Whenever Ramtek near Nagpur is discussed among the volunteers of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, it is known as the birthplace of the second Sarsanghchalak Guru Golwalkar. But one incident of Ramtek is very interesting in the history of the Sangh. During the Quit India Movement, a Sangh volunteer had thrown down the Union Jack, i.e. the flag of the British Government, which was flying at the Tehsil office. Due to which he was sentenced to death. Luckily, when he was saved from that punishment, he devoted his entire life to the welfare of the tribals and the credit goes to him for the establishment and expansion of Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (ABVKA), an organization associated with the Sangh. His name was Ramakant Keshav Deshpande, who later became famous as Balasaheb Deshpande.
Born in Amravati, Vidarbha, Ramakant’s mother Lakshmibai belonged to the Devras family. In this way, he also had a family relationship with Bala Saheb Deoras, who later became the third Sarsanghchalak of the Sangh. He came in contact with Dr. Hedgewar since his teenage years and became a volunteer. He graduated from the same Hislop College, Nagpur, where Guru Golwalkar had also studied. He spent some time in law and then got a job in the ration department of the government. After coming in contact with Guru Golwalkar, whenever he got a chance, he used to discuss with him the problems of the country, he felt that Guru Golwalkar’s thoughts were quite similar to his own. Before getting the job, like Guru Golwalkar, he had also come in contact with Ramakrishna Mission.
How did you get pardon from death sentence?
Brother, he definitely did not want a government job, there was so much corruption there that everyone was involved, which Deshpande could not bear, he resigned from the job and started practicing law again. Meanwhile, the Quit India Movement of 1942 started. In those days, Deshpande was the city executive of the Sangh in Ramtek tehsil. He had daily contact with Tehsil, Court and Kachari. Being a lawyer, he was recognized by judges, lawyers and officials. But after the senior Congress leaders went to jail, the movement went out of control. Due to this, different groups of the public were doing whatever they wanted, at some places they used to stop trains, at some places they used to set government vehicles or offices on fire.
Everyone was enthusiastic, Sangh chief Guru Golwalkar had already told his volunteers that he could personally participate in any freedom movement. In such a situation, Deshpande took charge in Ramtek. Yaduvansh Bahadur Mathur writes in his book ‘Quit India Movement’ that, “Five stations were burnt on the Nagpur-Chhindwara route narrow gauge line, many government buildings were also burnt in Ramtek tehsil”. Gandhiji’s movement had been made violent, but still Deshpande along with his colleagues simply surrounded the tehsil and threw down the Union Jack placed on it.
Since everyone knew him, even if the others were not caught, the British judge sentenced Balasaheb Deshpande to death on the basis of the statements of Tehsildar Harkare and poet Deshpande. Perhaps the witnesses would not have expected such a huge punishment, anyway, due to the kind of patriotic atmosphere that existed and the charisma of Balasaheb Deshpande, both the witnesses changed their statements. Under British law, it was necessary that the sentence be pronounced only on the basis of evidence and witnesses. Now it had become difficult for the judge. Hanging for the crime of removing the Union Jack seemed like a big punishment to the people, but the British considered treason to be the biggest crime and in their view it was also a matter of challenging their power.
Every story of this special series related to hundred years of RSS
Ultimately the judge had to cancel his death sentence and within a few days he came out of jail. After that he married Prabhavati and took the path of peace for a few days. But an incident that happened in 1946 made him a big face in the tribal history of India. In 1946, Ravi Shankar Shukla became the Chief Minister of Central Province and Berar (today’s Madhya Pradesh). He was being welcomed everywhere, wherever he went, people raised slogans for him. But when he reached Jaspur (now in Chhattisgarh), he was surprised when he was shown black flags, and that too at many places. When he inquired about the reason for the protest, he got information that behind these people and their protest are foreign forces and Christian missionaries working among the tribals in this area.
Then Shukla took advice from Thakkar Bapa, a senior Gandhian leader of Congress who had been working among the tribals for decades. Bappa had established Bhil Seva Mandal in 1922 and was the general secretary of Harijan Sevak Sangh, an organization founded by Gandhiji in 1943. Bappa suggested that there is no nationalist organization or institution in the area of Jaspur. That’s why they are coming in contact with Christian missionaries. Then the next year, Shukla opened ‘Backward Community Society Welfare Department’ there and Bappa’s close friend Pandurang Govind Vanikar was sent there as the director of this department. For Vanikar, this work was like breaking a mountain, then he asked Chief Minister Shukla to link the city affairs of the Sangh with this work.
In 1948, Deshpande and his wife again reached Jaspur to work with the government. Initially, Chief Minister Shukla gave funds for a total of 8 schools. In fact, after seeing 100 schools in that area, Deshpande advised the missionaries to open the same number of schools there and started his campaign to open 100 schools and finished this work by opening 108 schools. The same tribals who had shown black flags to the CM, later showered flowers on Thakkar Bapa.
This is how the foundation of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram was laid
After Thakkar Bapa’s death in 1951, Deshpande moved away from this project. He was transferred to Chandrapur (now in Maharashtra). Then after resigning from the job and getting freed, he had a historic meeting with Guru Golwalkar. In this he insisted that he wants to serve the tribals throughout his life and wants to set up a new organization. Also ready to become a Sangh Pracharak. Guru Golwalkar asked Sanghchalak Haribhau Ketkar of Central Province to help him.
It was the beginning of opening a hostel for 13 children in Jaspur, for which King Vidya Bhushan Singh Judev of Jaspur had given some rooms in one of his palaces. The king also promised to give 10 percent of his personal income to this ashram. The day the Ashram started, i.e. 26 December 1952, was also his birthday. It was named ‘Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram’. After that the work kept gaining momentum, Deshpande set up so many schools in the entire tribal area that hardly any block was left. Gradually this caravan kept increasing. In 1963, Guru Golwalkar unveiled his headquarters of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. This land was also given by King Judev. Balasaheb started his service in the field of health by starting an Ayurvedic hospital for the first time in this headquarters. To bring the forest dweller community together, he got this grand building inaugurated by the revered Gahira Guru Ji Maharaj, a saint of the forest dweller Kanwar community.
The news of the first ashram opened in 1952 also reached Dr. Rajendra Prasad and he also praised it in a program organized at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 1956. When the current Sangh activist Dattatreya Hosabale called him ‘Samaj Shilpi’, it was not wrong, the innocent people living in the forests were being used by the foreigners for their own selfish purposes, Deshpande connected them back to the eternal culture of India by arranging accessible education and health for them. In 1971, when it came to abolishing the privy purse of the kings, the king of Jaspur donated 150 acres of his land to Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. For so many days he had been watching the work expand rapidly.
Indira government kept him in jail for 19 months during emergency.
The death sentence of the British was definitely pardoned, but this mercy could not be granted during the Emergency and he had to remain in jail for 19 months. In 1975, he was arrested and kept in Raigarh and then Raipur jail, where he stayed for 19 months. The repressive policies of the then government not only put the workers of Kalyan Ashram in jail but also sealed the land of the Ashram under the Land Ceiling Act and caused a lot of damage to the property. The hostel children were also sent home. But the more I pressed, the more emerged. He had become more popular. Prime Minister Morarji Desai of the Janata Party government came to Jaspur in 1977 and saw his work, he was very impressed and even offered financial assistance, but Balasaheb politely refused.
Just as the Sangh had turned Guru Golwalkar’s birthday into an event in 1956, Deshpande’s 71st birthday was also celebrated across the country to collect funds for the organization. Balasaheb’s felicitation programs were held across the country in which he was presented with funds which were used in the future to run various projects of the Ashram. Balasaheb also established the Eklavya Sports Project to bring the talent of forest dwellers in front of the country, many players associated with it are bringing glory to the country.
His wish was that after him only a tribal should take over the command of this organization. For 20 years, a tribal worker was continuously working with him like a shadow, like Hanuman, without saying or asking for anything. Name was Jagdev Ram Oraon. In 1993, he was handed over the responsibility of the organization.
Back story: The conversation between Golwalkar and Mukherjee after which Bharatiya Jana Sangh was formed
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