On the thirteenth day of Dr Hedgewar’s Mahaprayan, a tribute meeting for Dr Saheb was held in Nagpur. Sri Guruji, remembering him as the Sarsanghchalak, stated that Dr Saheb’s work resulted in the organisation of one lakh volunteers over the course of fifteen years. Dattopant Thengadi believes that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was not created out of emotion or excitement. Dr Hedgewar, a great man, a born patriot, who showed patriotism since childhood, studied all kinds of issues the nation was facing and participated in all the movements and activities of his time, participated in the movements of Congress and Hindu Sabha, stayed in Bengal to gain experience of revolutionary work, and after deep thought, he planned RSS.
In a letter, Dr Hedgewar states, “We have not begun the work of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in any one city or province. It was launched with the goal of uniting our entire nation as quickly as possible and making Hindu society resilient and strong.
How Britishers attempted to suppress the RSS?
The fake story of RSS close to Britishers, creators from different political parties, and communists should study and learn how Britishers sought to suppress the work of RSS. Britishers realised that the expansion of RSS would affect their aim to govern the nation for many centuries. The British Government was wary of these ideas or the Sangh’s expansion. M G Hallot, a British officer in Delhi, pressed the Central Province Government to take action against the Sangh. Finally, in December 1933, staff and teachers of Central Indian bodies were prohibited from participating in Sangh programs. In March 1934, a motion was introduced before the assembly to protest the ban. T H Kedar, R W Phule, Ramabai Tambe, B G Khaparde, R A Kanitkar, C B Parekh, U N Thakur, Manmohan Singh, M D Mangalamurthy, S G Sapkal, and W Y Deshmukh were among those who spoke in support of it. This level of support for their belief in the Sangh was unparalleled. Following the debate, the British Government’s ban was lifted. According to Dr Hedgewar, the Government’s situation got worse to the point that it could no longer blame the Sangh in any way.
Dr Hedgewar’s exceptional leadership skills and affection for swayamsevaks
During a speech in 1935, Dr Hedgewar stated, “A Swayamsevak works well today and sits at home tomorrow. If a Swayamsevak is absent from the Shakha on any given day, go to his residence and find out why. Otherwise, he will not attend the Shakha, even on the second day. On the third day, he will be hesitant to visit the Sangha. On the fourth day, he will feel anxious, and on the fifth day, he will begin postponing. As a result, no Swayamsevak should be allowed to miss the Shakha meeting. Nana Kajrekar from Satara began participating in Sangh Shiksha Varg in Pune in 1936. Due to a gastrointestinal problem, he began avoiding certain programs. Dr Saheb diagnosed his problem and treated him.
Dr Hedgewar’s language and demeanour were generally straightforward and kind. Since Sangh’s job is national in nature, he treated everyone as if they were members of his family. He trained regular swayamsevaks based on mutual connection and affection. His belief was that Sangh’s work should not be hampered by any unforeseen circumstances. His goal was to unite Hindus rather than just grow their numbers. He stressed that Sangh’s task would have to be done throughout his life. Its ultimate goal would be to awaken the society’s inherent strength.
Dr Hedgewar did everything he could to keep the swayamsevaks morale high. During a discussion about the organisation, he once said, “When the Sangh was formed, the situation was so unfavourable that it seemed impossible to work. While we faced such a difficult situation fearlessly and kept working continuously, then why should we raise the question of the difficulty of the situation even today? Whatever was the pace of our work till today was fine. But how will it be now? Do you consider the work we have done till today sufficient? I can certainly say that every swayamsevak will at least give the same answer in his mind about the work that should have been done or could not be done as we can put more effort into achieving it as early as possible.
Dr Hedgewar served as the first Sarsanghchalak of the Sangh for 15 years. During this period, Dr Saheb carefully devised the technique for establishing an organisation through Sangh Shakhas. Along with this organisational structure, the big nationalist though process, vision and action plan were constantly present. He used to confidently guarantee us that if we develop good Sangh Shakhas, maintain weaving that network as dense as possible, and bring the entire society under the influence of Sangh Shakhas, all of our problems, from national independence to overall progress, will be solved.
Throughout these years, everyone he interacted with admired him and his work. Among them were notable figures such as Maharishi Arvind, Lokmanya Tilak, Madan Mohan Malviya, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, B S Munje, Bitthalbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, and K M Munshi.
Dr Hedgewar used to claim that I wasn’t performing any fresh work. He never declared that he founded the Sangh. He announced to 16 individuals on the upper floor of his residence that we would begin the Sangh work. On that day, the Sangh was not yet called Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Dr Hedgewar didn’t say that it’s my ‘organisation’ and that I would run it. He never thought or behaved like this. He promoted collaboration (Unity, Equality) in every aspect. Dr Hedgewar has a self-effacing viewpoint and was an expert in the science of organisation.
Today, when we look at the large tree that has grown from a seed sown by Dr Hedgewar in various sectors to build Bharat in all areas and increase unity and equanimity among Hindus by rejecting caste barriers and assisting each other to progress socially, economically, and spiritually, it is admirable. Salute a self-sacrificing devotee of Bharat Mata.
