by Jit Kumar
NEW DELHI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- For more than 90 years traditional khaki knickers have been the most iconic attire for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
But now the knee-length shorts are all set to be revamped and will be replaced with proper brown trousers, which are intended to attract the country's youth and lay to rest the many jokes made about them.
The first batch of such trousers has already arrived at RSS headquarters in Nagpur in the western Indian state of Maharashtra and even gone on sale for Rs 250 (4 U.S. dollars) each, with the official attire change slated for Oct. 11.
"Every member of the RSS has to purchase the uniform. No one is excluded from this," former RSS functionary, Dilip Deodhar, told local media recently.
While the old guards at RSS feel the shorts gave them a distinct identity and are actually more comfortable than wearing slacks, the man believed to have been behind the change, the organization's current chief, Mohan Bhagwat, 65, feels the khaki trousers will encourage more young people to join the RSS.
The decision to switch to the khaki pants was made earlier this year. They will be paired with the white shirt, black cap, brown socks, and the bamboo sticks that make up the RSS uniform.
Changes to the uniform, however, are not unheard of since the familiar RSS dress was first adopted in 1925. In those days the uniform included leather belts, long black shoes, khaki caps and sticks, and the first change was made in 1930, when the khaki cap was replaced with a black one, and this was followed by a white shirt replacing its khaki predecessor.
Again, in 1973, there was a third alteration when lighter shoes were introduced. The last change to the uniform was made in 2011, when the RSS replaced its leather belts with ones made of thick canvas.
Founded on September 27, 1925, by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a doctor in the city of Nagpur, then under British India, the RSS is one of the world's largest non-governmental organizations and pledges a commitment of selfless servitude to India.
Gradually the RSS grew into a prominent Hindu nationalist umbrella organization, spawning several affiliated organizations that established numerous schools, charities and clubs to spread its ideological beliefs.
The RSS, which promotes the ideals of upholding the values of Indian culture and civilization, was banned once during British rule and thereafter post-independence, including in 1948 following Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and then again after the demolition of a mosque in 1992.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many other ministers have an RSS background. Modi had joined the outfit from as early as eight years old, and became the the pracharak in-charge of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the RSS, before joining the BJP.
