Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Nagpur Sunday, where he will visit RSS founder’s memorial Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Reshimbagh and will also pay homage to Dr B R Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi. The PM’s visit coincides with the RSS ‘Pratipada’ programme, marking the beginning of Hindu New Year, and Gudi Padwa, the Marathi New Year. As part of his itinerary, the PM will lay the foundation stone of Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, a new extension building of Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute & Research Centre. Established in 2014, it is a premier super-specialty ophthalmic care facility in Nagpur. The institute was founded in memory of M S Golwalkar. The upcoming project will have a 250-bed hospital, 14 OPDs and 14 modular operation theatres, with an aim to provide affordable and world-class eyecare facilities. During the programmes, Modi will be accompanied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Later, the PM will visit the Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd’s ammunition facility in Nagpur. He will also inaugurate the newly built 1,250-m long and 25-m wide airstrip for UAVs and the live munition and warhead testing facility. Away from the hustle and bustle of the Nagpur traffic, is a modest but meticulously maintained structure surrounded by green trees and plants: the memorial of RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. Hedgewar launched the RSS in 1925 and led the organisation until his death in 1940. He was cremated at the then-open grounds of Reshimbagh where a samadhi (memorial) was erected in his honour in 1962, which was inaugurated by Sangh’s second sarsanghchalak Golwalkar. After Golwalkar’s death in 1973, the RSS built a memorial for him on the same premises. Apart from housing memorials of Hedgewar and Golwalkar, the premises also has a number of administrative offices, training centres, and a state-of-the-art auditorium which form the headquarters of the RSS. The Sangh’s top leadership, including RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, lives at the Karyalaya when in Nagpur. The structure has been with the RSS since its founding in 1925. Both its simple exteriors and austere interiors have remained unaltered for decades. Inside the Karyalaya are rows of spartan rooms, equipped only with some basic necessities and with very little furniture. They are equipped with water coolers, not ACs. Over the years, political leaders across party lines have made it a practice to offer tribute to Dr Ambedkar by visiting Deekshabhoomi, where on October 14, 1956, Dr Ambedkar along with his followers embraced Buddhism. The day is commemorated as Dhammachakra Pravartan Din. An estimated six lakh Dalits from Maharashtra and outside participated in the event and embraced Buddhism.
