Remembering an organizer par excellence: Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar

Among various leaders who have spearheaded mass organisations in India, Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar, also known as Guruji Golwalkar, is distinctly remembered for his organisational prowess and credited for his exemplary leadership. During his tenure as the Sarsanghchalak, the RSS managed to overcome multiple existential challenges, achieved unprecedented expansion in Shakhas and the grassroots network, and successfully established multiple new organisations.
Dr Hedgewar Spotted Guruji's Organisational Prowess.
Guruji's organisational prowess was spotted by Dr Hedgewar himself. Both met each other in 1932, and later that year itself, Dr Hedgewar invited Guruji as one of the Chief Guests for the Vijayadashmi celebrations in Nagpur. Guruji was merely 26 years old at that time. It is obvious that something about him must have stood out for Dr Hedgewar that he decided to invite him as the Chief Guest in Nagpur.
A few years later, in February 1939, Dr Hedgewar conducted a ten-day-long Chintan at Sindi, near Nagpur, to discuss the organisational structure and procedures of the RSS.
Apart from his colleagues, Appaji Joshi ji and Nanasaheb Talatule ji, the meeting was attended by a select group of young Karyakartas, including Guruji. An article in Appaji Joshi ji's memoirs mentions an informal conversation between him and Dr Hedgewar. The latter had asked what if they were to nominate Madhavrao Golwalkar as the next Sarsanghchalak. To this, Appaji had replied, 'Excellent'.
Guruji and Sangh's Organisational Culture
The Sangh's steady expansion and success in mobilising and training Karyakartas have been attributed to its robust organisational structure. Various practices in the Sangh's organisational culture were either initiated or strengthened by Guruji. Over the years, these practices were actively adopted by innumerable Pracharaks and Karyakartas.
The Sangh practice of staying with Karyakarta families during Pravaas started with Guruji, who embedded it as a systematic arrangement.
Guruji travelled across the country for organisational expansion and spent considerable time with Karyakartas. He once said, 'The train is my home', as he used to travel so regularly. During visits to various states for Sangh activities, he would never stay in a hotel or a Dharamshala. He would only stay with workers or office bearers.
Over the decades, this practice has played a pivotal role in strengthening the organisation as it enabled Pracharaks to directly engage with Swayamsevaks and their families, understand their concerns, and motivate them to actively undertake organisational work.
Moreover, during his visits, Guruji used to actively interact with Karyakartas and their families across the country.
Usually, he would meet parents and well-wishers of Karyakartas together, followed by one-to-one meetings. Apart from official work, he would utilise these interactions for understanding local traditions, cultures and languages.
Encouraging full-timers
Guruji used to consistently advise that the success of organisational work was contingent on own resources and efforts rather than others.
In 1941-1942, there was an acute need for young Karyakartas to expand organisational activities and fulfil the growing demand for Sangh activities. Guruji urged young Swayamsevaks: 'We need Pracharaks…we need Pracharaks'. He emphasised that, 'Karyakartas don't fall from heaven. For this, we will have to make efforts ourselves and create Karyakartas from amongst ourselves. We will have to walk the path of duty with firm resolve and austerity by giving up all thoughts about our personal lives…the mission before us is enormous with very little time in hand…..Let us close all the doors of our personal lives and take a pledge to put in concerted effort. Let us become Sanyasis for one year.'
Efforts led by him bore fruit, and innumerable young Karyakartas beyond Nagpur volunteered to dedicate themselves full-time to the organisational work of the RSS.
Leadership in tumultuous times
A hallmark of Guruji's organisational leadership was leadership by example. During the ban on the RSS, he was arrested and initially kept in the Sivni jail in Maharashtra. Subsequently, he was moved to the Baitul jail, which was considered to be similar to Cellular jail in Andaman and usually meant for dangerous prisoners rather than political prisoners. Despite the horrible conditions of the Baitul jail, Guruji maintained his policy under arrest: 'no demands, no complaints'. His consistency had a positive effect on the cadre and motivated them in testing times.
The ban on the RSS was lifted at midnight on July 11, 1949, and Guruji was released from the Baitul prison on July 13. He immediately started Pravaas for organisational work. In addresses to Swayamsevaks across the country over the next couple of months, Guruji encouraged them to focus on organisational activities rather than ruing over government actions.
On July 24, Guruji addressed Swayamsevaks at the Parshuram Mahavidyalaya. He clearly stated, 'What had to happen has happened, but there is no need to swell with pride'. He appreciated Swayamsevaks for maintaining due conduct during the Satyagraha, not breaking any rules, and avoiding confrontation with the government.
Guruji's qualities as a leader focused on the growth of the organisation is evident in the fact that he did not demonstrate any kind of vengeance against the government. He said, 'This is our government, why should we oppose it? Why should we have animosity towards it?' He added, 'It is true that there are differences between the government and us, but is there any place where there are no differences? There are differences even within families.'
In August 1949, Guruji received a rousing welcome from Swayamsevaks when he visited Delhi. In his speech, Guruji thanked supporters, re-emphasised the Sangh's objectives and encouraged them to continue their work. He said, 'Obstacles come up on the path of renaissance of Bharatiyataa, and that too from our own people. But, against whom should we show our anger? People who desire to destroy this national life force may express anger any number of times, but one who has envisioned this grand national personality, he cannot be angry.'
His words of encouragement for Swayamsevaks were: 'We shall move ahead in this job of human-building and move ahead towards progress of Bharatvarsh, looking at various problems from cultural perspectives in accordance with their wishes and feelings, and build a well-organised power-house for the nation.'
Growth of the Sangh Parivar
Guruji played an instrumental role in the founding of various Sangh Parivar organisations. It is helpful to recall some initial interactions between Guruji and Pracharak Dattopant Thengadi ji that culminated in the formation of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. In 1950, Thengadi ji received an invitation from the President of INTUC, the Congress-affiliated trade union, PY Deshpande, to work for their organisation.
Guruji asked him to join the organisation and advised, 'Follow the discipline of the organisation you are going to work.' Thengadi ji's rich experience led to the founding of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh in 1955. A unique aspect of the BMS has been the commemoration of Vishwakarma Jayanti as Bharatiya Shramik Divas. This was based on Guruji's advice, as Thengadi ji had once asked him whether there is an honoured day for labour in Bharatiya tradition. Guruji had mentioned Vishwakarma Jayanti in response to this query.
Similarly, Guruji played a crucial role in the entire process that culminated in the formation of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, from initial conversations to formal foundation.
Apart from mentoring the establishment of new Sangh organisations, Guruji also motivated them to remain independent and self-sufficient.
This is evident in his conversation with Balasaheb Deshpande, who played a key role in founding the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. In 1958, the Madhya Pradesh government denied a grant to Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram after initial approval. Deshpande was clearly told that it was due to their association with the Jana Sangh. When Guruji heard about this matter, he clearly advised that such organisations should be self-reliant and conduct all activities with people's cooperation instead of dependence on government funds.
Conclusion
In this light, Guruji was more than a person leading an organisation. He was a builder of movements, individuals, and institutions. Through discipline, vision, and quiet determination, he inspired Karyakartas to devote themselves to national awakening. His legacy as an organiser par excellence lives on in every dedicated Karyakarta and every institution that he helped create.
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author's own.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Hindu

an hour ago

• The Hindu

Massive turnout at Muruga Bhaktargal meet, a warning bell to those in power: Annamalai

The massive turnout of Hindus at Muruga Bhaktargal conference is a warning bell to those in power, said BJP leader, K. Annamalai. Addressing the conference organised by Hindu Munnani here on Sunday, he said each abode of Lord Murugan has a different message of love, knowledge, married life, victory over evil (soorasamharam) and peace. 'It is those in power who should decide as to in which form they want to see the Hindus,' he said. Hindus usually forgive people, who trouble them in a small way or big way. 'However, the Hindus are continuously facing trouble in their way of life. Political leaders, who come to power with the votes of Hindus, speak in derogatory language against the Hindus, as they believe that Hindus would never get united,' he added. 'Our children should be able to use holy ash on their foreheads and wear 'rudraksha mala' to schools. These troubles need such a conference,' he added. Jews, who are only 0.2% of the world population were fighting against four nations for their rights. However, when India fights against cross-border terrorism, it is criticised by political leaders, he said. BJP State president, Nainar Nagendran said that despite all hurdles created against the conduct of the conference it has turned out to be a grand success with lakhs of people turning up. He also enthused the crowd by singing verses from the famous devotional song on Lord Murugan, 'Marudhamalai Maamaniye' sung by Madurai Somu. Untouchability led to Hindu fragmentation: Untouchability among the Hindus was the major reason for the Hindu religion to get fragmented, said RSS leader, R. Vanniarajan. He said that ancient Hindus celebrated the entire world as a single family with philosophies like 'Yaathum Oore, Yaavarum Kelir,' and the people are children of Mother Earth. Women were celebrated as mothers. However, a disorder crept into the Hindu society in the form of untouchability and discrimination and it led to the biggest fall of the Hindus. He said that the Hindus should realise that only unity among the Hindus would make the people stronger. The RSS believes that Untouchability was a sin and it should be uprooted to make the Hindus unite. 'It should begin from within,' he added. He also pointed out that the temples in thousands of villages should be opened to all community to offer prayers. Similarly, the cremation yard and waterbodies should be common to all. Hindu Munnani leader Bhaktavachalam said that while in the entire country, the Hindus worshipped God together, and whenever there was some trouble for the temple, they fight unitedly. However, in Tamil Nadu, people offer prayers separately. '(Hindus in) Tamil Nadu have bhakthi, but no shakthi,' he said. 'The objective of this conference is to make people of Tamil Nadu to worship together at least once in a month by reciting Kandha Sashti Kavasam,' he said.

The Print

6 hours ago

• The Print

Emergency was ‘ominous' for country: K N Govindacharya

'The Sangh Parivar gave stability to that movement, kept it going and a ban was also imposed on it and finally there was a change of power,' he told PTI Videos in an interview. The former BJP functionary asserted that the Sangh Parivar gave stability to that movement. New Delhi, Jun 22 (PTI) The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) played an important role in public awakening during the 'ominous' Emergency period with 65,000 people associated with it going to jail, former Sangh pracharak and political thinker N Govindacharya has said. Responding to a question about the role of the RSS in the 'Sampoorna Kranti' movement ahead of the Emergency, Govindacharya said the Sangh had a very big role in that movement. 'Just like Kurma had played a role in maintaining balance during the 'samudra manthan' with Basuki Nag and Mandara Parvat, the RSS had a similar role. In such a situation, Sangh played an important role in public awakening,' he said. According to mythology, Kurma, the tortoise avatar of Lord Vishnu, played an important role during the 'samudra manthan' (churning of ocean) to obtain the nectar of immortality. He said the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975 was an outcome of her 'lust for power'. 'The Constitution was violated, fundamental rights and freedom of expression were crushed, forced sterilisation took place, censorship was imposed, human freedom and system were attacked. The Emergency was completely ominous and could have been avoided. But such a situation arose due to lust for power,' he said. In response to a question about the circumstances leading to the Sampoorna Kranti movement, Govindacharya said such a situation arose due to issues like inflation, unemployment, bad governance, corruption, poor education. 'It started with the Bihar movement and at that time the students demanded arrangements for better studies, hostel facilities etc. But the then Education Minister of Bihar lathi-charged the students, chased them away and neglected them due to vote bank,' he recalled. Govindacharya said with the arrival of Jayaprakash Narayan, the movement got leadership, gained stature and its credibility was established. Asked about the reasons for imposing Emergency, Govindacharya said Indira Gandhi's insecurity within her party, the atmosphere created by some close people spreading wrong information and her objective of remaining in power by hook or by crook must have been the main reasons and for that morality was set aside. Attacking the then Indira Gandhi led government, he said there was a stagnation in the system. The entire public was against insensitivity, irresponsibility and lack of accountability in the system and this was expressed during the students' movement. In response to a question about his experience during the Emergency, he said he was in jail for two months during the Bihar movement (students' movement) and at the end of the Emergency he also had to go to jail. The former Sangh Pracharak said during the movement, people associated with the Sangh Parivar used to go among the people with different names so that they could avoid arrest. The Sampoorna Kranti movement against the Emergency was an unusual act of ordinary people, he stated. When asked whether the objectives of the Emergency were achieved, Govindacharya said, 'The opposite happened. There was a change of power but the prohibitions were not followed.' Socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan gave the call for Sampooran Kranti in 1974. The demand for resignation of the then Ghafoor ministry in Bihar ultimately turned into a larger demand for the dismissal of the Indira Gandhi government. PTI DR DIV DV DV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

India Gazette

8 hours ago

• India Gazette

BJP's Nishikant Dubey slams Rahul Gandhi over language debate:

New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nishikant Dubey slammed Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, questioning the motives of the Congress leader to encourage learning English rather than local languages while also alluding to the 'hypocrisy' of opposing the National Education Police (NEP) 2020 for language choice stating that the 1986 NEP had similar goals. 'Rahul Gandhi ji your investigative advisor is hell bent on destroying you, this is the education policy of 1986 given by your father to the country, in this, your father is promising the country to promote Hindi, teach Sanskrit language and translate English into regional languages. This same education policy is almost in place now. Students should also grow with regional languages, changes in this have been made by Prime Minister Modi ji in 2020,' Dubey said in a post on X in Hindi. He said that while countries such as Russia, China, France, Germany, Japan and, Arab countries were 'proud of their language,' the former Congress president is proud of English 'like slaves.' 'Russia, China, France, Germany, Arab countries, Japan, Korea all are proud of their language and it is developed, why are you proud of English like slaves, we are proud of Santhali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Malayalam, Hindi, Sanskrit,' Dubey's post read. Dubey shared screenshots purportedly of the 1986 NEP, which stated 'the policy emphasises the adoption of regional languages as the media of instruction at the university stage; vigorous effort at implementation of the three language- formula; improvement in the linguistic competencies of students at different stages of education; provision of facilities for the study of English and other foreign languages; development of Hindi as the link of Sanskrit at the university stage...' Dubey's post was made in response to another post by Rahul Gandhi where he supported people, especially people from marginalised backgrounds, learning English. He said that learning the language could be a stepping stone to equality, more job opportunities, which is what the BJP-RSS does not want. 'It is not an English dam, it is a bridge. English is not shame, it is power. English is not a chain - it is a tool to break the chains. BJP-RSS don't want poor kids of India to learn English - because they don't want you to ask questions, move ahead, and become equal,' the Congress leader said in a post on X. While also highlighting that every language is useful and beautiful for its culture, knowledge, and soul, the party leader added, 'In today's world, English is as important as your mother tongue - because it will provide employment and boost your confidence. Every language of India has soul, culture, knowledge. We have to cherish them - and at the same time teach English to every child. This is the path to an India that competes with the world, that gives every child an equal opportunity.' The Congress leader's remarks were in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks, where he said that the languages of India are 'ornaments of our culture,' and to understand the land's history, dharma cannot be done in foreign languages. The remarks by Shah was heavily objected to by multiple people, including by Tamil Nadu Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. (ANI)