https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Bhanwar_MeghwanshiBhanwar Meghwanshi - Revision history2026-10-28T23:15:06ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bhanwar_Meghwanshi&diff=490848&oldid=prevEliseMacnaghten: Starting Entry!2026-03-01T22:31:12Z<p>Starting Entry!</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian social activist}}<br />
{{Use Indian English||date=March 2026}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Bhanwar Meghwanshi<br />
| image = <br />
| birth_date = {{birth year and age |1975}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Rajasthan]], India<br />
| other_names = <br />
| occupation = Social activist<br />
| years_active = <br />
| known_for = Dalit rights<br />
| notable_works = ''[[I Could Not Be Hindu| I Could Not Be Hindu: The Story of a Dalit in the RSS]]''<br />
}}<br />
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'''Bhanwar Meghwanshi''' (born {{circa|1975}}) is an Indian author, social activist, and journalist from [[Rajasthan]]. He is best known for his memoir ''[[I Could Not Be Hindu|I Could Not Be Hindu: The Story of a Dalit in the RSS]]'', which recounts his journey from being a member of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) to becoming a prominent [[Dalit]] activist after experiencing [[caste-based discrimination]]. His work has contributed to discussions on caste dynamics and [[social justice]] in India.<br />
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== Early life ==<br />
Bhanwar Meghwanshi was born in 1975 into a Dalit, [[Kabir panth|Kabir-panthi]] family in Rajasthan, a sect known for its rejection of caste hierarchies. Growing up in a region characterised by feudal traditions and a history of bonded labour for Dalits, his early life likely influenced his later activism.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Yengde |first=Suraj |date=22 August 2020 |title=Suraj Yengde reviews I Could Not Be Hindu: The Story of a Dalit in the RSS, by Bhanwar Meghwanshi |url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/i-could-not-be-hindu-the-story-of-a-dalit-in-the-rss-review-the-scourge-of-casteism/article32411488.ece |access-date=29 March 2025 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><br />
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== Involvement & departure with the RSS ==<br />
At the age of 13 in 1987, Meghwanshi joined the RSS, drawn by its [[Nationalism|nationalist]] ideology. He became actively involved in the [[Ram Janmabhoomi movement]] and participated in the 1990 [[Karsewak|karseva]], though he was arrested before reaching [[Ayodhya dispute|Ayodhya]]. His time in the RSS was marked by growing disillusionment due to caste-based discrimination. A pivotal moment occurred in 1991 in [[Bhilwara]], when RSS members refused to eat food prepared by his family because of their Dalit identity. This incident led him to question the organisation's claims of inclusivity, prompting his departure from the RSS later that year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 March 2020 |title=A Dalit in the Sangh: Bhanwar Meghwanshi's disillusionment with RSS lays bare agenda of Brahmin colonisation |url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/a-dalit-in-the-sangh-bhanwar-meghwanshis-disillusionment-with-rss-lays-bare-its-agenda-of-brahmin-colonisation-8140881.html |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=Firstpost |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meghwanshi |first=Bhanwar |date=6 December 2019 |title='When Babri was brought down I felt no joy': Confessions of a Dalit who had joined the RSS |url=https://scroll.in/article/945871/when-babri-was-brought-down-i-felt-no-joy-confessions-of-a-dalit-who-had-joined-the-rss |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=Scroll.in |language=en}}</ref><ref name="v892">{{cite web | title=‘I Could Not Be Hindu’ Is a Unique Testimony to the Sangh’s’ Casteism | website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | date=3 February 2020 | url=https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2020/02/i-could-not-be-hindu-is-a-unique-testimony-to-the-sanghs-casteism?lang=en | access-date=26 July 2025}}</ref><br />
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== Post-RSS activism and journalism ==<br />
Following his exit from the RSS, Meghwanshi embraced the Dalit movement, drawing inspiration from [[Dr. B.R. Ambedkar]]. He emerged as a vocal advocate for social justice, working as a journalist and activist. His activism addresses issues such as casteism and witch-hunting in tribal areas of Rajasthan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 October 2025 |title=Watch {{!}} Former RSS Member Bhanwar Meghwanshi on His Journey to Activism |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/bhanwar-meghwanshi-from-rss-member-to-social-justice-advocate |access-date=1 March 2026 |website=Outlook India |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 January 2020 |title=72 witch-hunting cases in Rajasthan in 2 years, 25 from Bhilwara |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/72-witch-hunting-cases-in-rajasthan-in-2-years-25-from-bhilwara/story-ChXsukgqRHApSWVmS7zVHN.html |access-date=1 March 2026 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref><br />
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== Books ==<br />
* {{cite book |last=Meghwanshi |first=Bhanwar |title=[[I Could Not Be Hindu]]:: The Story of a Dalit in the RSS |publisher=HarperCollins India |date=2022 |isbn=978-81-948654-9-0}}<ref name=":0" /><br />
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== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Indian activist journalists]]<br />
[[Category:People from Rajasthan]]<br />
[[Category:Dalit activists]]<br />
[[Category:1975 births]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:Dalit writers]]</div>EliseMacnaghten