RSS courts techies

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of a host of saffron outfits, has realised what advertising and marketing companies all over the world have already discovered "" that unless you appeal to a younger, more professional demography, you cannot grow.

With a view to this, the RSS has introduced what are called Information Technology Milan Shakhas to propagate the RSS credo among young IT professionals. The first such 'shakha', or outreach programme for IT professionals, was held in Bangalore in 2003-04, and slowly spread to IT hubs across the country to become a 100-strong network. "These shakhas exist in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata and even Delhi," said an RSS office-bearer. However, these shakhas mark a departure from the traditional shakhas of the RSS that comprise of calisthenics and exercises in the open.

"The meetings are usually held in a hall or an enclosed space where these exercises cannot take place. We usually have a session of yoga or 'pranayam' or 'surya namaskar' instead. Also, we use PowerPoint presentations in place of lectures, since the target audience is comfortable with the use of that technology," said an office-bearer.

"For obvious reasons, Bangalore has seen a big success as far as the IT shakhas are concerned. We also have a presence in Kolkata, where, however, we have only two functioning shakhas," said the office-bearer.