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| '''Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar''', popularly known as ''Guruji'', was the second "sarasanghachalak" of the ]. | '''Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar''', popularly known as ''Guruji'', was the second "sarasanghachalak" of the ]. | ||
| == |
==Early years== | ||
| Golwalkar was born on ] ] at ] near ], Maharashtra, and was the only surviving son among the nine children of his parents. He spent his childhood in Nagpur |
Golwalkar was born on ] ] at ] near ], Maharashtra, and was the only surviving son among the nine children of his parents. He spent his childhood in Nagpur. | ||
| ⚫ | Golwalkar completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in ] at ]. Later he became a teacher at BHU, where he first began to be addressed as 'Guruji'. Golwalkar came in contact with the ] at Nagpur. On 13th January, 1937 Guruji was initiated into the Ramakrishna Order by Swami ], a direct disciple of Shri ] and ''gurubhai'' of ]. Golwalkar eventually received his ']' and became a ]. | ||
| Madhav completed his graduation from Hislop college,Nagpur.During those times Bible was a compulsory subject.Prof Gardiner was the teacher and he was a well known expert on Bible. In one of the lectures Madhav got in an argument with Prof Gardiner.Finally Bible was referred to and it was discovered that Madhav's point was correct.He wanted to pursue MBBS,but could not get through. | |||
| From his youthful days,he was attracted towards spirituality.Once when asked whether he will move to Himalayas,he replied that Himalya's magnaminity and calm will come to him. | |||
| ==Early Years== | |||
| ⚫ | Golwalkar completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in ] at ]. Later he became a teacher at BHU, where |
||
| ==Involvement with the RSS== | ==Involvement with the RSS== | ||
| In the meantime, Bhaiyyaji Dani, a student at BHU and a close associate of RSS |
In the meantime, Bhaiyyaji Dani, a student at BHU and a close associate of RSS ''sarsanghachalak'' ], started an RSS '']'' (branch). Golwalkar joined the RSS and eventually, following a meeting with Hedgewar, went to the RSS' "Officers Training Camp" in ]. | ||
| Hedgewar was deeply impressed by Golwalkar and started seeing him as his successor.Hedgewar eventually died of ill health on ], ], and Golwalkar succeeded him as ]. | |||
| ⚫ | Golwalkar was the force behind formation of the organisations that comprise the ], which is celebrating 2006-07 as his centenary year. His complete works are now available in different Indian languages and English. | ||
| Golwalkar steered the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh through various obstacles over three decades, to make the RSS one of the foremost organizations in India dedicated to the purpose of nation building. Some of the events during his period included the ] in 1942, the ] in 1947, the ] in 1962, and the ]. | |||
| ⚫ | Golwalkar was the force behind formation of |
||
| ==Controversy== | ==Controversy== | ||
| {{Citecheck}} | |||
| A controversial statement made by Golwalker was made in his book "We or our Nationhood Defined" which seemed to lend tacit support for the atrocities of Nazi Germany. He said: | A controversial statement made by Golwalker was made in his book "We or our Nationhood Defined" which seemed to lend tacit support for the atrocities of Nazi Germany. He said: | ||
| "... Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the semitic races – the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well nigh-impossible it is for races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimiliated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindusthan to learn and profit by"<ref>Golwalkar, M S (1939): We, or Our Nationhood Defined, Bharat Prakashan, Nagpur. page 12</ref> | "... Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the semitic races – the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well nigh-impossible it is for races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimiliated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindusthan to learn and profit by"<ref>Golwalkar, M S (1939): We, or Our Nationhood Defined, Bharat Prakashan, Nagpur. page 12</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | Elsewhere in his works, Golwalkar repudiated and condemned ]:<ref name="bunch">MS Golwalkar, Bunch of Thoughts, Jagarana Prakashana, Bangalore, 1966, p.210</ref> | ||
| His critics, most notably ] and ] groups, have used this to allege that all ]s are inherently fascist and so are not deserving of religious freedom. Such attacks have been debunked by ] as politically motivated misrepresentations and ]. He asserts that discussion of this quote must be made in the proper context and that Golwalkar never endorsed the actions of the Nazi regime:<ref name="Elst"> by Koenraad Elst</ref> | |||
| "Note that Golwalkar's text mentions "racial purity" as Germany's concern but does not "make a plea" for it, and that he never described Hitler as "a source of inspiration.That alleged Golwalkar quotations turn out to be excerpted from the invective of his critics, is symptomatic of Hindutva-watching in general: first-hand information is spurned in favour of hostile second-hand claims made by unscrupled commentators. In most journalistic and academic publications on Hindutva, the number of direct quotations is tiny in comparison with quotations from secondary, hostile sources... If we do not just focus on the selected quotation (as we are led to do by those who made the selection in the first place), but read the whole book, we find that Golwalkar is definitely not asking the Hindus to emulate Nazi Germany."<ref name="Elst"/> | |||
| He further asserts that Hindutva groups have largely renounced the book where such quotes were made, including Golwalkar himself. It hasn't been published since 1948 and that basically, it is a tool to vilify/ harass those who subscribe to Hindutva.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| Elst further argues that the statement made was more a reactionary response to the ethnic separatism of the ] made during that period when ] wanted to segregate Muslims from Hindus on the basis of the ].<ref name="Elst"/> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| "The Christians committed all sorts of atrocities on the ]s by giving them the label “Killers of Christ”. ] is not an exception but a culmination of the 2000-year long oppression of the Jews by the Christians."<ref name="bunch"/> | "The Christians committed all sorts of atrocities on the ]s by giving them the label “Killers of Christ”. ] is not an exception but a culmination of the 2000-year long oppression of the Jews by the Christians."<ref name="bunch"/> | ||
| Line 57: | Line 45: | ||
| "The ]s had maintained their race, religion, culture and language; and all they wanted was their natural territory to complete their Nationality"<ref name="Saffron"/> | "The ]s had maintained their race, religion, culture and language; and all they wanted was their natural territory to complete their Nationality"<ref name="Saffron"/> | ||
| Rajesh Tembarai Krishnamachari, a contributor to the ], writes that the ] has shown persistent and steady growth, and that the views of the group expressed cogently in the text ‘A Bunch of Thoughts’ by M S Golwalkar has not been refuted by any of the Marxists, despite their largely unsuccessful smear campaign against Gowalkar.<ref>,''South Asia Analysis Group''</ref> | |||
| ==Death== | ==Death== | ||
Revision as of 06:15, 25 April 2007
Template:Infobox revolution biography
Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar, popularly known as Guruji, was the second "sarasanghachalak" of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Early years
Golwalkar was born on 19 February 1906 at Ramtek near Nagpur, Maharashtra, and was the only surviving son among the nine children of his parents. He spent his childhood in Nagpur.
Golwalkar completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Zoology at Banaras Hindu University. Later he became a teacher at BHU, where he first began to be addressed as 'Guruji'. Golwalkar came in contact with the Ramakrishna Mission at Nagpur. On 13th January, 1937 Guruji was initiated into the Ramakrishna Order by Swami Akhandananda, a direct disciple of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and gurubhai of Swami Vivekananda. Golwalkar eventually received his 'diksha' and became a sanyasi.
Involvement with the RSS
In the meantime, Bhaiyyaji Dani, a student at BHU and a close associate of RSS sarsanghachalak K. B. Hedgewar, started an RSS shakha (branch). Golwalkar joined the RSS and eventually, following a meeting with Hedgewar, went to the RSS' "Officers Training Camp" in Nagpur.
Hedgewar was deeply impressed by Golwalkar and started seeing him as his successor.Hedgewar eventually died of ill health on June 21, 1940, and Golwalkar succeeded him as sarsanghachalak.
Golwalkar was the force behind formation of the organisations that comprise the Sangh Parivar, which is celebrating 2006-07 as his centenary year. His complete works are now available in different Indian languages and English.
Controversy
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A controversial statement made by Golwalker was made in his book "We or our Nationhood Defined" which seemed to lend tacit support for the atrocities of Nazi Germany. He said:
"... Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the semitic races – the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well nigh-impossible it is for races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimiliated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindusthan to learn and profit by"
Elsewhere in his works, Golwalkar repudiated and condemned antisemitism:
"The Christians committed all sorts of atrocities on the Jews by giving them the label “Killers of Christ”. Hitler is not an exception but a culmination of the 2000-year long oppression of the Jews by the Christians."
As for his views on Zionism and Israel, Golwalkar was supportive of the Zionist movement and also supported the creation of Israel as a Jewish State:
"The Jews had maintained their race, religion, culture and language; and all they wanted was their natural territory to complete their Nationality"
Death
Golwalkar died of cancer on June 5, 1973.in Nagpur
References
- Golwalkar, M S (1939): We, or Our Nationhood Defined, Bharat Prakashan, Nagpur. page 12
- ^ MS Golwalkar, Bunch of Thoughts, Jagarana Prakashana, Bangalore, 1966, p.210
- ^ Elst, Koenraad (2001). The Saffron Swastika: The Notion of "Hindu Fascism". Voice of India. ISBN 8185990697.
Sheshadri H. V.; Shri Guruji, A Life Sketch; Jalandhar, 2006
External links
- About Guruji
- Guruji Writings
- About Guruji in English, Hindi and Marathi
- Bunch of Thoughts - Compilation of Guruji's Speeches and Writings
- Was Guru Golwalkar a Nazi ?, Disowning Golwalkar’s We by Koenraad Elst
- Biography
- M S Golwalkar: 100 years of a controversial leader (Rediff.com)
| Preceded byKeshav Baliram Hedgewar | Sarsanghchalak of the RSS 1940 – 1973 |
Succeeded byMadhukar Dattatraya Deoras |