personal connection to the RSS, having grown up in Nagpur’s Mahal area near the Sangh’s headquarters, where he observed its influence from an early age. Despite the RSS’s profound impact on various sectors of public life over the past 100 years, Pande pointed out that academic documentation of its evolution remains limited. While newspapers and public discourse have extensively covered the RSS, he criticized the scarcity of objective, detailed studies. “Most writings on the RSS come from either end of the ideological spectrum,” he said, advocating for rigorous research to examine its development over decades.#nagpur #rashtriya_swayamsevak_sangh #vidarbha #state_information_commissioner_rahul_pande #rss100_book
