Early in life, in a letter to his uncle explaining his resolve to stay single, Hedgewar had said that since he had chosen to work for the country, it won’t be ‘good to risk the life of any girl.’ On the one hand, if the statement expresses his concern for a woman who may find herself neglected owing to his preoccupation, it also indicates how Hedgewar precluded women from playing a role in the service of the nation. This notion was mandated upon pracharaks who were sworn to celibacy as Hedgewar did not want to risk their ‘purity’ by admitting women into the RSS. However, following several
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