Ashok Singhal (English: Ashok Singhal, born- 15 September, 1926; died- 17 November, 2015) was the President of ‘Vishva Hindu Parishad’ (VHP). He was the International President of VHP for twenty years. In December 2011, Ashok Singhal left his post due to deteriorating health and was replaced by Praveen Togadia. Ashok Singhal has contributed the most to the fame of VHP. He kept going on foreign trips for council work. Ashok Singhal did not marry and remained unmarried throughout his life.
Born on September 15, 1926 in Agra, Ashok Singhal’s father worked in a government office. He grew up watching the British rule from childhood till adolescence and during that time he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Along with joining the RSS in 1942, he continued his studies. Ashok Singhal, who has dedicated his life to the society, completed engineering in Metallurgy Science from Banaras Hindu University Institute of Technology in 1950.[1]
RSS link
Due to the religious environment of the house, love for Hindu religion was awakened in Ashok Singhal’s mind since childhood. Sannyasis and religious scholars kept coming to his house. In class nine he read the biography of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati. Through this he was introduced to the rich tradition and spiritual power of saints in every region of India. While studying in Prayag in 1942, Prof. Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) contacted him with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He told Ashok Singhal’s mother about the Sangh and recited the prayer of the Sangh. Due to this, mother gave permission to Ashok Singhal to go to the shakha. Instead of working as an engineer, Ashok Singhal chose the path of social service and later became a full-time pracharak of RSS. He worked for RSS for a long time in Uttar Pradesh and nearby places and then became a provincial pracharak in Delhi-Haryana.
expert in classical singing
At the time of partition of the country in 1947, many leaders were celebrating the attainment of power; But the hearts of the patriots were burning with the pain that what would be the future of the country in the hands of such power-hungry leaders? Ashok Singhal was also among those youth. Therefore, he decided to dedicate his life to Sangh work. Ashok Singhal was interested in classical singing since childhood. He created the rhythm of many songs of the Sangh.[1]
jail trip
When the Sangh was banned in 1948, Ashok Singhal did Satyagraha and went to jail. Coming from there he completed B.E. Gave his final year exams and became a preacher. Ashok Singhal was very close to Sarsanghchalak Shri Guruji. He remained in Kanpur for a long time during his missionary life. Here he came in contact with a scholar named Shri Ramchandra Tiwari. His knowledge of Vedas was extraordinary. Ashok Singhal clearly acknowledges the influence of these two great men in his life.
emergency
From 1975 to 1977, there was emergency and ban on unions in the country. During this period, Ashok Singhal kept mobilizing people in the struggle against the dictatorship of Indira Gandhi. After the Emergency, he was made the provincial preacher of Delhi. In 1981, a huge Hindu conference was held in Delhi under the leadership of Karan Singh; But the power behind it was of Ashok Singhal and Sangh. After that Ashok Singhal was put to work for Vishwa Hindu Parishad. After this, many new dimensions like religious awareness, service, Sanskrit, reflection, cow protection etc. were added to the work of the Council. The most important among these is the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Movement, through which the work of the Council reached every village. It changed the social and political direction of the country. This movement is a milestone in Indian history.
Ram Janmabhoomi Movement
In 1984, a Parliament of Religions was organized at Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi. Ashok Singhal was its chief director. It was here that the strategy of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was decided. From here Singhal started making the complete plan and started involving kar sevaks with him. Ashok Singhal mobilized 50 thousand Karsevaks from across the country. All the Kar Sevaks took an oath to establish Ram Temple at Ram Janmabhoomi on the banks of major rivers of the country. Ashok Singhal resolved to install the statue of Ramlala on the banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya.[1]
death
Ashok Singhal continued to travel abroad to expand the work of the Parishad. Council General Secretary Champat Rai also used to accompany him. He had been suffering from lung infection for some time. This was causing difficulty in breathing. Due to this, he died in the afternoon of November 17, 2015 in Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon.
