First Quote Added
April 10, 2026
Latest Quote Added
"‘In the first place, they were thus elevated in their antiquity beyond the Christian scriptures, the writings of Moses having been called the productions of yesterday, compared with those of the brahmins [...] the primitive religion of the Hindoos, it was said, revealed the most sublime doctrines, and inculcated a pure morality. [...] Many an object appears beautiful when seen at a distance, and through a mist; but when the fog has dispersed, and the person has approached it, he smiles at the deception. Such is the exact case with these books [Vedas, Bhagavadgita, Ramayana], and this system of idolatry.’"
"‘There is scarcely anything in Hindooism, when truly known, in which a learned man can delight, or of which a benevolent man can approve; and I am fully persuaded, that there will soon be but one opinion on the subject, and that this opinion will be, that the Hindoo system is less antient than the Egyptian, and that it is the most PUERILE, IMPURE, AND BLOODY, OF ANY SYSTEM OF IDOLATRY THAT WAS EVER ESTABLISHED ON EARTH.’"
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.