<p class="bodytext">Anchored by Nitish Bharadwaj, who played Krishna in B R Chopra’s epic teleseries ‘Mahabharat’ and later served as a BJP MP, ‘Kesariya@100’ is a docudrama to mark 100 years of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The nine-episode series gives a perspective on the history of the organisation, whose legacy continues to be contentious. It takes viewers through the principal personalities and ideologues who steered it through its 100-year history.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The episodes are presented in a matter-of-fact manner with a short introduction to the events that follow. The series kicks off by showing how the RSS was founded by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, described by the narrator as India’s Nostradamus, to champion the cause of Hindutva to counter what it saw as the ‘Muslim appeasement’ politics of the Congress.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Comparing the recent Pahalgam attack in Kashmir to an incident during the freedom movement, the docudrama shows a man arriving at Hegdewar’s doorstep with a plaintive cry, “I felt all alone”. That meeting leads to the formation of the RSS in Nagpur, also the birthplace of its founder.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The series criticises Pakistan, using clips of speeches by its Chief of Army Staff Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah. It argues that India today is stable and strong as a democracy that assimilates people of all religions, while denouncing Pakistan as a ‘safe haven for terrorists’.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The show throws the spotlight on RSS leaders — from Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar and Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras to its current chiefs. It also touches on the Emergency, the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and presents the RSS as a ‘pivot in nation building’ through social and welfare activities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Over the past century, the RSS has faced criticism on several counts—its positions on the ‘varna’ system, for instance—and is often accused of fanning communal strife. This series, drawing its material from archives and historical sources, does not intend to provoke, or ruffle any feathers.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Anchored by Nitish Bharadwaj, who played Krishna in B R Chopra’s epic teleseries ‘Mahabharat’ and later served as a BJP MP, ‘Kesariya@100’ is a docudrama to mark 100 years of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The nine-episode series gives a perspective on the history of the organisation, whose legacy continues to be contentious. It takes viewers through the principal personalities and ideologues who steered it through its 100-year history.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The episodes are presented in a matter-of-fact manner with a short introduction to the events that follow. The series kicks off by showing how the RSS was founded by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, described by the narrator as India’s Nostradamus, to champion the cause of Hindutva to counter what it saw as the ‘Muslim appeasement’ politics of the Congress.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Comparing the recent Pahalgam attack in Kashmir to an incident during the freedom movement, the docudrama shows a man arriving at Hegdewar’s doorstep with a plaintive cry, “I felt all alone”. That meeting leads to the formation of the RSS in Nagpur, also the birthplace of its founder.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The series criticises Pakistan, using clips of speeches by its Chief of Army Staff Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah. It argues that India today is stable and strong as a democracy that assimilates people of all religions, while denouncing Pakistan as a ‘safe haven for terrorists’.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The show throws the spotlight on RSS leaders — from Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar and Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras to its current chiefs. It also touches on the Emergency, the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and presents the RSS as a ‘pivot in nation building’ through social and welfare activities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Over the past century, the RSS has faced criticism on several counts—its positions on the ‘varna’ system, for instance—and is often accused of fanning communal strife. This series, drawing its material from archives and historical sources, does not intend to provoke, or ruffle any feathers.</p>