RSS Sarkaryavaha Dattatreya Hosabale inaugurated Jagannath Bhavan, a cultural centre built in memory of the former MP and RSS leader Jagannath Rao Joshi in Belagavi on Sunday.

He recalled his association with Mr. Joshi and spoke of his life and contribution.

“Mr. Joshi hailed form Karnataka but, served as a Lok Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh. He was an RSS volunteer all his life. He served as a member of both Houses of Parliament and played a role in the Goa liberation movement. It is possible that today’s youth may not know about the contribution of Mr. Joshi. They need to learn about him and get inspired from his life,” he said.

“Mr. Joshi led a life of struggle. He was a courageous leader who was not afraid to take on anyone. Once Mr. Joshi was engaged in a discussion on agriculture in Parliament and the then Minister K.M. Munshi announced plans for afforestation. Mr. Joshi commented that India needed to increase the number of trees manifold, as then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had promised to catch all the corrupt and hang them from trees,” Mr. Hosabale recalled.

“Mr. Joshi led a simple life, earning the sobriquet ‘a monk without robes’. He had great empathy for the poor and the deprived. He was very vocal against social evils like untouchability. He was a man of great wit and humour but, even his statement that evoked laughter in the crowd, carried great messages. Nothing negative could be said about him. He passed away in 1991 after some illness. But his life has lessons for all of us,” he said.

Mr. Hosabale hoped that the Jagannath Bhavan, that is intended to serve as a venue for training youth in various skills and to hold cultural events, is utilised properly.

“Every inch of the building and every rupee collected as donation from the public should be properly utilised. If we imagine India as Bharat Mata, our society would be Samaj Mata. Such buildings are like the jewels of Samaj Mata. This should become a landmark building that provides the right direction to the youth,” Mr Hosabale said.

Sri Gurusiddha Swami of Karanji Math said that Mr. Joshi left a deep impression on him during his childhood. “I was a student of Sanskrit in Varanasi. I served as a RSS volunteer for some years. I used to cycle long distances to listen to leaders like Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr. Joshi. They inculcated nationalist thoughts in my mind,” he said.

“During the Goa liberation movement, Mr. Joshi was arrested. The Union government offered to appoint a legal counsel but, he refused and argued his own case. The judge was impressed,” the seer recalled.

RSS leader and managing trustee of Jan Kalyan Trust Arvind Rao Deshpande said that the trust is engaged in service activities like education, health and social outreach.

“We are running two schools in Belagavi. We treated over 300 patients during COVID-19. We will soon set up a blood bank in association with Rotary Clubs,” he said.

A documentary film on Mr. Joshi was screened.

BJP leaders, including Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, MPs Jagadish Shettar, Govind Karjol, Basavaraj Bommai, Vishveshvar Hegde Kageri, Ramesh Jigajinagi, MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Tenginkai, the former Deputy Chief Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, Sri Ram Sene founder Pramod Mutalik, RSS leader Raghavendra Kagwad, ABVP leader Narasimha Raichur, and others were present.