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{{Short description|Fourth Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Prof. Rajendra Singh
| caption = Rajju Bhaiyya in a function of [[RSS]]
| birth_date = 29 January 1922
| birth_place = [[Bulandshahar]], [[United Provinces of British India|United Provinces]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2003|7|14|1922|1|29}}
| death_place = [[Pune]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| office = 4th [[Sarsanghchalak]] of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]]
| termstart = 1994
| termend = 2000
| succeeded = [[K. S. Sudarshan]]
| preceded = [[Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras]]
| alma_mater = [[Allahabad University]]
| image name =
}}

'''Rajendra Singh''' (राजेन्द्र सिंह ठाकुुर, 29 January 1922 – 14 July 2003 ), popularly called '''Rajju Bhaiya''', was the fourth [[Sarsanghchalak]] of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS). He was chief of that organisation between 1994 and 2000.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Islam |first1=Shamsul |title=Religious Dimensions of Indian Nationalism: A Study of RSS |date=2006 |publisher=Anamika Pub & Distributors |isbn=9788174952363 |page=36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iaQjbO8SN48C&q=Rajendra+Singh+(RSS)+Sarsanghchalaks&pg=PA36 |access-date=18 August 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=RSS conclave ends with a resolve to transcend caste divisions in Hindu society |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/rss-conclave-ends-with-a-resolve-to-transcend-caste-divisions-in-hindu-society/articleshow/46590342.cms}}</ref>

Rajju Bhayya worked as a professor and head of the Department of [[Physics]] at [[Allahabad University]] but left the job to devote his life to the RSS in the mid-1960s.

==Early life==
[[File:Jaunpur commemoration sign - Rajju Bhaiya.jpg|thumb|Commemorative Plaque located at the Aryabhata Auditorium of the Physics Department "Prof. Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) Institute of Physical Sciences for Study and Research" of the Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, India. Translation from Hindi :”Prof. Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiyya) Institute of Physical Sciences for Study and Research's Aryabhata Auditorium, was inaugurated by the hands of world renowned scientists Prof. [[Shri Krishna Joshi]] - Padma Bhushan F.N.A, Prof. [[Krishna Lal]] - F.N.A, Prof. [[Vikram Kumar (physicist)|Vikram Kumar]] - Dr Raja Ramanna Fellow, DRDO, Prof. [[Bal Krishna Agrawal]] - F.N.A, Prof. (Dr) [[Nico F. Declercq]] - France, on 16 November 2019, and by Prof. Dr [[Raja Ram Yadav]] - Vice Chair of [[Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University]], [[Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh|Jaunpur]].]]
Rajendra Singh was born to Jwala Devi and Balbir Pratap Singh in a [[Rajput]] family.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2003-07-25|title=Rajendra Singh|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/rajendra-singh-36818.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611161928/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/rajendra-singh-36818.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2021|access-date=2020-08-07|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref> He was born on 29 January in either 1921<ref name= krishna /> or 1922 in village banail district buladshahar city of state Uttar Pradesh, when his father was posted there as an engineer.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Krant |first1=Madan Lal Verma |title=Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna (Part-1) |year=1998|publisher=Praveen Prakashan |location=[[New Delhi]] |language=hi |oclc=468022633 |page=7 |chapter=Ashirvachan |quote=मेरे पिताजी सन् 1921-22 के लगभग शाहजहाँपुर में इंजीनियर थे....(ह०) राजेन्द्र सिंह (सरसंघचालक, राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ) (en: My father was posted as Engineer at Shahjahanpur in near about 1921-22....(Sd) Rajendra Singh, Sarsanghchalak, R.S.S.)}}</ref> Originally his father Balbir Pratap Singh belonged to [[village]] Banail Pahasu of [[Bulandshahr district]].<ref name=krishna />

Singh matriculated from [[Unnao]].<ref name=tribune23>{{cite news |title=From N-physicist to RSS chief |work=The Tribune |location=New Delhi |date=14 July 2003 |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030715/main3.htm |access-date=6 December 2012}}</ref> After that he was enrolled at the [[Modern School (New Delhi)]] for a brief period before moving to [[St Joseph's College, Nainital]]. Progressing to [[Allahabad University]], he obtained BSc, MSc and PhD degrees.<ref name= krishna>{{cite web|title=Rajju Bhaiyya as I know Him|url=http://www.krishnavirendra.org/lifesktech.htm|access-date=6 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127142722/http://www.krishnavirendra.org/lifesktech.htm|archive-date=27 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Academic career==
Singh was acknowledged as an exceptionally brilliant student by [[Sir C. V. Raman]], the [[physicist]] and [[Nobel Prize]]-winner, when he was his examiner in MSc He also offered Singh a fellowship for advanced research in nuclear physics.<ref name=tribune23/><ref>{{cite book |title=Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh: National Upsurge|first=M. G. |last=Chitkara|page=357|publisher=APH Publishers |year=2004 |isbn=9788176484657 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ifuxzl9NM5sC&pg=PA357}}</ref>

He joined Allahabad University after majoring in Physics to teach [[Spectroscopy]].<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book |title=Conflict between India and Pakistan: An Encyclopedia|first=Peter |last=Leon|page=150|publisher=ABC-CLIO Inc |year=1998 |isbn=9781576077122 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLwOck15eboC&pg=PA150}}</ref> He taught at the university for several years, where later he was appointed head of the Physics Department.<ref name=tribune23 />

Singh was also considered an expert in [[nuclear physics]] which was very rare those days in India.<ref name=rediff22>{{cite news | url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/14rajju1.htm | title= Rajju Bhaiyya was a father figure to Parivar | work=Rediff.com}}</ref> He was a very popular teacher of the subject, using simple and clear concepts.<ref name=tribune23/>

==Association with RSS==
Singh was active in the [[Quit India Movement]] of 1942 and it was during this time that he came in contact with the RSS.<ref name=tribune23 /><ref name=rediff22 /> The Sangh influenced his life thereafter. He resigned from his university post in 1966 and offered full-time services to the RSS as a ''pracharak''.<ref name=tribune23 /><ref name=rediff22 />

Beginning in [[Uttar Pradesh]], Singh progressed to be the ''Sar-karyavaha'' (General Secretary) in the 1980s.<ref name=tribune23/> In March 1994, [[Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras]], the third chief of RSS, decided to retire on health grounds, becoming the first RSS chief ever to relinquish the post. He appointed Singh as his successor.<ref name="Rediff21">{{cite news |url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/15guest.htm |title=He was the final word for the Parivar |work=Rediff.com}}</ref> Sheshadri was appointed second-in-charge, as Sarkaryawah.

While in Uttar Pradesh, Singh worked with [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]], [[Chandra Shekhar]] and [[V.P. Singh]].<ref name="Rediff21"/>

Arguably Rajju Bhaiya's term of six years was one of the most crucial for both Sangh and India. Singh shared an excellent rapport with political leaders, cutting across ideological lines, as well as with [[academics]], [[social workers]] and [[intellectuals]].<ref name=tribune23 />

1998 saw the pragmatic shift of [[Indian politics]] when the main opposition party, the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) emerged as the largest party in the ruling [[National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA) coalition at the centre. This was a crucial period for the RSS and its political wing BJP. The BJP and the RSS shared many common ideologies.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

He gave up the post of Sarsanghchalak on account of his failing health in February 2000 and nominated [[K. S. Sudarshan]] as his successor.<ref name=tribune23/>

During emergency he went underground and toured whole India. Singh was also responsible for organizing human rights convention presided by Justice [[VM Tarkunde]] in Delhi in 1976. He was also responsible for setting up friends of India Society International.<ref name="indianexpress.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/27659/ |title=The complete swayamsewak}}</ref>

==Ideology==
One of the most important beliefs of Singh was: "All people are basically nice. One should deal with every person by believing in his goodness. Anger, jealousy, etc. are the offshoots of his past experiences, which affect his behavior. Primarily every person is nice and everyone is reliable."<ref>{{cite news|title=First death anniversary of Singh on July 14 - Sangh work first, I come later|publisher=The Organiser|first=Mohanrao|last=Bhagwat|date=18 July 2004|url=http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=32&page=3|access-date=7 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006185203/http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content|archive-date=6 October 2008|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Like other Sarsanghchalaks he was a firm believer in the concept of [[swadeshi]] and empowering [[rural economy]]. Initiating the rural developmental activities, he had declared in 1995 that the utmost priority should be given in making the villages hunger-free, disease-free and educative. Today, there are over 100 villages where the rural development work done by swayamsevaks has inspired the people of surrounding villages and their experiments are being emulated by those people.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bharatiya Concept of Rural Development|publisher=The Organiser|first=Surendra Singh |last=Chauhan|date=16 August 2009|url=http://organiser.org//Encyc/2009/8/16/Bharatiya-concept-of-rural-development.aspx?NB=&lang=3&m1=&m2=&p1=&p2=&p3=&p4= |access-date=6 December 2012}}</ref>

==Last days==
Singh wanted to establish a memorial named after [[Ram Prasad Bismil]] in Delhi, the capital of India.<ref>''Hindu Sabha Varta''(Weekly), [[New Delhi]],30 July - 5 August 2003, Prof.Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya), page-12</ref> He died on 14 July 2003 at Kaushik Ashram in [[Pune]], [[Maharashtra]], where he was spending his time after retirement.<ref name=tribune23/> He was cremated at Pune's Vaikunth Crematorium the next day, like any commoner, in the presence of then RSS chief K Sudarshan, and top BJP leaders including the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani, and India's Vice President Bhairo Singh Shekhawat.<ref>https://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/15rajju.htm</ref>

==Posthumous recognition==
* [[Prof. Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) University]] in [[Prayagraj]] ([[Allahabad]]) is named after him.
* Prof. Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) Institute of Physical Sciences for Study and Research at [[Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University]] ([[Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh|Jaunpur]]) is named after him. (see also commemorative plaque shown on this page)<ref>Dr. Pramod Kumar Yadawa. [http://www.vbspu.ac.in/director-of-institute/ "Director’s Message"]. Retrieved on 25 November 2019.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Sarsanghchalak|Sarsanghchalak of the RSS]]
|before=[[Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras]],
|after=[[K. S. Sudarshan]]
|years=1994 – 2000}}
{{s-end}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Rajendra Singh}}
* [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/rajendra-singh-548474.html Obituary in the Independent]{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* [http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/27659/ '''The complete swayamsevak''' - Govindacharya]

{{Sangh Parivar}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Prof. Rajendra Prof}}
[[Category:Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharaks]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:Sarsanghchalaks]]
[[Category:People from Shahjahanpur]]

Rajendra Singh (RSS) - Revision history

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