Keshav Baliram Hedgewar Death Anniversary: 8 Facts About the RSS Founder

KESHAV BALIRAM HEDGEWAR DEATH ANNIVERSARY: Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), passed away on June 21, 1940. He was a well-known physician and the first Sarsanghchalak of the RSS. He founded RSS on Vijaya Dashami day on September 27, 1925, in Nagpur. June 21, 2023, marks the 83rd death anniversary of Dr Hedgewar.

Keshav Baliram Hedgewar Death Anniversary: 8 Interesting Facts

1. Dr. Hedgewar’s ancestors belonged to the Kandkurti village of then Andhra Pradesh. They were Deshastha Brahmins of the Shakala branch, with their primary focus being learning and spreading the knowledge of the Vedas.
2. Hedgewar family had migrated to Nagpur where Keshav Baliram Hedgewar was born on Varsha Pratipada, the Hindu New Year day on April 1, 1889. He was the fifth among the six children.
3. Tragedy struck early in his life at the age of 13, when both of his parents passed away on the same day due to an epidemic of bubonic plague.
4. In 1910, Hedgewar was sent to study at the National Medical College in Calcutta, thanks to the financial assistance provided by Dajisaheb Buti, a member of the Nagpur group of revolutionaries.
5. He became actively involved in the Indian National Congress around 1919 and even attended the Amritsar Session of Congress the same year. He collaborated closely with LV Paranjpe and played an instrumental role in managing lodging and food for the delegates during the Congress Session of 1920.
6. Hedgewar’s activism led to his arrest in May 1921 on charges of sedition due to his speeches in Maharashtra and was imprisoned for one year by a British judge.
7. He had close relationships with prominent nationalists in Bengal, including Shamsundar Chakravarti and Moulvi Liaquat Hussain.
8. Hedgewar found himself deeply affected by the communal riots that erupted in 1923 during the Khilafat Movement. He felt that Congress leadership had neglected the concerns of Hindus and it was necessary to establish an organisation that could unite them. He then founded RSS in 1925.