THE EARLY VISHVA HINDU PARISHAD 3 5 demographic, and economic- of Hindus and the revitalisation of Hinduism world-wide. In the 1960s, the VHP worked quietly. It was a body scarcely known and hardly found any mention in the social and political writings of those years. This anonymous status continued in the 1970s and early 1980s. The early leadership employed the idiom of reform and reconciliation rather than militancy and belligerence. It resolved that no section of society is untouchable and should not be treated so, rather they should be provided with a respectable status in society.2 They should not be discriminated against in such matters as the right to temple entry. Temples should be regarded not merely as places of prayer and devotion but also as centres of service and social progress.3 The symbol of a banyan tree (vat Vriksha) was adopted as the insignia of the VHP to reflect its broad approach to Hinduism and its non-rigid way of protecting the religion the world over. Relations with the RSS4 were as much based on personal ties as ideological affinity and though formal closeness with the RSS was not acknowledged its consistent presence in the day to day functioning of the VHP could not be denied. The RSS, on the other hand, by taking a lead in the formation of the VHP succeeded to some extent in drawing towards itself those who would not have been comfortable to associate with it otherwise. The RSS' own social activity had a limited and exclusively male cadre and its training programme was a long-term affair. The VHP enabled the RSS to expand its social base and, in addition, do some immediate mobilizational work amongst the Hindus. In the 1960s and 70s, the propagation of Hindu dharma did not produce the fiery and militant traits in the VHP which have become characteristic of the organisation in the post-1983 phase. Also a uniform conception of the Hindu self and nation and a clear agenda of action as represented by the RSS were absent in the VHP. This gave space for other ideas of Hindu revival and reform to exist within it coming from its early stalwarts like Swami Chinmayananda, Sushil Muni of the Jains, Sant Tukdoji, Karan Singh, Jaya Chamraj Wadiyar, K.M. Munshi and C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar. While these people shared the socio-religious concerns of Shivram Shankar Apte and Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar of the RSS, who initiated the formation of the VHP, their presence in leadership positions made it impossible to form a unanimity of opinion for the distinctive mass-based political activism of the post-1983 VHP. This had to wait till broader changes in the political conjunctures of