After years of pleas, petitions and toying with the idea of Dominion Status, the Indian National Congress (INC) finally came around to the idea of Complete Independence at its Lahore session in December 1929. The Congress decided that 26 January 1930 be observed as Purna Swaraj Day (Day of Complete Self-rule). This news was heartwarming to all patriots who had espoused this goal. One such patriot was the maker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (hereafter Sangh), Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.

Sangh’s first tryst with January 26

From his formative years, Hedgewar had been a vigorous champion of Complete Independence. After walking down the revolutionary path and working in the Hindu Mahasabha and Congress, he had resolved to do nation-building through the medium of Hindu consolidation. With this end in view, he had founded the Sangh in 1925. He was besides himself with joy when the INC finally adopted Complete Independence as its creed.

It was Hedgewar’s conviction that Sangh swayamsevaks should engage in any national activity in their individual capacity, shorn of organizational ego. He conceived the Sangh as an organization of the Hindu society rather than within it. This conviction precluded him from entering the Sangh organizationally in any national activity. Such was his joy at the CWC resolution, however, that he made a solitary exception to this cardinal rule.

In a letter written in Marathi and dated 21 January 1930 to all Sangh swayamsevaks, Hedgewar wrote, “This year’s Congress has decided ‘Independence’ to be its goal and the Congress Working Committee has announced that Sunday, 26-1-30 be celebrated as ‘Independence Day’ throughout Hindusthan. It is but natural that we should feel overjoyed that the All Bharatiya National Congress has reached our goal of Independence. It is our duty to cooperate with any organization that works with this goal in mind. Therefore, all shakhas of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh should organize the gathering of all their swayamsevaks at their respective Sanghasthans at six o’clock sharp in the evening and salute the national flag, that is the Bhagwa flag. The meaning of Independence and how keeping this as our goal is the duty of every resident of Hind may be explained through a lecture and the function may be concluded by congratulating the Congress for supporting the goal of Independence” (Sangh archives, Hedgewar papers, A Patrak by Dr. Hedgewar to the swayamsevak - 21 Jan 1930).

The ever-methodical Hedgewar added a footnote seeking immediate dispatch of reports of such functions to him. Thanks to this footnote, reports of such functions exist in the registers maintained in the Sangh archives! It may be mentioned that the nascent Sangh of the time existed largely in the Marathi-speaking districts of the Central Provinces namely Nagpur, Wardha, Chanda (present-day Chandrapur) and Bhandara. It had negligible presence in the Berar districts of Amravati, Buldhana, Akola and Yavatmal.

As per Hedgewar’s directive, Sangh shakhas in different places organized functions to mark ‘Independence Day’ and passed resolutions congratulating the Congress. The Independence Day function in Nagpur was held from 6 to 7.30 am on 26 January 1930 at the Sanghasthan with Adv. Vishwanath Vinayak Kelkar in the chair. The main speech was given by Narayan Vaidya. Notable attendees included Hedgewar, Laxman Vasudeo Paranjpe (who later became Provisional Sarsanghachalak when Hedgewar went to jail in 1930), Navathe, Bhandara Sanghachalak Adv. Deo, Sakoli Sanghachalak Adv. Pathak and Saoner Sanghachalak Ambokar.

The Chanda function

Some details of the Independence Day function organized by the Sangh in Chanda give a glimpse of the larger picture.

(Sangh archives, Hedgewar papers, registers\Register 3 DSC_0044,DSC_0045)

On 29 January 1930, the secretary of the Chanda Sangh, Ramchandra Rajeshwar alias Tatyaji Deshmukh, sent the following report to Hedgewar, “The shakha here had spontaneously decided the function on 26.1.30. Your letter arrived after that. Accordingly, the following function was held to mark Independence Day.

1) As per the request of the Congress secretary, the procession of the Sangh started at 8.45 am from Gandhi Chowk in military discipline and swayamsevaks accorded a military salute to the tricolor after it was unfurled. After the procession returned to the Sanghasthan, military salute was accorded to the Bhagwa flag. The morning function concluded thereafter.

2) The Sangh had been requested to take part in the Congress procession in the evening and be present with the Congress when the resolution was to be passed. However, as the Sangh programme at the Sanghasthan had been decided earlier, the secretary of the Sangh informed the taluka Congress secretary of the inability of the Sangh to take part in the Congress programme.

3) The Independence Day function started at 4.30 in the evening at a site that has been bought by the Sangh. Keshavrao Bodake gave a display of arms, sticks and military drill. Then on orders of the (Sangh) Chalak, Adv. Deshmukh (secretary) made a crisp speech after moving the resolution. That resolution was seconded by Adv. Bhagwat who gave a small but nice speech.

Both speakers stressed that supporting Independence made sense only if discipline, method and commitment was fully inculcated in the youth and if they gained capacity to act accordingly and that the Sangh was indeed making such preparedness from before. While moving the resolution, Deshmukh narrated how the Congress had now arrived at the goal of Independence from (its earlier goals of) pleas, petitions and Dominion Status.

The Sangh had decided on the goal of ‘Independence’ much before this idea took birth in the Congress. The Sangh does not find anything novel in that Congress resolution. However, the Sangh is naturally pleased that this national organization has arrived at the goal of the Sangh and hence the Sangh is sympathetically congratulating the National Congress. After this speech to the above effect was made, the Chairman made a concluding speech.

The function was concluded at 6 pm sharp after the Sangh prayer. A total of 110 swayamsevaks were present. The resolution read thus: “The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh heartily congratulates the National Congress for arriving at the goal of Independence and desires to cooperate with the Congress, if such is possible within the confines of the goals and discipline of the Sangh.” As an aside, one may note that the Adv. Bhagwat mentioned in the report is Narayan Pandurang alias Nanasaheb Bhagwat, grand-father of the present Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat.   

Summary of Sangh functions

The following is a summary of the Independence Day functions organized by the Sangh at various places (Sangh archives, Hedgewar papers, registers\Register 3 DSC_0043 to DSC_0047)

Critics of the Sangh are clearly wrong when they accuse it of staying away from January 26 festivities. The Sangh has had a long tryst with January 26, irrespective of whether it has been observed as Independence Day or Republic Day.

(Concluded)