They all have the same DNA. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Subramanian Swamy. Lal Krishna Advani and Narendra Modi. Now forgotten, but founder of the Jan Sangh, Balraj Madhok and Nanaji Deshmukh. Now sidelined, but once media-savvy Murli Manohar Joshi, and KN Govindacharya. Their DNA is shaped by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Yet they represent more than fifty shades of saffron.

Veteran journalist Kumar Ketkar explains.