For appearance sake: RSS may finally be ditching its khaki shorts

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is in for a makeover: the Hindutva organisation may soon trade its trademark khaki shorts for blue trousers.

The change in uniform, which has been under discussion for a while now, is likely to be announced on 13 March, the last day of Akhil Bharatiya Pratindhi Sabha, an annual meeting of top RSS leaders from across the country that will be held in Nagaur, Rajasthan, this year.

The three-day meeting starts on 11 March and several top leaders are already in Nagaur overseeing preparations.

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"We have a team that has been working on the possible new uniform. They are working on the colour and fabric for the same," a source in the RSS said. Most likely, the changeover would be to blue pants.

Dress code

The RSS was formed in 1925. Since then, its uniform has changed only once -- from a police-style double-pocketed khaki shirt and khaki half pants to the current white shirt and khaki shorts. The change was effected by the Sangh's second leader, MS Golwalkar.

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The latest change in the uniform was expedited at last year's Pratindhi Sabha in Ranchi, where a high-level committee was set up for the "consideration of changing the uniform for the RSS cadre". The panel had one year to make a decision, in time for the forthcoming Sabha in Nagaur.

The proposal to change the uniform though is much older, and the Sangh has been discussing it for years. There has been a growing feeling that the young cadres, who are more fashion-conscious, aren't comfortable wearing the half pants.

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In the past few years, the numbers in RSS shakhas have been dwindling, especially of young people. Will the change in apparel arrest this trend?

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