Backbone of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram Hon. Balasaheb Deshpande
Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is completing 70 years. This work has stood the test of time. Today, Vanvasi, Janajati Kalyan Ashram has become a powerful force. The credit for this work should undoubtedly go to Balasaheb Deshpande.
Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram has proved to be an important dimension of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for the overall upliftment and prosperity of the Janajati brothers and sisters.
Balasaheb Deshpande Founded on December 26, 1952. Service work is considered the best in this organization. Now Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is completing 70 years. This work has stood the test of time.
Ramakant Keshav Upakhya Balasaheb Deshpande was born on 26th December 1913 in Amravati. He had been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since the age of thirteen. It was there that he received the rites of patriotism and Hindutva. Dr. Hedgewar was introduced. He later graduated and passed the bar examination, during which time he was also in charge of the team.
Later, with the guidance of Thakkar Bappa and Gandhiji and the direct HH Inspired by Golwalkar Guruji, he established Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. According to the plan to free the Jashpur area from missionary influence, it was decided to implement the government’s development plan in this area through the Tribal Welfare Department, for which Balasaheb was appointed as the Regional Organizer of Jashpur.
The Jashpur area was then a hotbed of missionary separatist activities. Balasaheb planned to start 100 schools in the entire area and made it a success. Thakkar Bappa himself was impressed by this work and came to Jashpur to visit him, at that time he had given a cash prize to Balasaheb. It has expanded its work by starting the first school and hostel for just two students in Jashpur. Even then many hostels and ashrams, tribal communities Power centers have become. Balasaheb ended the missionaries’ authority because of his actions.
However, due to government restrictions, our rites of Indianness and Hindutva cannot be practiced effectively, so they left the framework of the government and set up a work of nationalist thinking in the Vanvasi Janajati area. He resigned. During this period, he got a lot of support from Vijay Bhushan Singh Judev, the king of Jashpur. At the same time, Morubhau Ketkar, a veteran pracharak of the Sangh, joined in the work and thus the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram was established in 1952.
After that, the work of this Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram increased with the contact of the surrounding villages, Khedipadi in the vicinity of Jashpur. After that, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram was expanded in various states like Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. After this, in the year 1978, the work of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram got an all-India look. Of course, in the early days, the struggle, the movement had to face time. Now the transformation of this work has started from Seva Dharmakarya with the inspiration of Swami Vivekananda.
Hostels were set up in various places, ashram schools were set up all over India. This increased the organizing power of the tribes. According to Balasaheb, since the work of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is a divine work, by the grace of God, public cooperation increased. Today, this work has become a huge banyan tree.
The state of Maharashtra is also on its way to growth and success. If these figures are given, it will be very extensive, but if we take the example of Maharashtra alone, there are twenty hostels in Maharashtra today. The number of projects has increased a lot. There are many dimensions like education, health, sports, rural development, satsang center, sanskar center. Special emphasis is laid on awareness and protection of welfare, economic development, rural development and hence Vanvasi, Janajati Kalyan Ashram has become a strong force.
The credit for this work should undoubtedly go to Balasaheb Deshpande. Today many doctors, engineers, lawyers, professors, agriculturists, public service commissions and central service commissions are working in the ministry. The fame in the field of sports has also reached far and wide.
The tribal community has now realized that they want to save themselves and become self-reliant without underestimating themselves.
Balasaheb was an influential and talented person, also known as an expert lawyer. He has worked for the welfare of the tribe with his strong banya. He also lashed out at a police officer on the spot, saying, “If you have orders, shoot.” He reminded the activists that it is their duty to unite in the tribal community and explain it to them in their own dialect. He loved his workers very much and so when the doctor told them not to come to see Balasaheb because he was ill, they would tell him to change his room if there was such a sign outside the room; Because where workers don’t come,
He had expressed his feelings about the activists as I could not stay there. Balasaheb initially ran the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram through his lawyer. He did not even have a bank account. An activist tried to open a bank account in his wife’s name, but they refused and canceled it. We get to hear supernatural stories of their sacrifice and dedication.
He finally awakened this sense of intimacy, harmony and today the tribal community and the whole community has got to taste its sweet fruits.