https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=B._S._MoonjeB. S. Moonje - Revision history2026-07-31T20:05:07ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=B._S._Moonje&diff=334144&oldid=prevUpdateBot at 17:48, 17 March 20222022-03-17T17:48:26Z<p></p>
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'''Balakrishna Shivram Moonje''' ('''B.S.Moonje''', also '''B.S.Munje''', 12 December 1872 – 3 March 1948) was a leader of the [[Hindu Mahasabha]] in India.<br />
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== Early life ==<br />
Moonje was born into a [[Deshastha Brahmin|Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin]] ([[DRB]]) family<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jaffrelot|first1=Christophe|title=The Hindu nationalist movement and Indian politics : 1925 to the 1990s : strategies of identity-building, implantation and mobilisation (with special reference to Central India)|date=1996|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-1850653011|page=45|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iVsfVOTUnYEC}}</ref> in 1872 at [[Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh|Bilaspur]] in [[Central Provinces]]. He completed his [[Doctor of Medicine|Medical Degree]] from [[Grant Medical College]] in [[Mumbai]] in 1898, and was employed in [[Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai|Bombay Municipal Corporation]] as a Medical Officer. He left his job to participate in the [[Boer War]] in [[South Africa]] through the medical wing, as the King's Commissioned Officer, because of his keen interest in military life. He was also a [[Sanskrit]] scholar.<br />
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==1907–1920: Career and Involvement with Bal Gangadhar Tilak==<br />
Moonje was recognized as a [[freedom fighter]] and a strong supporter of [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]]. In 1907, the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] Party's annual session was held at [[Surat]], where conflict arose between the "moderate" faction and the "extremist" faction, led by [[Lala Lajpat Rai]], [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]], and [[Bipinchandra Pal]], over the selection of a new president. Due to Moonje's support of Tilak during the session, Tilak's trust in Moonje led to a strong relationship between the two. As a result, Moonje toured the entire Central India and collected funds for Tilak on many occasions. Moonje also introduced [[Ganesh]] and Shivaji Festivals in Central India and accompanied Tilak to [[Calcutta]] for this purpose. {{citation needed|date=August 2018}} He was The General Secretary of Central Indian Provincial Congress for many years.<br />
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The [[Bhonsala Military School]] in [[Nasik]] was established by him to provide military training to Hindus. All the institutions he founded are still running, some of them have completed their [[Diamond Jubilee]]. He also started a Marathi Newspaper known as ''Daily Maharashtra'' in [[Nagpur]].<br />
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==Later life==<br />
Following the death of Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1920, Moonje dissociated from Congress. He disagreed with the two main policies of [[M. K. Gandhi]], namely his non-violence and secularism. His association with Hindu Mahasabha increased and he was also political mentor of Dr Hedgewar who founded RSS in 1925.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/vantage/the-rss-bhonsala-military-school-dhirendra-k-jha |title=How the RSS Became Involved In Running the Bhonsala Military School - The Caravan |website=caravanmagazine.in |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427110437/http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/the-rss-bhonsala-military-school-dhirendra-k-jha |archive-date=2017-04-27}} </ref> Moonje was the All India President of the [[Hindu Mahasabha]] from 1927 until he handed over the charge to [[Vinayak Damodar Savarkar]] in 1937. Until his death, he was very active in the Mahasabha and toured all over India. Savarkar had his strong support. He also attended the Round Table Conferences (in London) twice, despite strong opposition from Congress leaders on his views.<br />
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In 1931, Moonje travelled to Italy, where he met with Prime Minister [[Benito Mussolini]]. Moonje also visited the [[Accademia della Farnesina]] and other military schools and educational institutions, and observed the [[Opera Nazionale Balilla]], which he praised.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|title=Moonje & Mussolini|date=23 January 2015|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/moonje-amp-mussolini/article6756630.ece}}</ref><br />
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Moonje, along with Savarkar, strongly advised [[B. R. Ambedkar|Dr Ambedkar]] to convert to any religion of Indian origin (and not any [[Abrahmic Religions|Abrahmic]] creed), when the question of [[Dalit]] exodus from [[Hinduism]] caught the imagination. Initially, Dr Ambedkar thought of joining [[Sikhism]] but later settled for [[Buddhism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/archivedf/feature-oct2001.html|title=Dr. Ambedkar and Sikhism|author=Gurtej Singh|work=featured article at www.sikh-history.com|date=1 October 2001|access-date=17 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203175140/http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/archivedf/feature-oct2001.html|archive-date=3 December 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-2d6jzRmBQC&q=ambedkar+moonje+keer&pg=PA277|title=Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission|page=278|author= Dhananjay Keer|author2= Dhanañjaya Kīra|year=1971 | isbn=978-81-7154-237-6 | publisher=Popular Prakashan}}</ref><br />
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Moonje died in 1948.<br />
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== References ==<br />
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== <span lang="en" dir="ltr">Bibliography</span> ==<br />
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* {{cite book |last=Bapu |first=Prabhu |title=Hindu Mahasabha in Colonial North India, 1915–1930: Construction Nation and History |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-415-67165-1}}<br />
* {{cite book |first=Des Raj |last=Goyal |authorlink=Des Raj Goyal |title=Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh |publisher=Radha Krishna Prakashan |location=Delhi |year=1979 |isbn=0-8364-0566-8}}<br />
* {{cite book |last=Jaffrelot |first=Christophe |authorlink=Christophe Jaffrelot |title=The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers |year=1996 |isbn=978-1-85065-301-1 }}<br />
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[[Category:1872 births]]<br />
[[Category:1948 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]<br />
[[Category:University of Mumbai alumni]]<br />
[[Category:Marathi politicians]]<br />
[[Category:Members of Central Legislative Assembly of India]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu Mahasabha politicians]]<br />
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Chhattisgarh]]<br />
[[Category:People from Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh]]</div>UpdateBot