If the German Ambassador to India, Walter Lindner, has deduced from his interactions with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat — as part of Mr. Lindner’s attempt to comprehend the “Indian mosaic” — that the “RSS is a mass movement” it must be understandable given his make-up, background and compulsions (Page 1, July 21). The RSS is more than what he has described it to be. The significant question to ask is whether it is a benign or virulent organisation. The RSS’s espousal of Hindutva or Hindu nationalism is what defines its core. Even though the RSS always harps on Mother India to instil patriotic feelings in the citizenry, it has difficulty in accepting that Mother India is essentially all the people of India.

G. David Milton,

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

The ideology of the RSS has gained ascendancy not so much because it has a magic wand to protect Mother India from all evils but more from the point that it has been associated with power uninterruptedly since 2014. In this context, the attempt being made across the country by vested interests to whitewash it and pass it off as a mass movement rooted in voluntary services and cultural nationalism must be seen for what it actually is. The RSS is anything but a movement for a united India where people professing all religions live in harmony.

Abdul Assis P.A.,

Thrissur, Kerala