With the Makhamagha Maholsavam in Malappuram district now concluded, organisers estimate that more than 20 lakhs devotees took part in the Maholsav over the course of the event. Service activities coordinated by Sevabharati and Mata Amruthanandamayi Mission drew appreciation from many participants and a section of the media. However, as usual, some mainstream media outlets have consciously blacked out the coverage as it is linked with Hindutva.
After the culmination of the 17-day Maholsava on February 3, a river cleaning mission was taken up, with RSS functionaries jumping into action on the ground. Octogenarian S. Sethumadhavan, senior RSS Pracharak, joined the effort with visible enthusiasm. Along with RSS Uttar Kerala Pranth Pracharak A. Vinod, he was seen in the waist-deep waters of Bharathappuzha alias Nila River removing the waste that had reached there during the festival. Instead of delivering sermons, they were engaged directly in the clean-up activity along with hundreds of Sangh Swayamsevaks clad in Sevabharati attire. The team worked at ground level rather than through remote supervision or office coordination.
Sethumadhavan, a native of Palakkad district of Kerala, became a Sangh Pracharak when he was hardly 17. He later served as RSS Kerala Pranth Pracharak and subsequently as Kshetriya Pracharak for the Dakshin Bharath Kshethra consisting of Kerala, Uttar Tamil Nadu and Dakshin Tamil Nadu.
Tell me honestly… where else will you see THIS in the world? 🙏🔥
A senior RSS karyakarta — over 80 years old, who once carried Akhil Bharatiya responsibility on his shoulders…
And next to him — the Uttar Kerala State Pracharak. Not sitting in AC rooms. Not giving lectures.… pic.twitter.com/XU9gAlmh5U
— MAHARATHI (@MahaRathii) February 5, 2026
He afterwards shouldered the responsibility of Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Sadasya. Sethumadhavan is known as ‘Sethuettan’ throughout the length and breadth of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. ‘Ettan’ means elder brother in Malayalam. Even though he does not currently hold any organisational responsibility, and despite crossing his mid-eighties, he continues travelling and participating in programmes of RSS and Sangh-inspired organisations. He remains a familiar name among the “Sangh families” in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Such activities are often cited by Sangh workers as examples of their service-oriented approach. They state that the organisation focuses on social work alongside discipline and volunteerism. Kerala once again witnessed RSS swayamsevaks and functionaries like Sethuettan taking part in post-festival clean-up work.
RSS has been calling upon society to prioritise environmental responsibility as part of its Panch Parivartan focus areas. The river cleaning drive is cited as a practical step in that direction, reflecting its emphasis on translating stated principles into on-ground action and motivating wider public participation.
