Ahmedabad: Sri Guruji (MS Golwalkar) preserved, nurtured and transformed the seed of Sangh into a banyan tree. He preserved and expanded the Sangh ethos in the most difficult period of partition, said RSS Sah-Sarkaryavah CR Mukanada while addressing the gathering on Day 2 of the four-day lecture series ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ki Shatabdi Yatra: Netritva ki Disha aur Bhumika’ organised by Bharatiya Vichar Manch to mark the centenary of the RSS at the Gujarat University Convention and Exhibition Centre on November 12, 2025.
“The real and holistic transformation of society cannot take place merely through political means. SRI Guruji had a clear conviction about this even after supporting the initiative of Jan Sangh by Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. If Dr Hedgewar was a Sutrakar, Guruji Golwalkar was Bhashyakar”, he said.
Narrating an anecdote, CR Mukanda said, “Yadav Rao Joshi, who oversaw the Sangh’s work in the southern region, once told Ranga Hari ji, that, The day Guruji was given the responsibility of Sarsanghchalak, he saw Madhav in Keshav. The way Dr Hedgewar conceptualised and ideologically built the Sangh, Guruji took upon himself the sacred duty of expanding that vision across the nation”.
Narrating another anecdote, CR Mukunda said, once Guruji had told a journalist, ‘My contribution to the Sangh is that I have preserved it exactly as Dr Hedgewar had handed it to me.’ In a book, it is mentioned that in 1940 people told Aapaji Joshi, ‘We always felt that you were Dr Hedgewar’s right hand,’ Aapaji replied, ‘You are absolutely right, but Guruji is the heart of Hedgewar ji.’
“Even today, the thoughts and vision of Dr Hedgewar remain as relevant as ever. Whatever work we undertake today bears the imprint of Guruji’s contribution. When Guruji became the Sarsanghchalak, the Sangh was passing through extremely difficult times, the Quit India Movement, Partition, and even the false accusation in the Gandhi assassination case. It was Guruji who steered the Sangh out of these testing circumstances with clarity and resolve”, CR Mukanda said.
“In the first fifteen years, from 1925 to 1940, Dr Hedgewar and his close associates carried the work of Sangh across the nation. They awakened and united the Hindu society through daily shakhas, though at that time, they were not widely known. The Sangh’s ultimate goal, “Param Vaibhavam,” was envisioned early on, but the question remained, how could it be achieved? The team nurtured by Dr Hedgewar, comprising dedicated young men, travelled across India from Lucknow to Kashi to South and beyond, spreading the Sangh’s work. In the later years of the RSS, we see many organisations and movements emerging from the same ideology. When Guruji became Sarsanghchalak, there were less than a thousand shakhas but by 1973, the number had crossed twenty thousand. This growth reflected Dr Hedgewar’s vision which was carried forward by Guruji’s tireless efforts over the next 33 years”, he said.
“Even today, the issues Guruji placed before swayamsevaks and society remain are profoundly relevant. The Sangh’s ideology has reached people through various activities, a process that began in the 1940s. After independence, Balasaheb Deoras and Bhaiyaji Dani were engaged in discussions about new organisations that could extend the Sangh’s vision. Ranga Hari ji wrote about these discussions in his book in 2006 on Guruji. However, when the Sangh was banned in 1948, these plans could not print or noted on paper but the work can be seen”, he said.
“In a bauddhik in 1954 at a meeting in Sindhi village, Delhi, Guruji discussed the Sangh’s role after independence, whether it should form a political party or remain a cultural organisation. According to Ranga Hari ji’s account, this seven-day chintan baithak focused deeply on “Swa” (self) and “Sarvagin Unnati” (integral development). Guruji’s guidance in that era continues to shape the Sangh’s direction today. For the Sangh, independence was not merely a transfer of power, it was the beginning of a journey towards Swaraj, Swarashtra, and transformation in life values and conduct”, he said while sharing an anecdote.
“The Sangh’s vast expansion today is a visible reflection of Guruji’s visionary action. Many organisations were inspired by the RSS during his leadership. When the Jana Sangh was formed, a year later The New York Times journalist Lukas interviewed Guruji, saying he wanted to write about the Sangh and Jana Sangh. Guruji replied, “You will only add to the misconceptions about the Sangh and Jana Sangh.” He explained that even during the ban on the Sangh, there was no one to speak for the organisation, hence, the idea of creating a political entity arose. Guruji wrote about this while he was in Siwan Jail. Mauli Chandra Sharma, who was mediating between the Sangh and the Government to lift the ban, had discussed with Bhaiyaji Dani the need for a political entity.
However, when Syama Prasad Mookerjee later met Guruji seeking support, Guruji made it clear that, RSS would remain a cultural organisation. The Sangh’s mission is to bring transformation within families and society, this clarity was achieved long ago”, he said.
He further said that, “PY Deshpande from the INTUC (Indian National Trade Union Congress) invited Dattopant Thengadi ji to join the organisation. Thengadi ji consulted Balasaheb Deoras, who advised him to first meet Guruji. Guruji told Thengadi ji, ‘You may work there, but work according to their rules.’ However, Thengadi ji after working there for a year realised that working according to their framework was difficult, and under Guruji’s guidance, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) was founded in 1955. Unlike other trade unions, BMS under Guruji’s direction integrated discussions not only on labour and wages but also on culture, national devotion, and character, a unique balance that continues to define it.”
Narrating another anecdote, CR Mukunda shared that in Nashik, Thengadi ji once asked Guruji, ‘If we need a person who is accepted across the country, who could that be?’ Guruji gave the example of Vishwakarma, who possesses vision and contributes to the nation through his skills and labour.
This vision of uniting intellect, labour, and devotion for the nation remains the enduring legacy of Guruji and the guiding force behind the Sangh’s continuous expansion and relevance, he said.
“In 1952, when the first Saraswati Shishu Mandir was established in Uttar Pradesh, Guruji, along with Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Bhaurao Deoras, Rajju Bhaiya, and Nanaji Deshmukh, discussed what should be the vision and direction of education, how school education should be shaped, and what values it must impart. Based on this discussion and these values, the first Saraswati Shishu Mandir was founded in Gorakhpur under the leadership of the late Nanaji Deshmukh. Today, Vidya Bharati has expanded not only across Bharat but has also inspired educational initiatives abroad.
In some countries, home schools inspired by Vidya Bharati’s model follow the same educational philosophy and methods, aimed at imparting education to Hindu children rooted in Indian cultural values and a national perspective. In fact, when the Government of India introduced the National Education Policy (NEP), several members of Vidya Bharati also contributed their insights to its formulation. Vidya Bharati is not merely an institution; it represents a vision for education that every society and nation must adopt. It reflects the transformation in educational thought that Guruji envisioned for Bharat, a model rooted in Indian culture, values, and national ideals. Based on this vision of Guruji, the network of Saraswati Shishu Mandirs and Vidya Bharati schools evolved and flourished,” CR Mukunda said while narrating another incident from the life of Guruji.
Every such initiative, whether in education, student life, or public engagement, bears Guruji’s vision and guidance. Be it the founding of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) or various national publications and institutions, all emerged with Guruji’s thought and direction at their core. The expansion and diversification of the Sangh’s work that we witness today find their roots in the seeds sown by Dr Hedgewar, which Guruji nurtured and gave form to, presenting them to society in a manner that both the people and the nation could accept and embrace, he said.
He further said that “Guruji’s thoughts of that time remain deeply relevant even today and will continue to guide us in the future. Today, across the world, including Bharat, we often hear about ‘wokeism,’ ‘liberalism,’ and ‘ultra-liberal’ ideas. Many among the new generation, both young men and women, are getting influenced by these thoughts. But if you listen carefully to these ideas, whether leftist, liberal, ultra-liberal, or woke, their root ultimately lies in the Western concept of individual happiness and individual rights. This thought took shape during the Industrial revolution in the West and kept evolving in various forms. We often read or hear slogans like ‘My body, my right, who are you to question how I live?’ The thought process influenced by such notions ultimately stops there, at the individual self. However, Bharat’s vision of happiness (sukh) is entirely different. Guruji repeatedly spoke about this in different contexts that true happiness is not just my personal joy but the joy of living together with the collective society. My happiness lies in the well-being of all,” he said.
“Today, we talk extensively about technology, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, and so on. Even during Guruji’s time, there were discussions about technological change. He said, ‘We cannot stop technology. It will continue to evolve.’ As the famous futurist and writer Alvin Toffler wrote nearly 20 years ago, ‘What is in New York today will be in Beijing tomorrow; what is in Moscow today will soon spread elsewhere.’ Guruji agreed that technological change is inevitable, but he added a profound question, ‘Can we view and use technology through the lens of Dharma? Can we determine its use or misuse based on Dharma?’” CR Mukunda said.
“Today, when the world debates the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence, we realise Guruji had already laid this foundation decades ago, that the use of any technology must be guided by Dharma, by ethical and moral consciousness. That is why Guruji’s thought remains deeply relevant and necessary even today,” he further said.
On the message of Ek Mandir, Ek Kuan, Ek Shamshan for all by RSS, he said, “As Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat reminded us a few years ago, even today, in thousands of villages across Bharat, people of all castes do not have access to the same source of drinking water. Different communities draw water from different wells. In many villages, temples still have restrictions on entry based on caste. Even cremation grounds are divided. Such disparities in conduct and social practice still exist. Guruji, in 1969, had addressed this very concern at a Vishva Hindu Parishad conference in Karnataka, attended by many sadhus and saints. In his address, he explained logically and spiritually that Dharma itself is the instrument to remove discrimination and the sense of high and low. The saints and mathadhipatis present there accepted this wholeheartedly that there should be no discrimination in Dharma. In that same speech, Guruji had said, Dharmaacharan means how we conduct ourselves in daily life. Guruji said, ‘We must not steal, we must not covet what belongs to others, we must cultivate righteous conduct.’ At the same time, Guruji said, the true greatness of Dharma lies in how it harmonises and uplifts all, removing social differences and uniting the nation in shared values.”
“For a society to live together in harmony, Dharma must be the foundation. Even for organised social living, Dharma alone provides the base. While emphasising this, Guruji said that today, Dharma faces a challenge because people have begun to identify the caste system, untouchability, and discrimination as part of Dharma. This misunderstanding must be removed,” he said.
He further said that during that historic gathering of Dharmacharyas, Mathadhipatis, and Peethadhipatis, everyone listened attentively to Guruji’s words. Together, they unanimously declared, ‘There should be no discrimination within Hindu society. Dharma itself teaches that there must be no untouchability or inequality.’ It was a remarkable and transformative moment in the history of Hindu society.”
Comments