K. B. Hedgewar Explained

K. B. Hedgewar
Birth Name:Keshav Baliram Hedgewar
Birth Date:1889 4, df=yes
Birth Place:Nagpur, Central Provinces, British India
Death Place:Nagpur, Central Provinces and Berar, British India
Predecessor:Position established
Succeeded:M. S. Golwalkar
Office:1st Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Term Start:27 September 1925
Term End:21 June 1940
Education:MBBS
Alma Mater:Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata
Known For:Founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1 April 1889 – 21 June 1940), also known by his moniker Doctorji was a Hindutva activist, physician and the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).[1] [2] Hedgewar founded the RSS in Nagpur in 1925, based on the ideology of Hindu nationalism.[3] [4]

Early life

Hedgewar was born on 1 April 1889 in a Marathi[5] deshastha Brahmin family in Nagpur, Maharashtra.[6] [7] [8] [9] His ancestors migrated from the bordering Telugu village[10] [11] of Kandakurthi, Nizamabad district in present-day Telangana.[12] [13] Few modern political historians therefore sometimes refer to him as a Telugu Brahmin.[14] His parents were Baliram Pant Hedgewar and Revatibai, a couple of modest means. When Hedgewar was thirteen both of his parents died in the Plague Epidemic[15] of 1902. Hedgewar's uncle ensured that he continued to receive a good education, and B. S. Moonje became a patron and a father-figure for the young Hedgewar.

He studied at Neel City High School in Nagpur, from where he was expelled singing "Vande Mataram" in violation of the circular issued by the then British colonial government. As a result, he had to pursue his high school studies at the Rashtriya Vidyalaya in Yavatmal and later in Pune. After matriculating, he was sent to Kolkata by B. S. Moonje (a member of the Indian National Congress, who later became the President of the Hindu Mahasabha) in 1910 to pursue his medical studies.[16] After passing the L.M.S. Examination from the Calcutta Medical College in June 1916, he completed a yearlong apprenticeship and returned to Nagpur in 1917 as a physician.[17]

Ideological roots

After completing his education, Hedgewar joined the Anushilan Samiti in Bengal, which was influenced deeply by the writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Hedgewar's initiation into this group, rooted in Hindu symbolism, was an important step in his path towards creating the RSS. Hedgewar was also deeply influenced by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar treatise Hindutva.[18] Dr. Hedgewar was also highly influenced by Samarth Ramdas's Dasbodh and Lokamanya Tilak's Geeta Rahasya. His letters often bore quotes from Tukaram.[19]

Formation of RSS

Hedgewar participated in the Indian National Congress in the 1920s, but he became disillusioned with their policies and politics. He had been an active member of the party's volunteer division - Hindustani Seva Dal, the predecessor of the Congress Seva Dal.[20] He was deeply influenced by the writings of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Babarao Savarkar, Sri Aurobindo and B. S. Moonje. He also read Mazzini and other enlightenment philosophers. He considered that the cultural and religious heritage of Hindus should be the basis of Indian nationhood.[21]

Hedgewar founded RSS in 1925 on the day of Vijayadashami with an aim to organise Hindu community for its cultural and spiritual regeneration and make it a tool for achieving complete independence for a united India.[22] Hedgewar suggested the term 'Rashtriya' (national) for his Hindu organization, for he wanted to re-assert the Hindu identity with 'Rashtriya'.[23] Hedgewar supported the setting up of a women's wing of the organization in 1936 called Rashtra Sevika Samiti.[24] [25]

Those that participated in the movement were called Swayamsevaks (meaning volunteers). Early Swayamsevaks included Bhaiyaji Dani, Babasaheb Apte, M. S. Golwalkar, Balasaheb Deoras, and Madhukar Rao Bhagwat, among others. The Sangh (Community) was growing in Nagpur and the surrounding districts, and it soon began to spread to other provinces. Hedgewar went to a number of places and inspired the youths for taking up Sangh work. Gradually all his associates had begun to endearingly call him 'Doctor ji.'[26]

Political activities post formation of RSS

After founding the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1925, Hedgewar maintained a healthy distance from Indian Independence movement as led by Gandhi. Instead he encouraged local Swayamsevaks to participate on their own accord with the struggle. This lack of enthusiasm in the Independence Movement is heavily criticised. Hedgewar was actively discouraging RSS cadres to not join the movement which was led by Gandhi.[27] The RSS biographer C. P. Bhishikar states, "after establishing Sangh, Doctor Saheb in his speeches used to talk only of Hindu organization. Direct comment on (British) Government used to be almost nil."[28] [29]

When the Congress passed the Purna Swaraj resolution in its Lahore session in December 1929, and called upon all Indians to celebrate 26 January 1930 as Independence Day, Hedgewar issued a circular asking all the RSS shakhas to observe the occasion through hoisting and worship of the Bhagwa Dhwaj (saffron flag), rather than the Tricolor (which was, by consensus, considered the flag of the Indian national movement at that time).[30] [31] [32]

1930 was the only year when the RSS celebrated 26 January and it stopped the practice from the next year onwards.[30] However, such celebration became a standard feature of the freedom movement and often came to mean violent confrontation with the official police.[30] C. P. Bhishikar states,[33]

[In April 1930], Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for 'Satyagraha' against the British Government. Gandhi himself launched the Salt Satyagraha undertaking his Dandi Yatra. Dr. Hedgewar decided to participate only individually and not let the RSS join the freedom movement officially. He sent information everywhere that the Sangh will not participate in the Satyagraha. However those wishing to participate individually in it were not prohibited.[34] [35]

Hedgewar emphasized that he participated in the Civil Disobedience movement of 1930 in an individual capacity, and not as a RSS member. His concern was to keep the RSS out of the political arena.[36] According to Hedgewar's biography, when Gandhi launched the Salt Satyagraha in 1930, he sent information everywhere that the RSS will not participate in the Satyagraha. However those wishing to participate individually in it were not prohibited.[37]

For Hedgewar, India was an ancient civilisation, and the freedom struggle was an attempt to re-establish a land for the Hindus after almost 800 years of foreign rule, primarily by the Mughals and then by the British.[38] The tri-colour according to Hedgewar did not encapsulate the ancient past of India. Hedgewar insisted that the RSS must only be involved with "man-making". He was critical of Hindu society and its degeneration over the centuries with its out-dated and often backward practices. The RSS, he wrote, must be completely devoted to establishing men of character and worthy of respect the world over.

Establishment of Rashtra Sevika Samiti

Laxmibai Kelkar was the founder of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti. Before establishing the organization, Kelkar visited Dr. K.B. Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, in 1936 and had a long discussion to persuade him regarding the need for starting a women's wing in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh itself.[39] Hedgewar, though, continued to restrict membership of the RSS to men. However, Hedgewar advised Laxmibai Kelkar to establish an entirely separate organization that would be autonomous and independent of the RSS, as both groups were ideologically identical. Hedgewar promised Kelkar unconditional solidarity, support and guidance for the Samithi. Following this, Kelkar established the Rashtra Sevika Samiti at Wardha on 25 October 1936.[40] [41]

Death and legacy

His health deteriorated in later years of his life. Often he suffered from chronic back pain. He started delegating his responsibilities to M. S. Golwalkar, who later succeeded him as Sarsanghchalak of RSS.[42] [43] In January 1940, he was taken to Rajgir in Bihar for the hot-spring treatment.[29]

He attended the annual Sangh Shiksha Varg (officer training camp) in 1940, where he gave his last message to Swayamsevaks, saying: 'I see before my eyes today a miniature Hindu Rashtra."[43] [30] He died on the morning of 21 June 1940 in Nagpur. His last rites were performed in the locality of Resham Bagh in Nagpur, which was later developed as Hedgewar Smruti Mandir.[43] [44]

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee described Hedgewar as a great patriot, freedom fighter and nationalist during his commemoration on a postal stamp in 1999.[45] Hedgewar was described as "a great son of Mother India" by former President of India Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to Hedgewar's birthplace in Nagpur.[46]

Establishments named after Hedgewar

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Timeline. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. 22 May 2020. 5 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230805021028/https://www.rss.org/Timeline.html. live.)
  2. Book: Kumar . Sumit . Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar . 2016 . Prabhat Prakashan . Mumbai . 978-9350486900.
  3. Book: Taneja, S. P.. Society and politics in India. Swastik Publishers & Distributors. Delhi, India. 2009. 978-81-89981-29-7. 332.
  4. News: All in the Family . News Insight . 29 August 2012 . Subramanian, N.V. . 31 August 2012 . 2 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152319/http://www.newsinsight.net/Allinthefamily..aspx#page=page-1 . dead .
  5. Web site: 2023-04-04 . Keshav Baliram Hedgewar- RSS . 2024-07-01 . en-US.
  6. Book: Andersen. Walter. Messengers of Hindu Nationalism: How the RSS Reshaped India. Damle. Shridhar D.. 15 June 2019. Oxford University Press. 978-1-78738-289-3. 261. en. Dr. Hedgewar, was a trained medical practitioner, and founded the RSS in 1925. 21 June 2020. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151720/https://books.google.com/books?id=BDqdDwAAQBAJ. live.
  7. Book: Changing political leadership in an Indian province: the Central Provinces and Berar, 1919-1939. David E. U. Baker. Oxford University Press. 1979. 104. Though Moonje was closely involved with this organization, its actual founder was his protege and associate, Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a Deshastha Brahman doctor from Nagpur..
  8. Book: Dr. Hedgewar, the Epoch-maker: A Biography. H. V. Seshadri. Sahitya Sindhu. 1981. 2. The place was at one time the abode of scholars and prosperous Brahmin families. The Hedgewar family was one such. They were Deshastha Brahmins of the Shakala branch, belonging to the Ashwalayana Sutra of the Rigveda. Their gotra was Kashyapa, and learning and transmission of the Vedas was their sole preoccupation.. 15 September 2020. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151721/https://books.google.com/books?id=Sn0eAAAAMAAJ. live.
  9. Book: Goodrick-Clarke, N.. Hitler's Priestess: Savitri Devi, the Hindu-Aryan Myth, and Neo-Nazism.. 2000. NYU Press. 0-8147-3110-4. 58. 18 October 2015. As early as 1925 Dr. Hedgewar had founded the RSS to foster Hindutva activism among the Maharashtrian youth. Born into an orthodox Deshastha Brahmin family in Nagpur, Keshavrao Baliram Hedgewar (1889–1940) qualified as a medical doctor but devoted his whole life to the struggle for Indian political freedom.. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151739/https://books.google.com/books?id=m6-5YC-pBk4C&pg=58. live.
  10. Book: Teltumbde, Anand . Hindutva and Dalits: Perspectives for Understanding Communal Praxis . 31 January 2020 . SAGE Publishing India . 978-93-81345-51-1 . en . "Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a Telugu Brahmin settled in Nagpur." . 21 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151721/https://books.google.com/books?id=HhvHDwAAQBAJ . 26 January 2024 . live.
  11. Web site: 16 November 2018 . To read the mind of behemoth RSS . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190902150649/https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/books/to-read-the-mind-of-behemoth-rss/cid/1675355 . 2 September 2019 . 15 April 2019 . Telegraph India . Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a Telugu Brahmin doctor from Nagpur.
  12. Book: Christophe Jaffrelot . The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics: 1925 to the 1990s : Strategies of Identity-building, Implantation and Mobilisation (with Special Reference to Central India) . C. Hurst & Co. Publishers . 1996 . 9781850653011 . 45 . The organization had been founded and developed by Maharashtrian Brahmins - Hedgewar came from a Telugu Brahmin family long resident in kandakurti currently situated on banks of river godavari at Maharashtra Telangana border near Biloli taluka Biloli Dist. Nanded Maharashtra and Golwalkar was a Karhada Brahmin – and all the early swayamsevaks were Brahmins..
  13. Web site: 7 April 2019 . How coastal Karnataka was saffronised; part 1: Hedgewar sends emissary to Mangalore, an RSS shakha is born . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190423202120/https://www.firstpost.com/india/how-coastal-karnataka-was-saffronised-part-1-hedgewar-sends-an-emissary-to-mangalore-a-shakha-is-born-the-rss-takes-root-6364981.html . 23 April 2019 . 15 April 2019 . Firstpost.
  14. Book: Louis, Prakash . The Emerging Hindutva Force: The Ascent of Hindu Nationalism . 2000 . Indian Social Institute . 978-81-87218-31-9 . 38 . en . K.B. Hedgewar was a Telugu Brahmin residing in Nagpur. . 21 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151833/https://books.google.com/books?id=917XAAAAMAAJ . 26 January 2024 . live.
  15. Book: Zavos, John . The Emergence of Hindu Nationalism in India. 2000. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-565140-9. 184.
  16. Book: Christophe Jaffrelot. The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics: 1925 to the 1990s: Strategies of Identity-building, Implantation and Mobilisation (with Special Reference to Central India). 1999. Penguin Books India. 978-0-14-024602-5. 33.
  17. 4 February 1950. The R.S.S.. Economic Weekly. Kelkar. D. V..
  18. Web site: How MS Golwalkar's virulent ideology underpins Modi's India. Bal. Hartosh Singh. The Caravan. en. 13 August 2019. 13 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190813060233/https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/golwalkar-ideology-underpins-modi-india. live.
  19. Book: Sunil Ambekar. The RSS: roadmaps for the 21st century. New Delhi. Rupa. 2019. 19. 9789353336851. 15 September 2020. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151733/https://books.google.com/books?id=zakKywEACAAJ. live.
  20. Web site: RSS founder Hedgewar was with Congress, and other facts you didn't know. 25 March 2020. 27 October 2020. 30 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201030163601/https://theprint.in/india/rss-founder-hedgewar-was-with-congress-and-other-facts-you-didnt-know/387491/. live.
  21. Book: Malik, Yogendra. Hindu nationalists in India : the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Westview Press. 1994. 978-0-8133-8810-6. Boulder. 158.
  22. Book: Moyser, George. Politics and religion in the modern world. Routledge. 1991. 978-0-415-02328-3. London New York. 158.
  23. Book: Basu, Datta. Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags: A Critique of the Hindu Right. Orient Longman Limited. 1993. 9780863113833. New Delhi. 18.
  24. Book: Jayawardena, Kumari. Embodied violence: communalising women's sexuality in South Asia. Zed Books. 1996. 978-1-85649-448-9. London New Jersey. 126–167.
  25. News: 27 April 2014. Hindutva's Other Half. Hindustan Times. 14 November 2017. 14 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171114145201/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/hindutva-s-other-half/story-47fbojv8PVaE4HvqsK4MHK.html. live.
  26. Book: Partha Banerjee. In the Belly of the Beast: The Hindu Supremacist RSS and BJP of India: an Insider's Story. Ajanta Books International. 1998. 42.
  27. Book: Islam, Shamsul. Undoing India the RSS Way. 2002. Media House. 9788174951427. 29 December 2018. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151727/https://books.google.com/books?id=tQ5pO46SPk0C. live.
  28. Book: Bhishikar, C. P.. 1994. Sangh Vriksh ke Beej: Dr. Keshav Rao Hedgewar. New Delhi. Suruchi Prakashan.
  29. Book: Islam, Shamsul . Religious Dimensions of Indian Nationalism: A Study of RSS. 2006. Media House. 978-81-7495-236-3. 188.
  30. Book: Tapan Basu. Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags: A Critique of the Hindu Right. 1993. Orient Blackswan. 978-0-86311-383-3. 21–. 11 October 2016. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151823/https://books.google.com/books?id=CimVTTVHtwQC&pg=PA21#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  31. Book: Hadiz, Vedi R.. Empire and Neoliberalism in Asia. 2006. Routledge. 978-1-134-16727-2. 252. 11 October 2016. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126152339/https://books.google.com/books?id=dd99AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA252#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  32. Book: Puniyani, Ram . Religion, Power and Violence: Expression of Politics in Contemporary Times. 2005. SAGE Publications. 978-0-7619-3338-0. 141.
  33. Book: Seshadri, H. V.. Dr. Hedgewar, the epoch-maker: a biography. 1981. Sahitya Sindhu. 15 September 2020. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126152329/https://books.google.com/books?id=Bb9dAAAAIAAJ. live.
  34. Book: Bhishikar, C. P.. 1994. Sangh Vriksh ke Beej: Dr. KeshavRao Hedgewar. Suruchi Prakashan. 20.
  35. Book: Puniyani, Ram . Religion, Power and Violence: Expression of Politics in Contemporary Times. 6 July 2005. SAGE Publications. 978-81-321-0206-9. 129.
  36. Book: Jaffrelot, Christopher. The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics. 1996. Penguin India. 978-0140246025. 74. 9 December 2016. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126152225/https://books.google.com/books?id=iVsfVOTUnYEC&pg=PA74#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  37. Book: Islam, Shamsul. Religious Dimensions of Indian Nationalism: A Study of RSS. 2006. Media House. 9788174952363. 25 December 2021. 26 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240126152225/https://books.google.com/books?id=iaQjbO8SN48C&pg=PA183. live.
  38. Book: Nagpur archives. Nagpur, India.
  39. Web site: Remembering Moushiji Kelkar, founder Pramukh Sanchalika of Rashtra Sevika Samiti on her 110th Birth Anniversary. 6 July 2015. Vishwa Samvada Kendra. en-US. 16 February 2019. 17 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030249/https://samvada.org/2015/news/remembering-moushiji/. dead.
  40. Web site: 10 things to know about Rashtra Sevika Samiti, the women wing of RSS by Rakesh Jha . www.inuth.com. 12 October 2017 . inuth. 14 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200514164334/https://www.inuth.com/india/10-things-to-know-about-rashtra-sevika-samiti-the-women-wing-of-rss/ . 14 May 2020. }
  41. Web site: Holier Than Cow by Neha Dixit . www.outlookindia.com. outlookindia. 14 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190831131432/https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/holier-than-cow/283593 . 31 August 2019. }
  42. Book: Golwalkar . M. S. . A bunch of thoughts .
  43. Book: Pralay Kanungo. RSS's tryst with politics: from Hedgewar to Sudarshan. 2002. Manohar. 978-81-7304-398-7.
  44. News: Nagpur: RSS founder's memorial Smruti Mandir gets tourism status. www.timesnownews.com. 8 May 2018. 29 December 2018. 11 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180811131745/https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/in-focus/article/nagpur-rss-founder-memorial-smruti-mandir-gets-tourism-status/225855. live.
  45. Web site: Rediff On The NeT: Vajpayee releases stamp on Hedgewar . 11 May 2022 . www.rediff.com . 11 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220511051339/https://www.rediff.com/news/1999/mar/18hedge.htm . live .
  46. News: Pranab hails Hedgewar as 'great son of India' . 7 June 2018 . . 7 June 2018 . 12 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142037/https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/pranab-hails-hedgewar-as-great-son-of-india-118060701079_1.html . live .
  47. Web site: Dr.Hedgewar Institute Of Medical Sciences & Research, Amravati. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141105152342/http://hedgewarhospital.org/pages/aboutus.htm. 5 November 2014.
  48. Web site: About us. https://web.archive.org/web/20141105153755/http://www.drhedgewaredu.com/about_us.php. dead. 5 November 2014. Dr.Hedgewar Shikshan Pratishthan, Ahmednagar..
  49. Web site: Dr.Hedgewar Aarogya Sansthan, Karkardooma, New Delhi, Delhi 110032. 12 November 2015. 16 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151116121042/http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/DoIT_Health/health/home/hospitals/dr.hedgewar+aarogya+sansthan/dr.hedgewar+aarogya+sansthan. live.

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