In the 100 years since its inception in 1925, the RSS has perplexed observers with its organizational skills, military discipline and single-minded quest for influence in all walks of Indian life. Often seen as insidious and banned thrice, the pace of its growth and ideological dominance of the political landscape in the second decade of the millennium have been remarkable. It has already achieved its key short-term goals, such as altering the political status of Jammu and Kashmir in India's federal structure, building a temple for Lord Ram in Ayodhya, where the Babri mosque once stood, and tweaking the educational system; the first steps in establishing the primacy of Hindus in the affairs of the country.