prasad1
Active member
Set up by the hardline Hindu organisation VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad or World Hindu Council) in 1984-85.
Women aged 15 to 35 years are eligible to join the group.
The group's website describes it as a "dynamic voluntary organisation" of young Hindu women.
It says the organisation "strives for the security of society" and imparts knowledge of culture and tradition.
Every member is expected to exercise regularly for "increasing her physical stamina" and to read "good literature".
The group says it "ensures rehabilitation" of widows, women who have been deserted by their husbands, or women "involved in accidents".
Training camps of 15-20 days are organised for members in all states.
The group runs vocational training and tailoring centres and blood donation camps, among other things.
Members are also trained in "dagger wielding" and use of firearms, according to the website.
Eighty girls are on their way to march and chant through the streets of the western city of Aurangabad. They are about to proudly proclaim India a Hindu nation.
All across the country many such parades are under way or being planned by the Durga Vahini, the women's wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) - the cultural arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - the largest Hindu nationalist group in India.
Durga Vahini literally means Army of Durga - named after the goddess who is among the fiercest in the Hindu pantheon.
There is camaraderie and excitement on the bus. The girls are dressed in white salwaar kameez (pyjamas and long tunics) and saffron-coloured dupattas (scarves). Two of the camp leaders are at the front of the bus leading the girls in a chant: "Hindustan is for Hindus. Pakistan can go to hell!"
As the girls repeat the chant I'm struck by their eyes - they reflect the headiness of transgression.
"We'll die for our beliefs!" postures one young girl. "We'll kill anyone who gets in our way!" yells another.
Apart from the military-style combat training, the girls are fed a revisionist history that promotes Hindu supremacy and posits Hinduism as the only legitimate religion of India. They are also taught to see their role in the defence and propagation of Hinduism as a service to their country.
And they are trained to be warriors and wives - they must be strong enough to break the bones of the enemy but docile enough to never question their husbands. The Durga Vahini leadership is blind to this duality - but that it has repercussions is abundantly clear.BBC News - Inside an Indian camp for radical Hindu women
What are we preparing for?
