Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1 April 1889 – 21 June 1940) was the founding Sarsanghachalak (supreme leader) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Hedgewar founded the RSS in Nagpur in 1925, with the intention of promoting the concept of a united India deeply rooted in indigenous ideology. He drew upon influences from social and spiritual Indians such as Swami Vivekananda, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Aurobindo to develop the core philosophy of the RSS.