K. B. Hedgewar
Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, commonly referred to as Doctorji, was born on April 1, 1889, in Kandakurthi, Central Provinces, British India (now in Maharashtra), and died on June 21, 1940, in Nagpur. He was an Indian physician and the founding Sarsanghachalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an organization he established in 1925 in Nagpur with the aim of promoting Hindu nationalism and the ideology of Hindutva. Hedgewar’s early life was marked by his involvement in anti-British activities and his association with revolutionary groups like the Anushilan Samiti. He was deeply influenced by nationalist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Despite his medical background, Hedgewar devoted his life to social and political activism, focusing on organizing Hindus to create a united India rooted in indigenous ideology. His legacy as a nationalist and the founder of the RSS has been recognized posthumously, including through a commemorative stamp issued by the Indian government in 1999.
