We feel very happy to present this English translation of Shri Guruji’s biography in Marathi by the renowned writer Shri C. P. alias Bapurao Bhishikar and later on into Hindi. Shri H. V. Seshadri and other senior workers had expressed the need for such a translation for the benefit of English readers. We, therefore, feel privileged to present this biography of Shri Guruji, the second Sarsanghachalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, rendered into English by Shri Sudhakar Raje.
Shri Guruji’s was a many-splendoured personality. He had insight and deep experience in the spiritual arena. For the Sangh workers, he was the verily embodiment of ‘Swayamsevakatva’. He had fully dedicated himself at the altar of Hindu Rashtra. Every moment of his life was spent in the cause of the Sangh and so was every ounce of his energy. He was quite conversant in many disciplines of art and science. Many inspiring incidents in is life as well as the enlightening guidance he gave to the workers and the people from time to time are all highlighted in this book.
Shri Guruji’s life was a succession of achievements in various fields of the nation’s life, such as the Government’s unconditional withdrawal of the ban on the Sangh in 1948-49, in initiating work in the fields of students, workers, vanvasis and neglected sections of the society, as also politics and economics. In all these spheres, he left an indelible impact of the Sangh’s basic thinking and style of working. It was during his life time that many major events took place like the mass awakening historic signature campaign accompanied by the agitation for a ban on cow slaughter, the construction of Smriti Mandir, a memorial to the founder of the Sangh, in Nagpur, the establishment of Vishwa Hindu Parishad for giving Hindus at home and abroad a basis of social and cultural status, and motivating a majority of Dharmacharyas in the country to step out of their maths and temples and mix with the people for the right type of Dharma enlightment. He warned the Govt. of Bharat about the Chinese aggression years before it took place and warned it to be vigilant. He extended whole hearted cooperation to the Government during the wars of 1962, 1965 and 1971; he alerted the Government about the anti-national activities of Pakistani and Bangladeshi infiltrators, and in the wake of the Chinese aggression he strove to strengthen the traditional, cultural and religious bonds between Bharat and Nepal.
Along with such inspiring incidents, the book also describes the valuable guidance Shri Guruji gave to Sangh workers from time to time on various national problems. While he issued timely guidance during the Quit India movement of 1942 and the disastrous partition of the motherland in 1947, he also provided wise and farseeing leadership for successfully foiling the machinations of the Congress rulers, Communists and their fellow-travellers to strike a fatal blow to the cause of the Sangh in the wake of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Similarly he gave an overall comprehensive vision of the Sangh mission commensurate with the changed national situation to all the prominent workers in the country at Nagpur and Jaunpur in 1949, at Sindi (Vidarbha) in 1954, at Indore in 1960 and at Thane (Maharashtra) in 1972.
We are confident that this book will provide the reader a golden opportunity to bathe to his heart’s content in the holy Triveni Sangam – the triple blend of inspiring incidents from Shri Guruji’s life, the timely and enlightening guidance on several occasion to different fields such as of workers and others and his incomparable ability to motivate people for Sangh work through direct contacts.
Information on Shri Guruji’s high spiritual attainment was given by his elder Guru Bhai, spiritual brother, (late) Shri Amitabh Maharaj and jotted down by the late Shri Bapurao Chauthaiwale. Our grateful thanks are due to Sarva Shri Bapurao Warhadpande, Ram Bondale, Kaushalendra and other workers in Nagpur for having painstakingly collected other biographical material on Shri Guruji and making it available to Shri Bhishikar. The Original Marathi text was translated into facile Hindi by Shri Balasaheb Sakhdev, Shri Padmakar Bhate and Shri Madhukar Huddar of Nagpur.
A veteran journalist, Shri Bhate had been the editor of the daily Yugdharma of Nagpur and has done copious writing on current national and international topics. Currently, he is Chief of Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Nagpur. Shri P. M. alias Balasaheb Sakhdev was for many years Sangh pracharak in W. Bengal. For some time later on he was associated with the editing of the Rashtra Shakti and Yugdharma. He retired as Professor of Hindi at Dharmpeth College, Nagpur. He also contributed to the editing of the Shri Guruji Samagra Darshan volumes. Shri Madhukar Jaidev Huddar worked as a teacher at the Dharmpeth Higher Secondary School, Nagpur after graduating in Marathi and English. He has a book titled Sangh ka Punjab Parva to his credit. Currently, he works at Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Nagpur.
Our grateful thanks to these friends and particularly to Shri Sudhakar Raje, a wellknown writer in English.
Here we will be failing in our duty if we do not recall though most painfully – the labour of love that Shri Satyadev Narain Srivastava had put in for the English translation and had completed half the work when misfortune struck and he left this world all of a sudden leaving us all stunned. Our tearful homage to the holy departed who was intensely devoted to the cause of Hindu Resurgance.