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April 10, 2026
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"Founded in 1968 in the wake of alleged Marian apparitions, the Iglesia Palmariana emerged as a schismatic Catholic movement under the leadership of Clemente DomÃnguez y Gómez, later self-proclaimed Pope Gregory XVII. The group claims apostolic succession and considers itself the true Catholic Church, rejecting the Vatican and its popes since Paul VI. Known for its strict rules on dress, gender segregation, and liturgy, the Palmarian Church has long maintained a posture of secrecy, with access to its basilica and grounds strictly limited to members. … The church enforces strict behavioral and doctrinal codes. Gender roles are rigidly defined. Women are required to wear veils and long skirts, while men must dress formally. The church canonizes figures outside mainstream Catholic recognition and maintains a unique liturgical calendar and hierarchy."
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.