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        On 24 February, 2006 falls the birth centenary of Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar (1906-1973), popularly known as 'Sri Guruji', who became the second 'Sarchangchalak' of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) after the death of its founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1890-1940) on 21 June, 1940. Sri Guruji converted the RSS into a mighty organisation embracing the whole of India within a period of ten years and by the time he passed away in 1973, it was a force to reckon with in the public life of India.

        Early in his lifetime everyone came to the conclusion that his whole life was dedicated to a great cause, the sacred cause of advancement of Sanathana Dharma and establishment of a Hindu Rashtra rooted in our timeless Vedic culture. Sri Guruji never considered himself a separate entity, existing independently of the 'Sangh' ie the Samaj. His whole life was a yagna , an eternal sacrifice at the sacred feet of the Jana (people), the manifestation of Janardhana (God) and his most precious offering in this yagna was his own ego.
 

Shri Guruji and Dr Shyamaprasad Mukerjee at the Varshik Utsav of RSS in Calcutta in 1952. Shri Eknath Ranade, the chief architect of Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari, is also seen.

        Once Sri Guruji was asked in the early 1940s as to what drew him to a life of selfless service in the RSS. Sri Guruji replied: 'What drew me towards the Sangh was the sublimity of the Sangh ideal and the lofty personality of that great Karmayogi Dr Hedgewar. Sangh today has spread to every nook and corner of the country because it was founded by a man of complete renunciation. He studied medicine, and got a degree too, but never practiced for the sake of money, and thus never earned a single pie. All the 24 hours in the day he worked intensely for uplifting and organising his brethren. Nothing could deter him, not even abject poverty. I knew him intimately. Very often he went without any food for lack of money. I even saw him in tattered clothes. Anxious always to help others, he was ever short of the barest necessities of life. He was completely selfless. He never hankered after fame or honour. I learned at his sacred feet'.

        The glorious and inspiring story of the onward march of the RSS after Sri Guruji assumed the mantle of 'Sarchangchalak' in 1940 is a brilliant record of unmatched success and unsurpassed service, each successive year adding greater strength to the organisation than the previous one. Sri Guruji was constantly on the move, on wheels or wings, guiding workers, inspiring Swayamsevaks, educating people at large through personal contact, correspondence, discourses, addresses and various other programmes. Like the Puranic 'Fish of Bhaghavan Manu', the RSS began to grow rapidly and by 1947 it had become the most powerful and effectively organised national movement in the country causing jitters among the self-seeking leaders of the Congress party. This was the achievement not of tall talk, nor of paper publicity. It was the fruit of thousands of Sangh workers inspired by the great ideal personified by Sri Guruji. They carried the message of Hindu Sangathan to every home, roused every heart, and enkindled it with national consciousness. Sri Guruji told the Swayamsevaks: 'Organisations are built not by professions of lofty precepts but by actual practice of them'.

        Like his master Dr Hedgewar, every word that Sri Guruji wrote or spoke, every step that he took, his every thought and action had a definite meaning and purpose. They stood out as a salutary example to every Swayamsevak in every part of India. It was his living example which brought about uniform conventions, convictions and practices in all the Shakhas throughout the country. No amount of written instructions could have accomplished this gigantic task.

        Sri Guruji was a veritable genius. Few had read so much, but even fewer could remember so much. The range and intensity of his memory were indeed remarkable. There was perhaps no other man in Bharat who knew and remembered so many persons by name as Sri Guruji did. He could speak fluently in Hindi, Marathi and English. He was acquainted with most of the Bharatiya languages. He was peerless in speech, enchanting in conversation and inspiring in his inter-personal relations. Even casual remarks of Bal-Swayamsevaks did not escape his minute attention. His laughter was unique and infectious and all the Swayamsevaks sincerely believed that his laughter would dissolve all worries despite the fact they knew that 'the miseries of the country were so many and would not let him rest'.

        The living words of Sri Guruji on various national issues were collected together and published in the form of a book entitled 'Spot Lights' in 1974, one year after his death. Sri Guruji was really a philosopher-king or a Raja Rishi. When he was asked about the role of a king as ordained by the Hindu scriptures, Sri Guruji replied: 'He should abide by the dictates of Dharma'. When asked for his views on the Congress leaders declaring the new Indian State as 'secular', Sri Guruji reacted: 'Emphasising a State as secular from the point of view of a Hindu, is superfluous. All these centuries in the past, we have been able to maintain religious harmony in the country. Therefore, the qualifying word 'secular' is superfluous and unwanted from our point of view'.
 

Shri Guruji, flanked by Shri Kasinath Limaye and Bharat Ratna  Maharishi Anna Sahib Karve

        When the new Constitution of India was in the making in 1949, Sri Guruji was quite critical of the whole approach to this exercise. When he was asked as to why he was being so critical, he cryptically replied: 'Because, if we go on always receiving from the world, what will we give them? In fact, the Constitution should evolve naturally in tune with the traditions of our cultural heritage. It should never be imposed from above. Right from 1909 onwards Constitutions on foreign models are being imposed on us. After 1909, it was 1919 model. Then came 1935 model. Now in 1949, in a free Bharat, where is the need to follow the same process of imposing the Constitution on our people? Let us take from the foreign countries only that much which is essential and proper'.

        When the Congress party started amending the Constitution very frequently only to suit their narrow political ends, Sri Guruji stated in 1955: 'My only regret is that the government is setting bad precedents in the formative years of free Bharat. There is an amendment every year. People get the impression that you can play with the Constitution as you like. Its sanctity has been violated'. When the Constitution makers of India inserted the phrase 'India that is Bharat' Sri Guruji humorously observed: 'Thank God, they have termed it only 'India that is Bharat!' What could we have done after all, had they put it as 'India that was Bharat'?'

        Sri Guruji had a terrific sense of humour. He always took a humorous view of his own ailments: 'They are all like my Swayamsevaks; they join me, but never leave me'.

        Several interesting incidents from Sri Guruji's life have been recorded for posterity. Soon after independence, Sri Guruji met a group of Muslim Moulvis at the residence of Sri Ratnasabapathi Chettiyar at Chidambaram. When they questioned Sri Guruji about religious truth, Sri Guruji asked in return: 'Do you believe that God likes only 'Koran' and not 'Bhagavat Gita'? Do you believe He will come only if you call Him in the name of Mohammed and would refuse to come if you call Him Rama? Do you think that God understands only Urdu and no other language? This, if alleged, will be speaking too low of Him indeed'. The Moulvis were speechless.

        On the occasion of his 'birth centenary' on 24 February, 2006, I offer my humble salutations to Sri Guruji who through his saga of life-long selfless service as 'Sarchangchalak' converted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) into one of those great movements in world history which have changed the course of millions of lives, thus giving a new direction to the course of history. Under his supremely inspiring leadership for 33 years the RSS became a vibrant organisation, enabling the dumb to speak and the lame to scale mountain heights. It has so effectively changed Hindu psychology that the pseudo-secular detractors of Hindu society, who for so long had ridiculed its members as 'dhoti-wearers' and 'dal-eaters', now cannot think of it without fear or undeclared reverence. Has there been another movement like the RSS in either Indian history or world history? Perhaps not. The sublimity of its goal and the integrity of its members are indeed breath-taking. There are thousands of Shakhas and lakhs of Swayamsevaks covering all parts of India. Sri Guruji's immortal voice whispers into our ears: 'The RSS is an eternal movement and not a stagnant condition; it is a perpetual journey and not a stable harbour'.

        The best way to pay homage to the memory of Sri Guruji is to translate his great ideals into effective action: We have to inspire all our people with the spirit of pure devotion to our Motherland, faith in our Dharma and pride in our history. We have to show them the map of our sacred Motherland, the holy rivers and mountains, the Tirthaas and temples stretching right from the Himalayas to the Kanyakumari. We have to introduce them to the rich variety of our national life in language, literature, art and social traditions. Thus we have to make them become more and more intimate with the underlying spirit of our national being.