Revolutionary Hedgewar was granted active membership of ‘Anusheelan Samiti.

Hedgewar, founder of RSS, was granted membership of ‘The Anusheelan Samiti’, a well-known revolutionary group of freedom fighters in Bengal. The Anushilan Samiti, established in 1901, was the most organized and popular revolutionary front in Bengal at that time. P. Mitra was its founder and almost all of Bengal’s well-known freedom fighters were a part of the Samiti. Aurobindo Ghosh, Bipinchandra Pal, Trailokyanath Chakravarty, Nalin Kishore Guha, Pratul Ganguly, Jogeshchandra Chatterjee, etc., were the leading lights among the revolutionaries. Following the ban, the Samiti transformed itself into a secret organization. After some of its prominent leaders were arrested, its leadership passed into the hands of school and college-going youngsters. In this regard, Chakrvarty writes: “Nalinkishore Guha, author of the well-known book Banglar Biplab was a student of the National Medical College when Hedgewar too studied there. It was Guha who obtained entry for Hedgewar, Narayanrao Savarkar and others” (Chatterjee, 1963:277-78). 

Hedgewar was granted membership of ‘Anusheelan Samiti’, a well-known revolutionary group of freedom fighters at that time led by Pulinbihari in Bengal. Hedgewar soon made his niche in the Samiti as a highly trusted member, and the lodge where he stayed became the centre of revolutionary activity. While underground, Shyam Sundar Chakravarty had to occasionally visit the place. The lodge also became a place of residence, hiding and store of arms for Nalinkishore Guha and his compatriots. Guha’s own testimony in this regard is telling: “Hedgewar was a true revolutionary in every sense. He was known in the Samiti for his constructive thinking and work”. There is a lack of concrete material as to the exact role Hedgewar had in the Samiti, but all prominent members associated with the group praised him. Jogeshchandra Chatterjee too, who spent 24 years in prison, has in his book accepted the fact that Hedgewar played a significant role in the Anushilan Samiti (Chatterjee, 1963: 27). 

Hedgewar also acted as a link between the revolutionaries of Bengal and Central Provinces. A large quantity of pistols and other small arms was dispatched from Bengal to the Central Provinces. Whenever Hedgewar used to visit Nagpur, he used to carry arms (Sinha, 2018). One of the tasks taken up by the Samiti was to raise awareness of the public through underground literature. Hedgewar played an important role in ensuring this literature also reached Nagpur. His friends acted as couriers and whenever he himself went to Nagpur, he would take revolvers for revolutionaries there. Hedgewar soon became a member of the core group of Anusheelan Samiti. His code name was ‘Koken’. Chakravarti had included the photographs of some top members of the Samiti in his book. Hedgewar’s picture also figures in that group. Chakravarti says, “Only those who had taken the ultimate vow were considered full and true members of the Samiti. And only those who had renounced their homes and families were entitled to take that vow.” Hedgewar had met both the conditions. Here he learnt secretive methods used by the revolutionary freedom fighters, which scholars believe were used by him to organise the RSS. 

During his stay in Calcutta, which lasted five years, Dr. Hedgewar emerged as a highly popular figure among the nationalist leaders and revolutionaries in Bengal. Shyam Sundar Chakravarty had lot of affection for Hedgewar, who used to frequent his home. Like most other revolutionaries, Chakravarty’s economic condition was pathetic. Hedgewar undertook a lot of effort by collecting money to alleviate the financial hardship caused by the marriage of Chakravarty’s daughter. Hedgewar made it a point to regularly attend the meetings and prabhat pheris (early morning processions) organized by another prominent nationalist leader Maulana Liaqat Hussain. He was closely associated with Motilal Ghosh, Dr Ashutosh Mukherji, Ras Bihari Bose and Bipinchandra Pal. Highlighting aspects of his character, Hardas writes: “Hedgewar won the hearts of young revolutionaries through the purity of character, commitment and extraordinary organizational capacity. There was a big retinue of patriots who held a lot of reverence for him” (Hardas, nd: 373). 

Apart from taking part in revolutionary activities, Hedgewar also took active part in two agitations that took place in Bengal during his stay there. First he participated in the 1911 boycott of the Delhi Durbar. Then, in 1914, he was instrumental in mobilizing public opinion in a vociferous agitation against the non-recognition of the degrees awarded by the National Medical College of Calcutta. A huge public gathering was organized at Calcutta. Finally, the government had to withdraw this black law in 1916 (Hitvada. January 12, 1916: 7). The revolutionary movement in Bengal had significantly weakened by 1914-15 due to the government’s harsh regime of repression, fissures among armed revolutionaries themselves, ideological differences and frustration at the non-attainment of their goals.  

The Criminal Intelligence Office of the Government of India published a booklet titled “Political Criminals of India” in January 1914. Only those individuals were included in this list who were “involved in revolutionary organizations and activities” and who “knew how to make bombs and other explosives”. This booklet was known as ‘Book 1914’ among the police and intelligence. From the Central Provinces, Dr. Hedgewar’s name was included; his physical built (well over six feet in height and hefty built) and his activities from the days at Nagpur’s Neil City School to the Anushilan Samiti were recorded in this booklet. This indeed was the reason his application to serve in the medical corps of the British army, during the World War I was rejected without any explanation.