SANGHI WHO NEVER WENT TO a SHAKHA

Rahul Roushan shot to fame around 2009-10 as the 'Pagal Patrakar', the pseudonym he
used while writing for Faking News. Back then he was seen just as a founder-editor of
the news satire website with no special interest in politics or ideology.
The first time Rahul Roushan was called a Sanghi, he felt deeply offended. After all, he
held a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Patna University, a post-graduate diploma
in journalism from IIMC in New Delhi, an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and was a
self-made media entrepreneur.
Sanghi literally means someone who is a member of the right-wing RSS (Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh) or its affiliates, but the 'liberals' use the term liberally to deride
those who differ with their political and ideological stand, or those who wear Hinduism
on their sleeves. This book analyses why Hindutva as an ideology is no longer anathema
and what brought about this change. Why did a country that was ruled for decades by
people espousing Nehruvian secularism suddenly began to align with the 'communal
politics' of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?
The book is the story of this transformation. This is not an autobiography, though it
could read like one in parts. It is not even a collection of intellectual essays, though it
could read like one in parts. It is the retelling of some historical events and how those
events impacted the journey of Rahul Roushan and countless people like him. The book
looks at factors like education, media, technology and obviously, electoral politics, which
played a key role in this transformation. The book also touches upon some of the personal
experiences of the author, both as a media entrepreneur and a journalist.
In author's words, 'This book will be of special interest to readers who just want to
badmouth me and the book, but I really hope the same people make an earnest effort to
also understand what changed India and all those Sanghis who never went to any shakha.'