This article is dedicated to Shri Purushottam Paranjape; whose austerity, discipline, simplicity and serviceability has been an inspiration for many thousands of people for more than 6 decades. He continues to serve a noble mission even at the age of 90 years along with his wife Shrimati Pratima Paranjape.
Shri Purushottam Paranjape was born in Agra on 2nd August 1935 in a Marathi brahmin family. His father’s name was Shriman Ganpat Rao Paranjape and his mother’s name was Shrimati Saraswati Devi. Purushottam ji did his schooling from Victoria High School in Agra where his father worked as a civics teacher. He did his post-graduation from Agra College, Agra in Physics and eventually took up the role of a Physics lecturer at Goenka College in Sitamarhi district in Bihar.
His journey with the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) which began in 1943 was inspirited by his elder brother Shri Madhav Paranjape. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is an Indian right-wing Hindutva volunteer organisation. It is the progenitor and leader of a large body of Hindutva organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for “Sangh family”), which has developed a presence in all facets of Indian society. He joined the organization as a Shishu Swayamsevak as he started going to the Neelkanth Shakha. He was given the responsibility of a gatnayak there. 1956 turned out to be a turning point in his life, as he was given the charge of various responsibilities in Bihar. His married life also began in 1956 when he was married to Shrimati Pratima Paranjape from Ujjain. In 1965, he got shifted to DAV (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) College in Ajmer where he served as a Physics lecturer for 30 years till his retirement in 1995 from the position of HoD (Head of Department). 22 books on Physics had been penned by him. These books were well-received by students and they felt that a difficult subject like Physics became easy after reading it from his books.
From 1965 to 1967, he was the president of the Ajmer division of ABVP (Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad), which is an Indian student organisation established in 1949. It’s a significant student body which is considered as one of the largest student organisations in the world. Till 1992, he served in various positions in the RSS in Ajmer. In 1992, he was made the first Prant Karyavah (Provincial Secretary) of Chittorgarh province. He was given the additional responsibility of Rajasthan Kshetra Baudhik Pramukh from 2000 to 2002. From 2002 to 2009 he was the Kshetra Karyavah (Region Secretary) and from 2009 to 2015 he was the Kshertra Sanghachalak of the entire state of Rajasthan. Apart from this, he was also a member of the All India Executive of the RSS from 2011 to 2015. Paranjape ji was the guide of the provincial team of Vidhya Bharti Chittor Prant for around 11 years. Vidhya Bharti is the educational wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh having many thousands of schools in India to educate the young generation according to Bhartiya values and culture. He played an eminent role in Vigyan Bharti in Rajasthan too, which is a non-governmental organization aiming the development of indigenous sciences in India . His importance for the RSS can be gauged from the fact that in 1994, RSS supremo Prof Rajendra Singh ji stayed at his home during his visit to Ajmer. His home in Ajmer has been frequently visited by several big RSS leaders over the past several decades, who visit him mainly to greet him and look up to his standpoints on several key issues pertaining to the running of the institution. Paranjape ji also served as the President of Maharashtra Mandal in Ajmer for 3 terms (1977-79, 1986-92, 1996-1999).
After reaching an elderly age, he formed a trust named Pratima Purushottam Paranjape Punyaarth Prayas. Under this trust, Paranjape ji donated all his movable and immovable property for educational and social work. This donation includes his personal residence and a plot of land of 250 yards at Subhash Nagar, Ajmer which now has an RSS office Samrasta Bhawan built on it. It is also being used as a residence for RSS volunteers, workers and propagators. Sanskrit Bharti (It is a movement for the continuing protection, development and propagation of the Sanskrit language as well as the literature, tradition and the knowledge systems embedded in it) also has an office in this Samrasta Bhawan.
His 90th birthday celebration was held at a school in Ajmer on 2nd August 2025. This eventful occasion was marked by the performance of maharudrabhishek (worship of Lord Shiv) in the auspicious month of saavan by him. This birthday celebration was attended by many prominent leaders of Sangh Parivaar who wished to take the blessings of Lord Shiv and greet Paranjape ji. Many anecdotes of his personal and social life and his dealings of the matters of RSS were shared by those who had known him for a long time. This celebration was outlaid and planned by the trust he created.
There are not many people in the world who think beyond their own personal interest, and there are even fewer who dedicate themselves for a higher cause. Paranjape ji is one of those rare individuals, who lived his life with simplicity and dedicated it to serve the great causes of uplifting humanity and nation. His dedication and contribution have been exemplary, and his exemplary life continues to inspire many thousands of his admirers who consider him an icon of dedication towards the society and nation. The story of his selfless service to a mighty cause aspires and amazes many thousands of people directed towards similar causes and his name is taken with great awe and reverence by those who know him.
This article has been written by Pranjal Joshi. Feedback can be given to the writer at [email protected]
