An organisation linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh staged its first public Raksha Sutra ceremony in Amritsar on Monday, attracting roughly 500 women and drawing attention as political parties intensify work on the ground ahead of the Punjab assembly polls. Organisers presented the event as cultural outreach aimed at promoting social harmony, even as party operatives treat such gatherings as part of broader electoral mobilisation.
The programme was hosted by Himalaya Parivar, a group with ties to the RSS, and included participants tying rakhis in the traditional ceremony. Mohit Arora, who heads Himalaya Parivar’s Punjab unit, said the ritual was intended to signal unity, mutual respect and shared cultural values.
Indresh Kumar, a member of the RSS Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini and patron of Himalaya Parivar, attended as the chief guest. Other leaders present included Paramjit Singh Gill, the organisation’s national working president, and Kulveer Singh, regional president.
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Why this matters now
With the state election campaigning picking up pace, organisers and political sources view such cultural programmes as a means to strengthen grassroots links. Events that foreground social messaging and community rituals can serve both civic and political aims: they engage local networks, highlight cultural narratives and create visible mobilising opportunities for volunteers and sympathisers.
The organisers said similar events are planned across Punjab in the coming days, signalling a sustained outreach push rather than a one-off ceremony.
- What: First Raksha Sutra event in Amritsar organised by Himalaya Parivar.
- Who: Around 500 women participated; Indresh Kumar was chief guest; Mohit Arora led local organisers.
- Where: Amritsar.
- Why: Framed by organisers as a message of social unity; seen by party sources as part of pre-election grassroots activities.
The mix of cultural ritual and organised outreach underscores a recurring tactic in Indian state elections: using community-focused programming to build familiarity and trust in local areas. For voters, the immediate effect is largely symbolic—an emphasis on solidarity and cultural continuity—but for organisers it creates occasions to expand local contact lists and recruit volunteers.
Officials with Himalaya Parivar described the Raksha Sutra as emblematic of “love, brotherhood and respect,” and said the group would replicate similar programmes elsewhere in Punjab over the coming weeks. Party sources confirm that socially framed events have become a common feature of the pre-election calendar.
How these initiatives will influence voter behaviour is uncertain and depends on local dynamics, messaging resonance and follow-up activity. What is clear is that cultural outreach is playing a visible role in the run-up to the assembly polls, adding a new layer to traditional campaigning methods.
