Tapan Ghosh: The Revolutionary leader who awakened the youth of modern Bengal
Tapan Ghosh was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since 1975 before he quit the organisation in 2007 over ideological differences. He founded Hindu Samhati a year later but quit the organisation too in 2018 due to differences within the organisation. What began with only a few hundred members, the Hindu Samhati soon expanded into every district of West Bengal and opened units in Jharkhand and Assam as well. He had also headed Bajrang Dal in five states of North India.
A tireless and brilliant organiser, Ghosh built the Hindu Samhati (HS) from scratch. Within a short time, the HS came to represent the voice and face of the persecuted Hindus, especially in the rural areas of Bengal.
Ghosh was an unapologetic advocate of Hindutva and was known for his fearlessness. He railed against the politics of Muslim appeasement followed by the Left and then the Trinamool and succeeded in creating an awareness among Hindus to sink their differences and resist the threat of radical Islam they face in Bengal.
“While Bengal celebrates Jamai Shasthi, we celebrate ‘Mey (daughter) Shasthi’. It’s about embracing love. Most of them are not in touch with their parents and hence treat me like their father. They treat my house as their maternal home. They call me whenever there are fights between them and their husbands and any other marital issue. I have strict guidelines for all men to keep their wives happy and safe. I have also told all my daughters to inform me if their husbands ever verbally or physically abuse them,” Ghosh once said.
His diligent and persistent efforts started bearing fruit and Ghosh’s success in mobilising the Hindus of Bengal was apparent in the ever increasing crowds at the Hindu Samhati’s annual rallies in the heart of Kolkata.
Ghosh handed over the reins of the organisation he founded to his trusted disciples a couple of years ago, but he remained a mentor to them and was closely involved in his mission.
His untimely passing away may put Ghosh’s mission at risk. And that would endanger the very existence of Bengali Hindus in Bengal. Thus, it is imperative that the mission initiated by Ghosh does not flounder. Hindu Samhati workers, and the greater Hindu society at large, has to ensure that for the sake of Hindu existence. And that would also be the best tribute Bengal’s embattled Hindus can pay to braveheart Ghosh.
