Sunset in Saffron

But what happens to these full-time pracharaks in the evening of their life when old age and accompanying ailments start taking their toll? Pracharaks don’t have their own families as they have chosen a bachelor life. They hardly have any savings as they live most of their active years like hermits, their siblings have their own families to look after and by the time most full-timers enter their sixties, their parents have already passed on.

So where do RSS Pracharaks go when they are in their sunset years?

I found the answer to this question in a quaint old bungalow in Pune’s historic Mitramandal colony named the Kaushik Ashram. Founded in 1984, Kaushik Ashram functions as a retirement home for senior RSS members who have spent their life doing Sewa for the community. In their youth, they had chosen to serve the Sangh Parivar, and like any Indian family, the Parivar takes care of them in their old age.

As I walked into Kaushik Ashram on a rain-soaked morning, I was struck by how modest the bungalow looked. Surrounded by tall, ancient trees of Jamun, Mangoes and Bilva planted by the original owner of the property, Dadasaheb Apte almost 60 years ago, Kaushik Ashram looks like any other non-descript old bungalow in the quiet, leafy neighbourhood.

Despite its deceptive simplicity, Kaushik Ashram has been the last home of two RSS chiefs, Rajendra Singh, popularly known as Rajju Bhaiyya and his predecessor Balasaheb Deoras who lived here for almost four years! Both Rajju Bhaiyya and Balasaheb Deoras spent their last years in Pune as residents of the Kaushik Ashram.

Kaushik Ashram was a cause very close to the late Shri Babasaheb Purandare’s heart. Dadasaheb Apte, the first general secretary of the Vishwas Hindu Parishad donated his bungalow to the RSS in 1978. Kaushik Ashram started functioning from here a few years later, initially supported by Babasaheb Purandare and many other RSS volunteers. As Kaushik was the pen-name of Dadasaheb Apte, it was decided to name the retirement home Kaushik Ashram.

At present only 5 members live in the Kaushik Ashram. The oldest of them is 82-year-old Mukundrao Gore, who has spent decades with the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. Other residents include Tatya Jogalekar, who serves on the national team of the Sewa projects of the RSS, Pant Phadake, Shri Hiremath and Ratnakar Patil. Together, they have close to 200 years of experience in organisation building and social work. They have worked in different parts of the country with different parivar organisations. All five of them have suffered personal hardships during Emergency, with some facing arrests and others being forced to go underground.


The day at Kaushik Ashram starts early. All the residents are up by 5.30, they attend the morning shakha and spend the rest of their day reading, writing, meeting visitors, and watching TV. Often, there are heated discussions on politics. Contrary to popular opinion, debates and differences of opinion are welcomed here. Residents who are physically active also travel on organizational work when they need to. All the services provided to the residents of Kaushik Ashram are offered voluntarily as Sewa by the next generation of RSS Swayamsevaks, including medical care, hospital duties, transportation and taking care of other special needs.

As all five residents have different dietary and medical requirements. The two swayamsevaks who manage the kitchen of Kaushik Ashram cook simple, but very tasty vegetarian food suited to every resident’s needs. I had a chance to have lunch with the Ashram residents and trustees and the food was wholesome and tasty.

Each resident has his own modest room, with basic furniture. The rooms are spartan and devoid of any fancy trimmings. No ACs here, just a simple ceiling fan in each room. Even the so-called VIP room where RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras spent his last four years is stunningly simple. The only fancy trimmings the VIP room has are wooden panelling and a small separate sitting area with two sofas, kept there for the distinguished visitors who came to meet Balasaheb when he lived here.

The list of VVIP visitors who have been to Kaushik Ashram is long and intimidating. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been here, and so have Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani. Most visitors are entertained in a modest drawing room full of books and pictures of Bharat Mata and icons of Bharat, like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Swami Vivekananda.

Kaushik Ashram is no five star assisted living facility for senior citizens! Nor is it an ‘old age home’. It is a quiet, contemplative place where the Sangh Parivar lovingly takes care of its elders when they reach their sunset years.

Every Rishi Panchami, there is a modest function at Kaushik Ashram, where a symbolic birthday celebration of all residents is held in the traditional Hindu way. As one of the trustees of Kaushik Ashram, Sunil Raut says, ‘these pracharaks who have dedicated their entire life to community service are like modern Rishis, hence we express our gratitude towards them on Rishi Panchami.’

In its current state, Kaushik Ashram can accommodate only 8-10 long-term residents. The trust plans to upgrade their facilities and increase the capacity to at least 25 people as there are pracharaks from all over the country needing such services.