RSS wants to undo population skew

Nagpur: We two, our's at least three. That's the message Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief K S Sudarshan has for Hindus.

He and his fellow pracharaks (RSS functionaries) may have taken a vow of celibacy but that didn't stop RSS Sarsanghchalak (chief) K S Sudarshan from calling upon fellow Hindus to go forth and multiply-"produce" at least three children each.

"Not less than three, you should produce as many as possible (teen se kam nahi, aap jitna jyada kar sakein utna achcha)," Sudarshan said after releasing a book - Religious Demography of India - brought out by the Centre for Policy Studies.

He asked Hindus not to get into the trap of slogans like hum do, hamare do and hum do, hamara ek so as to to keep the "demographic composition" of India intact.

Sudarshan based his point on some bizarre mathematics.

He said that a couple with 12 sons were likely to be survived by a 1,200-strong progeny after 120 years.

The one with 11 sons will have 1,100 successors. Those with three sons, would have 38 descendants, while couples with two sons will show no increase.

"The family-line of people with one son would be snapped," he added.

He recalled that the Hindu Munnani had invited him at a function in Tamil Nadu held for honouring the most "prolific" mother as Veer Mata.

A woman, he claimed, had walked up to him and said she had produced 17 children and, going by his advice, she was prepared to bear more.

"Whenever a mata comes to give her blessings to me, I only tell her to bear as many children as possible," he said.

Dismissive of the argument that population growth will throw up problems like poverty and unemployment, he said people should look at self-employment as an option and not depend on jobs.

Opposing the demand for reservations for Dalit Christians, he argued, "How are they Dalits after conversion to Christianity? Let your Pope say so (that they are Dalits), then we would think."