Hedgewar (Founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh): A Definitive Biography
Sachin Nandha · ★★★★★ · 432 pages · 2025
It is ironic and embarrassing that while my undergraduate history degree thesis was on the revolutionary movement, it largely stopped with the Swadeshi movement in Bengal. I never connected how Sri Aurobindo Ghose who was a major player of that movement may have even influenced the founder of the RSS. To be frank I did not even know anything about the RSS except in passing in regards to the BJP.
This book does an exceptional job connecting the dots of nearly all the major Indian revolutionaries and spiritual guides including Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Sarvarkar, Nehru, Gandhi, Bose just from the Hindu side. All these are connected to our protagonist Hedgewar.
In my undergraduate thesis I divided the British India into three realms British educated wealthy upper caste Hindus, lower caste / poor Hindus, and Muslims. Hedgewar seems to have sat between the upper and lower caste Hindus. His bridge between the two seems to have allowed him to pierce the ills of Hindu society unlike any of the individual identities could themselves.
While Hindu society is still working through its reforms which are happening slow and steadily, the power of the RSS will only grow over time. The thesis of this book seems to be that since Hedgewar is so unknown still, that his organization is really not based on a person. It will continue on a steady flow until society is changed.
Overall a great read which I could not put down.