As BJP focuses on Nari Shakti, RSS plans year-long celebrations for Ahilyabai Holkar’s birth anniversary

The Malwa queen and pioneer of women education, she had donated money for the renovation of many temples during her reign, including the Kashi Vishwanath temple, which is caught in a legal battle over the Gyanvapi mosque

Born on May 31, 1725, Holkar became the queen of the Malwa region under Maratha rule in 1767, following the death of her husband Khanderao Holkar and father-in-law. (Wikimedia Commons/Bernard Gagnon)

With “Nari Shakti” emerging as one of the key planks on which the BJP will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the RSS – the party’s ideological parent – Wednesday announced a year-long celebration to commemorate the 300th birth anniversary of Malwa queen and pioneer of women education Ahilyabai Holkar.

“The 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, who contributed immensely to society and the country, will begin in May. As part of the year-long celebrations, which will be supported and organised by Sangh workers, multiple programmes will be organised across the country. The sarkaryavah (Dattatreya Hosable) will also release a special statement in this regard,” the national publicity head of the RSS, Sunil Ambekar, said in Nagpur ahead of the RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) meeting beginning March 15.

Born on May 31, 1725, Holkar became the queen of the Malwa region under Maratha rule in 1767, following the death of her husband Khanderao Holkar and father-in-law.

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She is a revered figure, who fought for women’s education at a time when it was forbidden and also worked towards women empowerment during her three-decade reign, which was seen as one of the most prosperous periods in the history of central India.

The RSS’s focus on Holkar is also significant given the ongoing legal battle over the Gyanvapi mosque at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, which is among the many temples Holkar renovated across the country during her reign.

As part of his government’s Nari Shakti push, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only announced various schemes targeting women but has also consistently emphasised the Centre’s focus on welfare and protection of women, including through various legislation like the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Bill) to Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (which replaced IPC), where the government claimed it had granted respect to women by pushing up sections dealing with crime against them.

The government recently announced setting up of an all-women Sainik School in Vrindavan and recent Republic Day parades saw armed forces showcasing women contingents.

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Ambekar said a resolution on the Ram Temple consecration will also be passed during the ABPS meeting, as the participation of people in large numbers at the grand January 22 event was a historic moment which would have a positive impact on society.

Other contemporary issues too are likely to be discussed during the meeting and resolutions may be passed with regard to them, apart from five subjects on which the Sangh aims to mobilise society during its centenary celebrations in 2025.

The RSS had unveiled the same at the last ABPS meeting, held in Samalkha, Haryana, in March 2023 – “samajik samarasta (social harmony)”, “parivar prabodhan (preservation of family values)”, “paryavaran sanrakshan (environment protection)”, “swadeshi acharan (inculcating behaviour inclined towards country)” and nagarik kartavya (duty of citizens)”.