From Shakhas To Reels And Mohan Bhagwat's Remarks: RSS Is Trying To Crack The Gen Z Code
From Shakhas To Reels And Mohan Bhagwat's Remarks: RSS Is Trying To Crack The Gen Z Code Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 28
From Shakhas To Reels And Mohan Bhagwat's Remarks: RSS Is Trying To Crack The Gen Z Code Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 28, 2026, 08:12 IST Bhagwat's recent remarks reveal that the RSS is trying to understand a generation that does not necessarily respond to the traditional grammar of ideological mobilisation Rapid Read Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has described the younger generation, known as 'Gen Z', as emotional and adaptable. (Image: PTI) The RSS appears to be sensing the urgency of reaching Gen Z, a generation that cannot be assumed to inherit ideological loyalties. That is the significance of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks on the young being ’emotional, imitative and drawn to what appears authentic’. His comments, during a programme titled – contemporary motherhood – held in Hyderabad on Sunday, reflects that the organisation is trying to understand a generation that responds to a very different language of influence. The RSS has spent decades building an ecosystem around inheritance of ideas, identity, memory, history, tradition and ideology. But Gen Z is the first generation that cannot be assumed to inherit anything automatically, despite a section of them coming from the Sangh Parivar families. And, that is exactly why Mohan Bhagwat’s recent comments on Gen Z, its emotional nature and its susceptibility to what appears real, are more significant than they may initially seem. His remarks also reveal that an organisation is trying to understand a generation that does not necessarily respond to the traditional grammar of ideological mobilisation.
The RSS has sensed the urgency. Bhagwat’s lines reflect the message he wanted to communicate to Sangh Parivar organisations. The Sangh work among children as they run schools, training camps and other forms of communication through social and cultural events. But in the current backdrop, the Sangh now feels the necessity to address them in a language that they understand. Nuanced Narrative A day after Bhagwat delivered his speech, a Sangh aligned organisation came up with certain suggestions, in connection with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest. It stated that the organisations should be ’empathetic to genuine student concerns’ by ‘providing a balanced, facet-based view of the central government’s actions in this and past protest or crisis situations.’ It also suggests that the organisations and like-minded individuals should be ‘uncompromising on law and order and institutional integrity,’ while staying alert about info-war and narrative warfare. Finally, it says, “Aligned and partner organisations should stay oriented towards deeper understanding of systematic issues and rooted in a Hindu Dharmic lens that prioritises Satya (truth) over Left-liberal or western activist frames." The young are no longer waiting for political or social institutions to tell them what to think. They are consuming ideas in fragments, through reels, influencers, social media posts, protest movements and peer networks. Their political loyalties are fluid. Their attention is short, while their priorities are conflicting. Their suspicion of institutions is high. And authenticity, or the appearance of it, can often matter more than pedigree.
The BriefWire