First Quote Added
April 10, 2026
Latest Quote Added
"The knowledge that I can compete at this level was just such a boost and for me the biggest achievement of my life. Look, no prop scrums alone, so it is not about me, but it was great to force my opponent to concede penalties and for our forwards to enjoy dominance over a highly-rated French pack."
"And I want to assist in mauls, make tackles, and carry the ball. The nice thing about all of that is that I can do so with my team and when we play together, we get things done."
"I can an really look back at this day for a long time. Here I was, being part of the opening match of the World Cup and when the action began, I felt at home."
"But because of my body shape, people kept saying, ‘you need to play, you need to play’. I was 18. I just thought, ‘why not’. So I tried. And the rest is history."
"But I want to tell girls that it’s OK to look how you look. I am grateful for my strength. I use my strength to push for my country. Why would I not be proud of that?"
"If I don’t keep winning penalties then someone else will come and take my position. And if I lose my position, if I lose my contract, then my family won’t eat. I can’t let that happen"
"I’ll keep pushing hard. For my family and for South Africa. For all young girls who want to play rugby. Ya, I can say that I’ll always keep pushing"
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.