When Baba Amte got a gun, Hedgewar asked him to be prudent: RSS chief

Nagpur: Influenced by revolutionism, late social worker Baba Amte had in his young days got a pistol from somewhere. All others reprimanded him for that. At that time RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar told Baba that the purpose behind getting the firearm was indeed appreciable. However, he should also be prudent about the consequences while using it, said RSS Sarsanghachalak (chief) Mohan Bhagwat. He was citing an anecdote heard from senior RSS functionary Yadavrao Joshi, who was a pracharak in the south.
Bhagwat shared this story this while sharing the dais with Dr Vikas Amte, son of Baba Amte, at a prize distribution event for veterinarians on Friday. Bhagwat said they were all one and ready to work together. Seniors RSS functionaries in Chandrapur used to visit Baba, he said.
Bhagwat also asked veterinarians to respond to Amte’s appeal to offer their services to his organization, which works for upliftment of leprosy patients.
Later, Amte told TOI that this was the first time that he met Bhagwat. Earlier, speaking at the function, Amte remarked that he had seen the RSS headquarters in Mahal even before Bhagwat. This is because he was three years older than him and grew up in the locality, where his mother lived.
Amte told TOI that his father was indeed influenced by revolutnaries in those days and was associated with Rajguru. “Baba had met Madanlal Dhingra, who had asked him to become physically stronger. After that, he practiced enough to be able to perform 1,000 pushups. He trained along with Rajguru at Hanuman Shikshan Prasarak Mandal at Amravati. However, he eventually turned towards Gandhi,” he said. Amte said he remembers seeing a picture of Hedgewar in his father’s belongings.
However, he also clarified that the Amtes did not subscribe to the RSS ideology. People of all classes come to them for help. This rules out following the RSS ideology, he said.
A known Gandhian, Baba Amte is known for his relief work for leprosy patients at Warora in Chandrapur district. The activities are now carried out by his sons Prakash and Vikas Amte. Baba Amte was also associated with Medha Patkar in the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
Amte said that even after 75 years of the establishment of Anand Van by his father, discrimination toward leprosy patients continues.