Senior Sangh Pracharak Bhalchandra Gokhale, popularly known as Bhaluji, passed away in Nagpur on June 3. He was 91. He had been unwell for the last 2-3 years and had stopped eating anything for a few days. As per his wishes, his eyes were donated to Madhav Netrapedhi, Nagpur.
He was cremated in Nagpur the same day. His nephew, Umesh Gokhale, performed the last rites. Prominent among those who paid him tributes and were present at the crematorium included Sarsanghachalak Shri K.S. Sudarshan, Sahsarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi, Akhil Bharatiya Pracharak Pramukh Shri Sureshrao Ketakar, Akhil Bharatiya Sahpracharak Pramukh Shri Motlagji, Vidarbha Prant Sahsanghachalak Shriram Joshi, senior Pracharak Shri Baburao Deshpande and a large number of swayamsevaks and adhikaris from Nagpur.
Bhaluji was born in Yavatmal city of Vidarbha on October 20, 1916. He came in contact of RSS in his childhood. The late Baba Saheb Apate had close relations with his father and uncle. It was after the inspiration of the late Apateji, Bhaluji became a Sangh Pracharak in 1946. In the beginning, he was sent to Bengal. He learnt Bengali in a very short span and spread the Sangh work in South Calcutta. After the Partition in 1947 when a large number of Hindus came to Bengal he, under the banner of Vastuhara Sahayata Samiti, provided relief to the refugees. He returned Nagpur in 1969 due to ill-health. He looked after the arrangements of Nagpur Sangh Karyalaya for years. Later, he learnt various languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and translated letters in those languages in the Karyalaya. Despite not keeping well his presence in the daily shakha and in all the major events of the Sangh, was an inspiration for all the swayamsevaks. (FOC)
