Nagpur: Thousands of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers will gather for 'shastra pooja' on the occasion of Vijay Dashami at Nagpur, sporting their newly adopted brown-pants, instead of their traditional khaki half pants, that remained the symbol of the right-wing group for decades.
Over 20 thousand Swayamsevaks are expected to witness the event on October 11, in presence of Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.
The Sangh had in March this year decided to do away with Khaki shorts, trademark dress for their cadres for 91 years, at the three-day annual meeting of Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of RSS, held in Nagpur.
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The day chosen for adopting the new outfit is significant, as the RSS was formed on Vijay Dashmi in 1925. (27 September 1925). At the time of its inception, Khaki shirt, Khaki shorts, leather belt, black cap and black shoes were included as the uniform for the cadres. Since then, there have been three major changes in the outfit of the cadres.
The first change was brought about in 1939, when the Khaki shirt was replaced with white shirt. KB Hegdewar was the Sangh chief back then.
The second change was made in 1973 when heavy boots were replaced with normal ones, while the third change was made in 2010 when leather belt was replaced with a belt made of cloth.
