VETERAN Sangh Pracharak Thakur Ramsingh passed away at Dayananda Medical College, Ludhiana on September 6. He was 96. He was unwell for the last one month.
His body was first kept at Madhav Sadan, the Sangh Karyalaya in Ludhiana, to enable the local swayamsevaks to pay their homage to the departed soul. Punjab Prant Sanghachalak Sardar Brijbhushan Singh Bedi, Prant Karyavah Shri Munishwar, Prant Pracharak Shri Kishorkant, Himachal Pradesh Prant Karyavah Shri Chetram and many other senior Sangh leaders paid their tribute to Ramsinghji at Madhav Sadan.
Later, the body was taken to Neri in Himachal Pradesh for cremation on September 7 where hundreds of people paid their tearful tribute. In the evening, the body was cremated at his native village, Jhandavi, at 4.00 pm.
Former RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri KS Sudarshan, Kshetra Sanghachalak Dr Bajranglal Gupt, Kshetra Pracharak Shri Rameshwar, BJP national vice president Shri Kalraj Mishra, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, Himachal Pradesh Prant Pracharak Shri Banvir, Prant Karyavah Shri Chetram, Sahprant Karyavah Shri Vir Singh Rangada, Prant Prachar Pramukh Shri Narendra and many other Sangh leaders, swayamsevaks, social activists, general public and representatives of various organisations of Himachal Pradesh paid their tribute.
Born on February 16, 1915 at Jhandavi village under Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh Thakur Ramsingh became a swayamsevak in 1941while doing MA (History) from FC College of Lahore. He topped the college in final year exams of MA in 1942 and was presented a gold medal for it. Keeping in view his extraordinary talent, the college principal had then offered him the lecturership in the same college. But he politely rejected the offer and became a Sangh Pracharak. During the same year, a total of 58 workers had become Pracharak from Lahore alone. The then Prant Pracharak Shri Madhavrao Mule deputed Thakur Ramsingh in Kangra district. After two years, he was given the responsibility of Vibhag Pracharak of Amritsar in 1944. At that time Gurdaspur, Syalkot, Kangara, Chamba, Mandi, Suket and Bilaspur were also part of Amritsar Vibhag. Since the Prant Sangh Karyalaya of Punjab was shifted from Lahore to Jalandhar due to Partition in 1947, Thakur Ramsingh also shifted to Jalandhar. When Madhavrao Muleji was jailed in 1948 due to ban on RSS, the work of Punjab Prant was assigned to Shri Bhai Mahavir and Thakur Ramsingh was told to assist him.
In 1949, Shri Bala Saheb Deoras called Ramsinghji to Calcutta. The planning was to expand the Sangh work in north-eastern states. Shri Ganga Bishan, Shri Baburao Paldhikar and Shri Agarkar were also called for the same meeting where Shri Guruji gave the responsibility of Assam Prant to Ramsinghji. He efficiently held this responsibility for 22 years from 1949 to 1971. After that he was appointed Sahprant Pracharak of Punjab. Later, he rose to become Uttar Kshetra Pracharak also.
Thakur Ramsingh was given the responsibility of Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojna in 1988. He started this work under the guidance of veteran Sangh Pracharak Shri Moropant Pingle who was basically the founder of this project. He was unanimously elected national president of Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojna at the second national convention held at Warangal in Andhra Pradesh in 1992. It was a big challenge for him but he accepted the challenge and started the work from Delhi.
All his activities in Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojna were focused on knowing the real history of the country. He inspired many historians, scholars and senior workers for this objective and very shortly expanded the work in different parts of the country. He was successful in associating many scholars, historians and intellectual with the Yojna. He conducted four national seminars in Himachal Pradesh on human creation in ‘Vaivastar Manvantar’, social system, invasion of Sikandar on India and his killing by Dogra warriors in Jammu region, Maharaja Sansarchand and on many other important topics. It is due to the inspiration of Thakur Ramsingh and the efforts of Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojna that Thakur Jagdevchand Memorial Research Institute was formed at Neri in Hamirpur district. Ramsinghji was its founder patron. Many important projects have already been started at this Institute.
Despite growing age and sickness, he remained active like a warrior throughout his life. Just one month back on August 5 he returned from Neri to Ludhiana and participated in a function organised to start a Rs 197 crore history writing project at the National Hamir Museum. Even being at the hospital in Ludhiana he called Shri Vijay Naddha on July 23 and gave him some handwritten facts about the Indian calendar for the Museum. At the later stage of his life, he was completely dedicated to the cause of history and discussed only about the project. Even at the time of being shifted to Ludhiana hospital from Hamipur he was discussing about the project only.
Very few people know that Ramsinghji was a good Hockey player. At the time of Partition he was in Amritsar. He not only boosted the morale of Hindus but also played a key role in the rehabilitation of the people coming from Pakistan. He fought against the jehadis for six months on the strength of 2,200 swayamsevaks and foiled all their game plans. Many of the incidents occurred during those days still inspire the new generation. When he had the responsibility of Punjab Prant, he toured the whole region on a bullet motorcycle. It is to be noted that in those days even present Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh were also part of Punjab Prant. He was very much pained at the wrong history being taught to the new generation. That is why he concentrated on writing of the glorious history of the country. He played a key role in exposing the myths of Aryan invasion and also the Saraswati River project.
In his tribute, VHP president Shri Ashok Singhal described Thakur Ramsingh ‘a Karmayoddha’ and as ‘an ideal Pracharak from the first generation of RSS. “Ramsinghji played a key role in expanding the Sangh work in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. It was very difficult task in those days as there was complete lack of facilities. I have not seen such a roaming Sangh Pracharak in my life. He promoted the Sangh work even in worst circumstances. His work in Assam Prant will always be remembered. Being a student of history he encouraged people to write the history of their own districts. He founded a research centre in Hamirpur to study the glorious history sung in folk songs. He was an inspiration for me. I cannot forget his tapasya,” Shri Singhal said in his tribute.
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