 | This article contains promotional content. (September 2025) |
Keshav Baliram Hedgewar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh | |
| In office 27 September 1925 – 21 June 1940 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | M. S. Golwalkar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 April 1889 Nagpur, Central Provinces and Berar, British India[1][2][3][4][5](Currently in Maharashtra State, India) |
| Died | 21 June 1940 (aged 51) Nagpur, Central Provinces and Berar, British India |
| Party | Indian National Congress (1919-1923)[6][7] Hindu Mahasabha |
| Education | Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery |
| Alma mater | Medical College & Hospital, Calcutta |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh |
Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1 April 1889 – 21 June 1940) was an Indian physician who founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindutva paramilitary organisation, in Nagpur in 1925.
Early life
Hedgewar was born on 1 April 1889 in a Deshastha Brahmin family[8] in Nagpur, Central Provinces and Berar.[1][2][3][4][5] His great-grandfather Narhar Shastri migrated from Kandakurthi, Nizamabad district in present-day Telangana to Nagpur.[9][10][11] His parents were Baliram Pant Hedgewar and Revatibai, a Marathi[citation needed] couple of modest means. When Hedgewar was thirteen both of his parents died in the plague epidemic[12] 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.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]
Ideological roots
During his education in Calcutta, Hedgewar joined the Anushilan Samiti in Bengal, which was influenced deeply by the writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.[17] Hedgewar's initiation into this group, rooted in Hindu symbolism, was an important step in his path towards creating the RSS. Hedgewar was influenced equally by the likes of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's ideological pamphlet Essentials of Hindutva.[18] 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, Ganesh Damodar Savarkar, Sri Aurobindo and B. S. Moonje. He also read Mazzini and other enlightenment philosophers. Between 1912 and 1922, Hedgewar developed a critique largely of the Hindu society, where he diagnosed the problem as India's fragmented society caused by caste, class and creed. He wanted to remove caste from Indian society "lock, stock, and barrel".[21] He did nevertheless consider that the cultural and religious heritage of Hindus should be the basis of Indian nationhood, hence his pivot towards cultural nationalism.[22][23]
Hedgewar founded RSS in 1925 on the day of Vijayadashami with an aim to organise the Hindu society for its cultural regeneration and make it a tool for achieving complete independence for a united India.[24][25] From the Hedgewarian perspective "to organise" meant something akin to what Prof. Robert Putnam called Social Capital.[26] Hedgewar suggested the term 'Rashtriya' (national) for his Hindu organisation, for he wanted to re-assert the Hindu identity with 'Rashtriya'.[27] Hedgewar supported the setting up of a women's wing of the organisation in 1936 called Rashtra Sevika Samiti.[28][29]
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 travelled extensively across Central, North and West India to set up RSS shakhas and inspire young people to join the Sangh.[30]
Later political activities
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.[31] Hedgewar was actively discouraging RSS cadres to not join the movement which was led by Gandhi.[32] The RSS biographer C. P. Bhishikar states, "after establishing Sangh, Doctor Saheb in his speeches used to talk only of Hindu organisation. Direct comment on (British) Government used to be almost nil."[33][34]
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 the Bhagwa Dhwaj (saffron flag), rather than the Tricolour.[35][36][37] Nandha, the author of Hedgewar: a definitive biography published by Penguin Random House claims, that first the Bhagwa Dhwaj represents India's culture for the RSS, and that a report commissioned by the Indian National Congress, unanimously concluded that the national flag of an independent India should be kesari with an Ashoka chakra in the corner. This conclusion was vetoed by Gandhi and never saw the light of day.[38] Hedgewar and the RSS disagreed with Gandhi. 1930 was the only year when the RSS celebrated 26 January and it stopped the practice from the next year onwards.[35] However, such celebration became a standard feature of the freedom movement and often came to mean violent confrontation with the official police.[35] C. P. Bhishikar states,[39]
| Part of a series on |
| Conservatism in India |
|---|
 |
[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.[40][41]
Hedgewar emphasised 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.[42] 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.[43]
Hedgewar saw the RSS as a tool to rebuild the social capital that had evaporated from Hindu society at-large.[26] He did not wish for the RSS to engage in the day-to-day politics of his times. He distinguished between personal choice and organisational focus. Individuals, that is Swayamsevaks were free to choose to what extent they wanted to struggle for freedom from British tyranny, but the RSS was only focused on social capital through its shakhas.[26]
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.[44][14] In January 1940, he was taken to Rajgir in Bihar for the hot-spring treatment.[34]
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."[14][35] 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.[14][45]
Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee described Hedgewar as a great patriot, freedom fighter and nationalist during his commemoration on a postal stamp in 1999.[46] 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.[47]
Establishments named after Hedgewar
- Dr. Hedgewar Institute Of Medical Sciences & Research, Amravati[48]
- Dr. Hedgewar Shikshan Pratishthan, Ahmednagar[49]
- Dr. Hedgewar Aarogya Sansthan, Karkardooma, New Delhi[50]
- Hedgewar Hospital, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
- Keshav Srushti, Bhayandar, Thane, Maharashtra
- Hedgewar Smruti Mandir, Nagpur, Maharashtra
See also
References
- ^ a b B. V. Deshpande; S. R. Ramaswamy (1981). Dr Hedgewar The Epoch Maker. Rashtrotthana Sahitya. pp. 7–8.
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. The agnihotra too was in vogue. There are documents indicating that in the course of his travels, Sri Shankaracharya used to nominate someone from the Hedgewar family to be in charge of propagation of Dharma in this area. Many are the families claiming to be followers of the Hedgewars, and their family documents speak with utmost reverence of the Hedgewars saying. "Hedage Kulaguru poorvapara, jaise suryavamsha vasisthavara" ("The tradition of Hedge kulagurus is (glorious) like that of Vasishtha in the solar dynasty."......Narahara Shastri, the great-grandfather of Baliram Pant of the Hedgewar clan. In 1853, Nagpur came under the yoke of the British rulers, and English education gained prominence to the utter neglect of traditional learning. Great scholars. well versed in many shastras, had to resort to priestcraft to their livelihood. Even under such hard conditions, Vedamurti Baliram Pant Hedgewar sustained the family tradition with efficiency and erudition. His wife Revatibai came from the Paithankar family, and was known for her serenity and amiable temperament. Despite poverty, the couple spent their days in peace and happiness. It was in such peaceful environs that Keshav was born, on the felicitous Yugadi (New Year) day, in the year Virodhi. 1811 of the Shaka Era, corresponding to Sunday, 1st April, 1889, in the early morning hours. And that was the auspicious hour when the Bhonsle palace and every Hindu home in Nagpur hoisted the insignia gudi symbolizing the victory of Shalivahana over the invading Shakas, an historic moment of national deliverance. How significant the birth of the child Keshav at this hour was! Keshav was the fifth issue for his parents. They had six issues in all: three sons Mahadev, Seetaram and Keshav; and three daughters Saroo, Rajoo and Rangoo.
- ^ a b Andersen, Walter; Damle, Shridhar D. (15 June 2019). Messengers of Hindu Nationalism: How the RSS Reshaped India. Oxford University Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-1-78738-289-3. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
Dr. Hedgewar, was a trained medical practitioner, and founded the RSS in 1925
- ^ a b David E. U. Baker (1979). Changing political leadership in an Indian province: the Central Provinces and Berar, 1919-1939. Oxford University Press. p. 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.
- ^ a b H. V. Seshadri (1981). Dr. Hedgewar, the Epoch-maker: A Biography. Sahitya Sindhu. p. 2. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
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.
- ^ a b Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas (1998). Hitler's Priestess: Savitri Devi, the Hindu-Aryan Myth and Neo-Nazism. New York University Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-8147-3111-6.
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.
- ^ It is time-to recognise Hedgewar's contribution to the freedom movement. Hindustan Times.
- ^ "RSS founder Hedgewar was with Congress, and other facts you didn't know". ThePrint. 25 March 2020.
- ^ John Zavos (2000). The Emergence of Hindu Nationalism in India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195651409.
Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, who would later go on to become the first Sarsanghchalak, or absolute leader of the Sangh. Hedgewar was a Deshastha Brahman; his family was resident in Nagpur and his father followed a traditional priestly occupation.
- ^ Christophe Jaffrelot (1996). 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. p. 45. ISBN 9781850653011.
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.
- ^ "How coastal Karnataka was saffronised; part 1: Hedgewar sends emissary to Mangalore, an RSS shakha is born". Firstpost. 7 April 2019. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ Sinhā, Rākeśa (2015). Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. Public Resource. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. ISBN 978-81-230-1986-4.
- ^ Zavos, John (2000). The Emergence of Hindu Nationalism in India. Oxford University Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-19-565140-9.
- ^ Nandha, Sachin (21 March 2025). Hedgewar: a definitive biography. Penguin Random House India. p. 49. ISBN 9780143467663.
- ^ a b c d Pralay Kanungo (2002). RSS's tryst with politics: from Hedgewar to Sudarshan. Manohar. ISBN 978-81-7304-398-7.
- ^ Christophe Jaffrelot (1999). The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics: 1925 to the 1990s: Strategies of Identity-building, Implantation and Mobilisation (with Special Reference to Central India). Penguin Books India. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-14-024602-5.
- ^ Kelkar, D. V. (4 February 1950). "The R.S.S.". Economic Weekly.
- ^ Nandha, Sachin (25 March 2025). Hedgewar: a definitive biography. Penguin Random House India (published 21 March 2025). p. 76. ISBN 9780143467663.
- ^ Bal, Hartosh Singh. "How MS Golwalkar's virulent ideology underpins Modi's India". The Caravan. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Sunil Ambekar (2019). The RSS: roadmaps for the 21st century. New Delhi: Rupa. p. 19. ISBN 9789353336851. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "RSS founder Hedgewar was with Congress, and other facts you didn't know". ThePrint. 25 March 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Nandha, Sachin (9 April 2025). Hedgewar: a definitive biography. Penguin Random House India (published 21 March 2025). p. 209. ISBN 9780143467663.
- ^ Malik, Yogendra (1994). Hindu nationalists in India : the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Boulder: Westview Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-8133-8810-6.
- ^ Nandha, Sachin (10 April 2025). Hedgewar: a definitive biography. Penguin Random House India (published 21 March 2025). pp. 18, 68, 147. ISBN 9780143467663.
- ^ Taneja, S. P. (2009). Society and politics in India. Delhi, India: Swastik Publishers & Distributors. p. 332. ISBN 978-81-89981-29-7.
- ^ Moyser, George (1991). Politics and religion in the modern world. London New York: Routledge. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-415-02328-3.
- ^ a b c Majumdar, Arkamoy Datta (31 March 2025). "Did RSS founder Hedgewar think Subhas Bose was a fascist?". India Today. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Basu, Datta (1993). Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags: A Critique of the Hindu Right. New Delhi: Orient Longman Limited. p. 18. ISBN 9780863113833.
- ^ Jayawardena, Kumari (1996). Embodied violence: communalising women's sexuality in South Asia. London New Jersey: Zed Books. pp. 126–167. ISBN 978-1-85649-448-9.
- ^ "Hindutva's Other Half". Hindustan Times. 27 April 2014. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Nandha, Sachin (2025). Hedgewar: a definitive biography. Penguin Random House India (published 21 March 2025). pp. 308, 309. ISBN 9780143467663.
- ^ Nagpur archives. Nagpur, India.
- ^ Islam, Shamsul (2002). Undoing India the RSS Way. Media House. ISBN 9788174951427. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ Bhishikar, C. P. (1994). Sangh Vriksh ke Beej: Dr. Keshav Rao Hedgewar. New Delhi: Suruchi Prakashan.
- ^ a b Islam, Shamsul (2006). Religious Dimensions of Indian Nationalism: A Study of RSS. Media House. p. 188. ISBN 978-81-7495-236-3.
- ^ a b c d Tapan Basu (1993). Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags: A Critique of the Hindu Right. Orient Blackswan. pp. 21–. ISBN 978-0-86311-383-3. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Hadiz, Vedi R. (2006). Empire and Neoliberalism in Asia. Routledge. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-134-16727-2. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Puniyani, Ram (2005). Religion, Power and Violence: Expression of Politics in Contemporary Times. SAGE Publications. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7619-3338-0.
- ^ Nandha, Sachin (2025). Hedgewar: a definitive biography. Penguin Random House India (published 21 March 2025). pp. 229, 230, 232. ISBN 9780143467663.
- ^ Seshadri, H. V. (1981). Dr. Hedgewar, the epoch-maker: a biography. Sahitya Sindhu. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Bhishikar, C. P. (1994). Sangh Vriksh ke Beej: Dr. KeshavRao Hedgewar. Suruchi Prakashan. p. 20.
- ^ Puniyani, Ram (6 July 2005). Religion, Power and Violence: Expression of Politics in Contemporary Times. SAGE Publications. p. 129. ISBN 978-81-321-0206-9.
- ^ Jaffrelot, Christopher (1996). The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics. Penguin India. p. 74. ISBN 978-0140246025. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Islam, Shamsul (2006). Religious Dimensions of Indian Nationalism: A Study of RSS. Media House. ISBN 9788174952363. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ Golwalkar, M. S. A bunch of thoughts.
- ^ "Nagpur: RSS founder's memorial Smruti Mandir gets tourism status". www.timesnownews.com. 8 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ "Rediff On The NeT: Vajpayee releases stamp on Hedgewar". www.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Pranab hails Hedgewar as 'great son of India'". Business Standard. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Dr.Hedgewar Institute Of Medical Sciences & Research, Amravati". Archived from the original on 5 November 2014.
- ^ "About us". Dr.Hedgewar Shikshan Pratishthan, Ahmednagar. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014.
- ^ "Dr.Hedgewar Aarogya Sansthan, Karkardooma, New Delhi, Delhi 110032". Archived from the original on 16 November 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
Further reading
- Sinha, Rakesh (2003). Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (in Hindi). New Delhi: Publication Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. ASIN B00H1YYO3M.
- Rakesh Sinha's Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (in Telugu) by Vaddi Vijayasaradhi. ISBN 8123011865.
- Bapu, Prabhu (2013). Hindu Mahasabha in Colonial North India, 1915–1930: Construction Nation and History. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415671651.
- Basu, Tapan; Sarkar, Tanika (1993). Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags: A Critique of the Hindu Right. Orient Longman. ISBN 978-0863113833.
- Bhishikar, C. P. (2014) [First published in 1979]. Keshav: Sangh Nirmata (in Hindi). New Delhi: Suruchi Sahitya Prakashan. ISBN 978-9381500187.
- Chitkara, M. G. (2004). Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh: National Upsurge. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-8176484657.
- Curran, Jean Alonzo (1951). Militant Hinduism in Indian Politics: A Study of the R.S.S. International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- Frykenberg, Robert Eric (1996). "Hindu fundamentalism and the structural stability of India". In Martin E. Marty; R. Scott Appleby (eds.). Fundamentalisms and the State: Remaking Polities, Economies and Militance. University of Chicago Press. pp. 233–235. ISBN 978-0226508849.
- Jaffrelot, Christophe (1996). The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. ISBN 978-1850653011.
External links
- Sarsanghchalaks
- 1889 births
- 1940 deaths
- People from Nagpur
- Anushilan Samiti
- Marathi people
- People from the Central Provinces
- 20th-century Indian medical doctors
- Politicians from Nagpur
- Indian National Congress politicians from Telangana
- Indian National Congress politicians from Maharashtra
- Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata alumni
- Indian far-right politicians
- Hindu Mahasabha politicians
- Hindu nationalists
- Marathi politicians
