Nanaji Deshmukh: The Saint of Rural India Who Redefined Self-Reliance

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

58% : His projects introduced new techniques in agriculture, cottage industries, and healthcare, integrating modern tools with traditional practices.
56% : With this conviction, he established the Saraswati Shishu Mandir (SSM) in Gorakhpur in 1950 -- the first of what would become a vast network of schools across India.
54% : In a 1997 interview with India Today, he said, "If it had not been for the RSS, I would not have thought of the country and devoted my life to it.
53% : He often recalled how the Sangh's discipline and moral training helped him remain grounded and fearless during political and social upheavals.
51% : He implemented alternative models of self-reliance in the villages of Gonda and Chitrakoot, covering hundreds of villages across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
48% : On July 29, 1975, he was arrested from South Delhi during a surprise raid -- a testimony to his central role in the anti-Emergency struggle.
42% : Born on October 11, 1916, Nanaji Deshmukh was one of independent India's most revered social reformers, educationists, and nationalists whose life was a living embodiment of service, simplicity, and self-reliance.
39% : His legacy lies in the empowerment of villages, in the revival of moral values, and in his conviction that national strength must grow from self-sufficient communities.
37% : Nanaji Deshmukh believed that true national progress begins with education that instills cultural values, discipline, and self-respect.
25% : His model emphasized five key pillars education, health, self-employment, self-governance, and values.

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