आगमे विश्वासटिप्पन्यः

(1904–1973) Second sarsanghchalak
(“Supreme Leader”) of the Rashtriya
Svayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS is a
conservative Hindu organization whose
express purpose is to provide the leadership cadre for a revitalized Hindu India;
for most of its history it has characterized its mission as cultural, rather than
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religious or political. Golwalkar is a pivotal figure in RSS history. He took office
in 1940 upon the death of its founder,
Dr. K. B. Hedgewar, and guided it
through the tumultuous years surrounding India’s independence. After
Mohandas Gandhi’s assassination by
the Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse
in 1948, the RSS and several other organizations were briefly banned. Despite initial suspicions, the RSS has never been
implicated in Gandhi’s death. During
the ban the RSS continued to function
underground, and many of its leaders
became more politically active, a trend
that Golwalkar had earlier discouraged.
When the ban was rescinded in 1949,
the RSS began to exercise greater influence by forming and sponsoring affiliated
organizations, such as trade unions, student organizations, charitable institutions, and political parties. This trend
continued throughout the rest of
Golwalkar’s tenure, although he was far
less activist than his successor,
Balasaheb Deoras. For further information see Walter K. Andersen and
Shridhar D. Damle, The Brotherhood in
Saffron, 1987; and Tapan Basu et al.,
Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags, 1993.