Balakrishna Shivram Moonje was a medical doctor from Nagpur, a follower of Tilak, and later a president of the Hindu Mahasabha. He was the mentor of the young K. B. Hedgewar and believed that Hindus needed military training; to that end he founded the Bhonsala Military School at Nashik.
Life
- 1872Born on 12 December at Bilaspur, in present-day Chhattisgarh.
- 1898Qualifies in medicine in Bombay; later serves as a medical officer in the Boer War.
- 1900s–1920A leading follower of Tilak in the Central Provinces; helps send the young Hedgewar to study medicine in Calcutta.
- 1920s–30sA leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, and its president for several years; attends the Round Table Conferences in London (1930–31).
- 1931Visits Italy and meets Mussolini, studying fascist youth organisations.
- 1935–37Founds the Central Hindu Military Education Society and the Bhonsala Military School at Nashik.
- 1948Dies at Nashik on 3 March.
Military education
Moonje believed that centuries of foreign rule had left Hindus without military skills and confidence. The Bhonsala Military School, opened in 1937 at Nashik, aimed to prepare young Indians for careers in the armed forces; it still functions today.
Criticism and debate
Moonje's 1931 meeting with Mussolini and his admiring notes on Italian fascist youth organisations, recorded in his diary, are often cited by historians as evidence of the influence of European fascism on early Hindu nationalist organisations. Others argue that he was mainly interested in methods of discipline and military training, which he also sought from other countries.
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Frequently asked questions
What was Dr Moonje's link with Dr Hedgewar?
Moonje was Hedgewar's mentor in Nagpur and helped send him to Calcutta to study medicine.
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Read nextVinayak Damodar SavarkarSources & copyright status
- B. S. Moonje, diaries (Nehru Memorial Museum and Library) — archival record; paraphrased
- Marzia Casolari, "Hindutva's Foreign Tie-up in the 1930s", Economic and Political Weekly (2000) — critical scholarship
- Christophe Jaffrelot, The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics (1996) — scholarly history; facts and critical perspective
- Historical facts: not subject to copyright.
- Commentary and translations on this page: original to The Hindu Book. © The Hindu Book, all rights reserved.
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