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April 10, 2026
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"The impact of AyodhyÄ was so wide and varied that in the distant ÅyÄmadesa (Siam) i.e. modern Thailand a Buddhist king U-Thong (Skt. Uttunga) decided to establish his capital at Nong Sans and name it Ayutthaya or Ayudhya after AyodhyÄ in 1350 A.D. On accession to the throne of Ayutthaya this Buddhist king even changed his name from U-Thong to Ramathibodhi (Skt. Ramatibodhi which means RÄma, the intellectual par excellence.) For 417 years this strong kingdom with Ayutthaya as the capital dominated the South East Asia politically, culturally and religiously. According to Willian Warren, Ayutthaya in the 17th century was the largest and most magnificent city in the region, with a population greater than that of London at that time and had about 400 temples in the capital."
"āThe whole city enjoyed happiness throughout all seasons. Now it weighs heavily on my breast to see Ayutthaya disappear. Where can I find its equal? It is as if a crystal has lost its shine, Each day brings new destruction How can its glory ever be restored?ā"
Young though he was, his radiant energy produced such an impression of absolute reliability that Hedgewar made him the first sarkaryavah, or general secretary, of the RSS.
- Gopal Mukund Huddar
Largely because of the influence of communists in London, Huddar's conversion into an enthusiastic supporter of the fight against fascism was quick and smooth. The ease with which he crossed from one worldview to another betrays the fact that he had not properly understood the world he had grown in.
Huddar would have been 101 now had he been alive. But then centenaries are not celebrated only to register how old so and so would have been and when. They are usually celebrated to explore how much poorer our lives are without them. Maharashtrian public life is poorer without him. It is poorer for not having made the effort to recall an extraordinary life.
I regret I was not there to listen to Balaji Huddar's speech [...] No matter how many times you listen to him, his speeches are so delightful that you feel like listening to them again and again.
By the time he came out of Franco's prison, Huddar had relinquished many of his old ideas. He displayed a worldview completely different from that of the RSS, even though he continued to remain deferential to Hedgewar and maintained a personal relationship with him.