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"The Story of The Sangh [संघ] / By a Swayamsevak [Sanskrit: स्वयंसेवक] I am now going to narrate the story of the ‘Sangh’ which, I am sure, will interest you as it very much involves you, me and indeed every one of us. The full name of the ‘Sangh’ is Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. However, in common parlance it is called R.S.S. What do these three words mean? It is quite easy to understand. Bharat [Indien] is our nation. Self-inspired people who have volunteered to serve Her cause selflessly are called “Swayamsevaks” [Sanskrit: स्वयंसेवक]. The coming together in an organized manner of such inspired men is the “Sangh” [Sanskrit: संघ].
The founder of the Sangh was Dr. Keshav Rao Baliram Hedgewar [Marathi: केशव बळीराम हेडगेवार, 1889 - 1940]. He was born in a family of priests in Nagpur (नागपूर) on the Hindu New Year day in 1889. He lost his mother and father on a single day – both falling victims to plague. Subsequently, his elder brother started looking after the family. A Patriot Right From Childhood It was 1897. Keshav was in the primary school. Sweets were distributed in the school marking the golden jubilee of Queen [Victoria, 1819 - 1901] of England’s coronation. Keshav threw them away. Again in 1901, during the coronation of Edward VII [1841 - 1910] as the Emperor of the British Empire, there were great celebrations. Outraged by the display of fireworks and rejoicing, Keshav sat at home. When asked why, Keshav replied, “They are foreign kings and queens – not ours. Why should we participate in their celebrations?” It is clear that patriotism ran in his blood.
Keshav started igniting the flame of freedom in the minds of his fellow students when he joined the middle school. As a result, during the Vande Mataram agitation in 1905 the roar of Vande Mataram echoed and re-echoed in the school. Not surprisingly, Keshav was expelled from the school. Then, he completed his matriculation from a school outside Nagpur (नागपूर). Receiving the patronage and assistance of some eminent nationalists, Keshav went to Calcutta to study medicine. You might wonder why Keshav had to go so far as Calcutta for studying medicine. Actually, to study medicine was only a pretext. Those days, Calcutta was the beehive of revolutionaries who were ready to fight and die for the freedom of the country. Keshav started learning its technique and participating in it. He returned to Nagpur (नागपूर) in 1916 as a doctor, but did not start his practice. Nor did he get married to start a householder’s life. He was asked by many : “Your family is in dire poverty, should you not settle down?” Keshav just replied, “I do not have time for all that”. He wanted his every breath reserved for securing the freedom of the country. Where was the time for other things? Basing himself in Nagpur (नागपूर), he started several programs all over Vidarbha to generate national awareness among the people. In 1920 and 1931, he plunged into the Satyagraha movements led by Gandhiji and was imprisoned. Towards achieving freedom, he undertook several activities like publishing a newspaper, participating in national campaigns and festivals, etc. Such was the character of the man who founded the Sangh. It is essential to remember this because, the secret of Sangh’s progress till now right from its birth, is embedded in this. Reading this book further, you will know how each step in the progress of the Sangh has been getting increasingly linked with the many fronts of Dr. Hedgewar’s national endeavour. The intertwining of the two are thrilling to say the least. Why was The Sangh Established? You may wonder why Dr. Hedgewar, who was already involved in so many diverse national activities, should have formed a separate organisation like RSS? Once, while at Wardha, Gandhiji too asked him why he did not think of organising such a volunteer organisation while he was in the Congress and why did he found a separate organisation? Dr. Hedgewar replied : “My idea of a Swayamsevak is different. I want to prepare selfless people who will volunteer on their own to serve the country. This can never be achieved being a part of a political party”. He also added, “I believe that it is on the strength of such dedicated workers alone that all the fields of our national life can be uplifted”. When Swayamsevaks too asked similar questions, Dr. Hedgewar explained giving a simile: “We are now engaged in producing electricity. In the future, this will help to provide energy in the various national welfare activities”. For 15 years after the establishment of the Sangh, Dr. Hedgewar continuously traveled across the country for readying such Swayamsevaks. He spent day and night in meeting and discussing with people his ideas about the Sangh. Like the sandalwood, he was giving himself entirely to spread the fragrance of the Sangh everywhere. Finally in 1940, he offered himself as poornahuti [vollkommenes Opfer] in the sacrificial fire of the national cause. ‘Shakha’, Centre for Moulding Swayamsevaks You may want to know what method Dr. Hedgewar adopted to build such selfless workers in order to fulfill his unique vision. It was the “Shakha”. Many amongst you would have witnessed such a one. Young and old assemble in front of a saffron flag called Bhagwa Dhwaj. They play various indigenous games, perform Surya Namaskar, practice Yogasanas and carry out exercises for physical fitness. They sing patriotic songs in chorus. Some times, they listen to speeches on the lives and achievements of great men and have interactive learning sessions. In the end, forming themselves in orderly rows they offer salutations to Bharat Mata [Indien] and seek from God strength, character and wisdom in order to serve Her well. This program takes place for one hour everyday at a fixed time and place. To suit the convenience of the participants, Shakhas are held at varying times – morning, evening or in the night. Anyone who witnesses a Shakha will certainly be pleased to see its discipline and efficiency. At the end of the Shakha, the Swayamsevaks have a friendly tete-a-tete with one another. And then they go out to meet new people. In the initial days of the Sangh, the participants in the Shakhas were only very young students. Several people expressed doubt, “Can such a grand national mission be served by such simple programs?” There were a few who even made fun of the Shakhas. However, by now, most people in the country know the powerful impact and achievements of the Shakhas. They also know of the various types of nation building activities that the Swayamsevaks have undertaken. Characteristic Features of the “Sewa Karya” In many places, you may have also observed Swayamsevaks visiting the poor and backward areas called Sewa bastis – where they provide literacy to children. They also teach them about basic health. The children are taught to respect their elders, to serve them, to speak the truth, to love and care for flora and fauna. All teaching is done through small stories. For women in these Sewa bastis, tailoring is taught by women instructors. Necessary equipments and machines are also provided. In some places, Swayamsevaks also run large hospitals. In far flung, inaccessible tribal villages where no facilities for education exist, they run 6,000 Ekal Vidyalayas – one teacher schools. They also provide hostel facilities for students from the Sewa bastis and the tribal villages. All put together till today, a total of 29,000 Sewa activities are being undertaken by the Swayamsevaks. You may wonder if there are any distinguishing features of these service activities undertaken by the Swayamsevaks. Yes, there are. At the very outset, you would like to ask, “For such an enormous number of activities one would require several crores [10-Millionen] of rupees each year. Where does this amount come from?” To a small extent, donations are received from wealthy Sangh well-wishers and Swayamsevaks settled abroad. Our Government also provides a little assistance. But, all these moneys put together account for not more than 5% of the resources. So where does the rest come from? Lakhs [Hunderttausende] of ordinary citizens of our society have remained the mainstay of our resources. What makes these millions of our ordinary countrymen feel that it is their duty to support these service activities? First, the Swayamsevaks explain to them that just like our own family, the society too is our wider family whose common mother is Bharat Mata [Mutter Indien] . It is our duty to care for the brothers and sisters in our society, just as we care for every member of our own family. The second significant factor is, a Swayamsevak is looked upon as a reliable worker who values every paisa [1/100 Rupie] and insures that it is correctly accounted for and well spent. Not only the commoners but also several other institutions also trust the Swayamsevak for his clean credentials. For this very reason, wherever there is a serious calamity in our country calling for humanitarian assistance, several institutions which mobilise resources, clothes, blankets, etc., hand them over to the Swayamsevaks for distribution to those in distress. Last year, the coastal districts of Orissa (ଓଡ଼ିଶା) were hit by a most devastating oceanic cyclone. Two to three years prior to this, this very region was affected by a terrible famine. On both the occasions, the Gujarat (ગુજરાત)-based “Bhansali Sewa Trust” entrusted their relief and rehabilitation works worth several crores of rupees to the Swayamsevaks. How the Transformation Came About in J.P [Jaya Prakash Narayan (1902 - 1979)]? In this context, the experience of Loknayak Jaya Prakash Narayan will be of special interest to you. Formerly, JP was a hardcore socialist and a fierce opponent of the Sangh. During 1965-66, Bihar (बिहार) suffered a severe famine. JP was incharge of the entire relief operations. He was averse to involving the Sangh in the relief work. However, on the insistence of late Hanuman Prasadji Poddar, Sangh was allotted the responsibility of providing relief in one district. Midway during the operations, each district was called by JP to submit its accounts. The Sangh workers provided a complete statement of accounts for up to the previous day’s work. After a detailed inspection, JP inquired in a doubtful tone, “While everything seems fine, there is one thing missing in this.” The Swayamsevaks asked, “What is that one thing?” JP replied, “Nowhere is there an account for the moneys given to you for your expenses, why so?” Swayamsevaks replied with a smile, “The Sangh has taught us to eat at home and work for the nation. We cannot even dream of receiving remuneration for such services. We have ourselves borne our travel expenses also. We consider it a sin to spend on ourselves even a paisa [1/100 Rupie] from the moneys given to care for the affected people.” Jai Prakash was simply astonished. For the first time, JP had an occasion to see the Sangh’s true character at close quarters. Service projects run by the Swayamsevaks have other distinct features also. They do not serve to provide just one time help. Swayamsevaks teach people in the Sewa bastis to be self-reliant, capable of improving their lives on their own, to keep away from vices like liquor, gambling, avoid internecine quarrels etc. Swayamsevaks also teach them to take pride as Hindus, to honour and protect temples, cows, women and such other sacred things in their area and imbibe a spirit of equality with the rest of Hindus. This, in fact, is the chief motive for carrying on such service activities in the Sewa bastis. Such changes can be noticed in a more or less degree in most of such Sewa bastis all over the country. Sewa Karya for Healthy Social Transformation : Several perverted beliefs in the name of religion such as untouchability, casteism etc., sense of high and low have been eating into the vitals of our Hindu society for long. Several programs being conducted to eradicate them in the Sewa bastis form an important aspect of the Sewa karya. For example, in northern Bharat [Indien], on the Durgashtami day, thousands of Swayamsevaks invite small girls from Sewa bastis to their homes and perform puja to them in the traditional form. The entire household participates in it creating a festival atmosphere, infusing a spirit of unity and affection with the basti. Besides this, all over the country, thousands of Swayamsevaks’ family members, both male and female, visit the houses in the Sewa bastis sharing food with them. In turn, they are invited to the Swayamsevaks’ homes where they are treated as honoured guests, and partake food along with them. Rural development forms a most important facet of national reconstruction. We all know that since Bharat [Indien] attained Independence, instead of development in rural areas, they have been neglected and sidelined. The reason is, the village-centred economic development schemes which Gandhiji [Mahatma Gandhi, 1869 - 1948] had propounded were thrown out unceremoniously. With a view to remedying the situation, to some extent at least, Swayamsevaks have started suitable activities in a few selected villages to bring about comprehensive and integrated rural development. They took Anna Hazare’s initiatives as their model. Within a short span of about 15 years, Anna Hazare [Webpräsenz: http://www.cfar.umd.edu/users/venu/ANNA/. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-26] had brought about such healthy changes in his backward village Ralegan Sindi – that it now resembles Rama Rajya [Königreich Ramas]. In Madhya Pradesh (Hindi: मध्य प्रदेश), Mohad village has been similarly transformed into a prosperous one by the Swayamsevaks’ efforts. In the last 10-12 years, significant changes were brought about in the village which has resulted in improved working conditions, civic hygiene, production of gobar gas etc. To a large extent caste discriminations, untouchability have also been removed. Speaking in Sanskrit has also become popular. Similarly, in 33 villages in Karnataka, Swayamsevaks have initiated several programs towards achieving “freedom from hunger, sickness and illiteracy”. Similarly a total development plan is being envisaged for the Sewa bastis also. A New Mantra for Hindu Unity Saints and sadhus are playing an evermore significant role in bringing about a sense of brotherhood and mutual respect among all Hindus. At the global conference organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad at the Kumbha mela, heads of various religious sects – Vedic Acharyas like Shankaracharyas, Ramanujacharyas and Madhwacharyas along with the Acharyas of Sikhs (Panjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ), Jains and Buddhists – have all underlined the need for unity among all Hindus. From Prayag emerged such a contemporary smriti (authentic religious injunction) as Hindavah sodarah sarve (all Hindus are blood brothers and sisters born to the same mother). It is our desire to take this message of social harmony into all aspects of our daily life also. Since its very inception, the Sangh had been striving for the entry of all Hindus into every temple. However, the Sangh’s views were not limited to this goal. The Sangh strongly believes that our sacred scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads, Yogashastras, Bhagavad Gita should be made open to the entire society as the common heritage, and not confined to any one section. As a result of this clear viewpoint, in Kerala and Tamilnadu, Swayamsevaks have trained non-Brahmin Hindus for performing Vedic rituals and Pujas. It is a matter of immense pride that in several temples many such trained Hindus are now performing the daily religious rituals. A notable example of this progress is the performance of foundation rites for Sri Ram temple at Ayodhya (अयोध्या) by a ‘Harijan’. Thus, it is clear that the social harmony as perceived by the Sangh does not limit to just economic, political, constitutional and educational fields, but covers every other aspect of Hindu life. The knowledge of Yoga is a valuable Indian contribution of health -- both physical and mental -- to the world. In order to make it popular among the youth all over Bharat [Indien] yoga centers are established in many Shakhas of Sangh and of Rashtra Sevika Samiti [Webpräsenz: http://www.rss.org/SEVIKA SAMITI.htm. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-26]. The English had condemned Samskrit as a dead language. This was repeated parrotlike by our confused Anglicised sections. The Sangh has formed the Samskrita Bharati [Webpräsenz: http://www.samskrita-bharati.org/. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-26], which through several thousand speak Samskrit camps have taught people to speak the ‘language of the gods’ sufficient for their daily use in just ten days. By accessing the basic conversational Samskrit to common people in the Sewa bastis pride in their cultural inheritance is enhanced. Today, these Samskrit conversational workshops have also spread to London and Washington. ‘Na Hinduh Patito Bhavet’ (A Hindu is never fallen for all time) -- A Welcome Message to Hindus’Home Coming Over the last one thousand years, beginning with the Islamic invasion of our country, countless Hindu mutts [Klöster] and temples have been destroyed. Hindu women have been abducted, Hindu religious preachers and men of scholarship have been selectively murdered; and under threat of life Hindus have been converted to Islam in large numbers. The newly converted joined the aggressors’ camp and started harassing their brothers and sisters who still remained in the Hindu fold. The Hindu silently suffered such attacks and his numbers drastically reduced, as if caught between the two razors of a scissor. Along with the English and the Portuguese colonisers came their Christian missionaries who, very much like the Musalmans, launched their anti-Hindu crussade. Sooner, wherever the Muslim political power increased, there demographically their numbers also increased. And so too of the Christian power. We all know the frightening consequences of this phenomenon. Gandhar from where came Gandhari became Afghanistan. Sind, the western part of Punjab, Baluchistan and the Frontier Provinces were sliced away from Bharat [Indien] and became Pakistan or Islamistan. Similarly, the eastern part of Bengal became East Pakistan and later Bangladesh. In other words, our nation, our country, became bits and pieces. Even now, in our north eastern states, a similar attempt at fanning armed insurgency is going on to break it and form Christian states. Ultimately, who is responsible for all these developments? Indeed, it is we – the Hindus – ourselves. We remained passive witnesses when our Dharma was being destroyed and when segments of our society were being cut asunder. We allowed the Islamitation and Christianisation of the Hindu society to continue almost as a one way traffic. This is so even today. Let us analyse the Hindu mindset behind this entire development. We did not allow the re-entry into our fold of those who once left us. Once anyone left the Hindu fold he was ostracized forever, he was treated as fallen; any attempt to bring him back was considered sacrilegious to our ‘dharma’. Thus, even those who desired to come back were denied re-entry. However, started from Deval rishi the followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and some kings of Rajasthan made efforts to bring back to the Hindu fold those who were converted. For 100 – 200 years the Arya Samaj, Masurashram, Hindu Mahasabha under the leadership of Savarkar have also endeavoured in this direction. All Bharat [Indien] leaders of the Arya Samaj [Webpräsenz: http://www.aryasamaj.org/. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-26] such as Swami Shraddhanand had to sacrifice their lives for this very cause. Swami Vivekananda [1863 - 1902], ringing a note of caution, had said, “Remember, with every individual who leaves the Hindu dharma not only will the Hindu society’s number come down by one but it will increase the enemy’s numbers by one”. Now, slowly but steadily our entire society is waking up to this dreadful danger. Several sadhus and religious heads are also striving in this direction, giving the Hindu society a valuable mantra for self-protection: “A Hindu is never a fallen one” and never to be ostracized. As a result, return back into the ancestral dharmic traditions of Hindus who were once converted to Islam or Christianity has started. Hindu society today treats this as only the home coming of the Hindus. Are all such a multitude of activities which are going on in several thousands of places all over the country, carried on under the name of only the Sangh? No, the Sangh never desires to beat its own drum. There are several service-minded organisations initiated by the Swayamsevaks like the Seva Bharati, Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Vidya Bharati, etc., which are involved in these activities. Through these organisations, besides the Swayamsevaks, there are thousands of other men and women who are dedicating themselves for such service. Seva A Sadhana for Self Purification
I would like to inform you one more aspect in this regard. A Swayamsevak, while trying to bring about transformation in the society also undergoes a change in himself. He intensely desires to develop in himself the devotional attitude of “service to man is service to God”. For a Swayamsevak, his work in the seva basti is a sadhana for purifying the sins and evils such as discrimination, unjust treatment, social insults, etc., perpetrated on them by the society as a whole. Sri Guruji Golwalkar (Sarsanghchalak after Doctor Hedgewar) called upon the Swayamsevaks to work with this spiritual attitude. Sri Balasaheb Deoras, who became the head of the Sangh after Guruji, declared: “If untouchability is not wrong, there cannot be anything wrong in this world”. Service During Times of Disaster Let us now turn to the special qualities of Swayamsevaks which come to the fore during times of natural or man-made disasters. The Swayamsevaks are the first to arrive and serve in every national calamity whether it is the earthquakes in Assam (অসম), Uttarakashi, or the Latur district in Maharashtra (महाराष्ट्), the terrible cyclones which hit the coastal districts of Andhra twice, or the famines in Karnataka, Orissa (ଓଡ଼ିଶା), Bihar (बिहार), Gujarat (ગુજરાત) and Rajasthan or during floods caused by heavy rains or during the several rail disasters in different parts of the country, or at the site of the air crashes at Charkhi-Dadri in Haryana (हरियाणा) and at Patna, Bihar (बिहार). Sometimes, even the police or the army reached such sites later than the Swayamsevaks. The Swayamsevaks volunteer to undertake such ‘repulsive’ services which even the police are not prepared to undertake; such as taking out the foul-smelling decomposed bodies, burying or cremating them and also burying the dead animals. Such sights are often vividly described in papers and shown on Doordarshan [TV] also. After the December 1977 disastrous cyclone (in Andhra), the rehabilitation and total restoration of Avanigadda village was made possible by the Swayamsevaks. At the ceremony when the newly built houses were being handed over to the people, a well-known Sarvodaya leader of Andhra, Shri Prabhakar Rao commented, ‘The name R.S.S. stands for Ready for Selfless Service’. Service Without Discrimination Since the Sangh is devoted to the cause of Hinduism, at times people question the Swayamsevaks if their services also are limited to Hindus only. No, never, it is not in the blood of Hindus to provide merely a sectional service. We serve everyone who is needy and affected. The Charkhi-Dadri air disaster is a telling case in point. The non-discriminative and ‘secular nature of Sangh’s service’ was widely described in all the newspapers. The affected passengers in the air disaster were all Muslims. No Islamic service organisation came forward to bury them in accordance with their customs. The Swayamsevaks called in the maulvis and from start to end observed all the their rites in burying the dead. This prompted Al-Riyadh, a Saudi Arabian newspaper, to write: “Uptil now we were under the impression that R.S.S. is a communal, anti-Muslim organisation. Now, we feel this view was totally wrong.” Similarly, when the Machu reservoir embankments breached, thousands of people were left homeless. Many among them were Muslims. This calamity happened during the month of Ramzan. The Swayamsevaks took care to organise their food and prayer facilities keeping in mind the ‘Roza’ norms. When Shri Vajpayee visited the camp, the Muslim citizens met him and expressed their thankfulness to the organisers for providing all the facilities for enabling them to keep upto their Ramzan schedule. During Times of War During times of war, people’s service plays a very vital role. In 1962, the Chinese suddenly occupied territories in our north eastern area. When this happened, the Swayamsevaks went far and wide to mobilise public support in favour of the various steps taken by our Government to protect our nation. This effort was greatly appreciated by Pandit Nehru [1889 - 1964, Premierminister von Indien 1947 - 1964]. He invited the Sangh to participate in the parade on the Republic Day celebrations of 1963. Even though they were given just 3 days notice, a 3,000 strong contingent of Swayamsevaks provided an excellent display in their traditional uniform. In 1965, during the Pakistani invasion, the then Prime Minister, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, invited Shri Guruji for a meeting in Delhi (दिल्ली / دلی ). Several other experts were also invited to discuss war-time strategies. Shri Guruji’s contribution during that meeting was greatly valued for its foresight. Again, during the Bangladesh Liberation war, in 1971, the role of the Swayamsevaks was very significant. In times of war, it is essential to ensure that every possible effort be made to reinforce the morale of the armed forces. Even during the recent Kargil conflict the Swayamsevaks played this role effectively. On every such occasion, they worked to encourage farmers and workers to keep up their productivity, to tell people to keep vigil. They organised blood donations for the wounded soldiers, served and nursed them, ensured regular supply of food and drinks and sometimes, when necessary, even transported arms to the warfront. All this, the Swayamsevaks have done with such exemplary dedication and earnestness that not just the unknown soldiers but even the top officers of the armed forces treat Swayamsevaks as their trusted friends in distress. Even now, Pakistan is waging an undeclared war against Bharat [Indien] in Jammu & Kashmir. There too Swayamsevaks are providing all the needed co-operation and assistance to our armed forces. During Enemy Attack Yet another role of Swayamsevaks at the hour of dangerously emergent situations needs to be mentioned. In the last week of October 1947, Pakistan attacked Jammu & Kashmir. We could successfully defend our territory thanks to the timely landing of our defence aircraft at Srinagar. This was made possible by the 500 Swayamsevaks who removed the snow which had densely covered the Srinagar airport runway, working day and night for full 48 hours. Shri Guruji had great foresight on border related issues. He had warned the country even 8-10 years prior to the actual Chinese occupation that they were slowly penetrating into our north-eastern frontiers. He strove hard to wake up our leaders to be ever vigilant. But it was our dire misfortune that our leaders at that time were blind to the Chinese designs and were under the suicidal spell of slogans such as Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai and Panchasheel. Liberation of Dadra-Nagar Haveli Even after the ouster of the British from Bharat [Indien], Dadra Nagar-Haveli and Goa (गोंय) remained under the foreign rule of France and Portuguese. The Swayamsevaks took up the challenge to liberate these territories. On 2nd August 1954, hundreds of armed Swayamsevaks mounted a surprise attack on Dadra-Nagar Haveli. The foreign rulers shaken to their bones, did not even attempt to resist it. Thus, without shedding even a drop of blood, victory was achieved. Later on, the Swayamsevaks hoisted our State Tricolour Flag and handed over the administration to our officials. Sacrifice for the Liberation of Goa (गोंय) However, in order to liberate Goa (गोंय), prolonged struggle became inevitable. In 1961, hundreds of freedom-loving patriots from all over the country crossed the borders into the Goa (गोंय). Once there, they bravely faced the lathis [Schlagstöcke] and bullets of the cruel Goa (गोंय) police. In their prisons, several of these freedom fighters were put to inhuman physical torture. A Swayamsevak, Rajabhau Mahankal from Ujjain, marched upholding our Tricolour Flag braving the shower of Portuguese bullets, and fell as a sacrificial offering for the liberation of Goa (गोंय). Even as he fell down dead, he held up in one hand our Flag. Following these incidents, the agitation precipitated forcing the Central Government to send its police force. In this struggle for Goa (गोंय)’s liberation, besides the Sangh’s Swayamsevaks, the members of Bharatiya Jansangh and the Samajvadi Parties also participated. Needless to say, it was the Swayamsevaks who not only drew the blue-print for the agitation but carried it out effectively to its end. Immortal Saga of Sacrifice During the Partition of our country in 1947, several lakhs [100.000] of Hindus were stranded in Western Pakistan. The role of bringing those hapless Hindus safely to Bharat [Indien] forms an ever-memorable chapter radiant with limitless valour, sacrifice and martyrdom during those days of the transfer of power. Millions of Hindus, men and women, inclusive of Sikhs (Panjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ) were trapped and lay at the mercy of the enemy’s army, police and their hostile people. While saving them from this deadly ordeal, several Sangh workers willingly sacrificed themselves. Several mothers and sisters took poison, jumped into wells to save their honour. Many got themselves killed from their husbands, brothers or fathers. Such matchless martyrdom is indeed an incomparable chapter in the annals of global history. Several soul stirring instances too come to mind. In 1947, in the midst of continuous firing by the Pakistanis at our borders, the Shakha Karyavaha of Rajouri sacrificed himself protecting that border town; similarly, in 1962, during the Chinese invasion, all the officials of the Tejpur city fled emptying the state coffers into a pond. They had earlier advised the citizens also to escape to safety. Even in such a desperate situation, the Swayamsevaks together with some patriotic citizens not only salvaged the wealth but stood guard night and day to protect the town. During the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, on the western Bengal boundary, Churka Murmu a Mukhya Shikshak in a village called Chakram near West Dinjapur town, tied a thick rope around his waist, crawled on the ground and tying the rope to the ammunition box accidently thrown into the pond by our aircraft, again crawled back to hand them over to our soldiers, himself falling a martyr to the enemy’s bullet. Any Special Training Given to Swayamsevaks? The invaluable services and the sacrifices made by the Swayamsevaks during the days of Partition and during October 1948 when Pakistan invaded Jammu and Kashmir, were well known to the senior officers of our armed forces. When Shri Guruji was on a tour of Punjab a very high ranking military officer came to offer his respects to him. He queried, “Sometimes even our men in the armed forces would not consider it worthwhile facing the enemy in view of certain death in the encounter. How is it that the Sangh’s Swayamsevaks go forward even in such dangerous situations unhesitantly? What special training is given to them for displaying such death-defying courage?” Shri Guruji replied with a smile, “Kabaddi”. Later, Shri Guruji elaborated: “In the Shakha, our Swayamsevaks are taught qualities like patriotism, discipline and love and care of our society. This is the only training provided to them. Over and above this, no type of military training is given to them”. It is said that it is not the weapon in one’s hand which fights nor does the hand which holds the weapon. But it is the heart which is behind both that actually fights. The truth of this saying came to the fore on every such occasion. Upholding the Honour of National Symbols Besides these nation-wide efforts towards awakening national awareness and consolidation, various types of mammoth campaigns are also launched by the Swayamsevaks. All such programmes have only one great objective: To protect and uphold the honour of our national symbols and to invoke the right perspective and feelings of reverence towards them among our people. Campaign for Cow-Protection Cow Protection was one of the main issues during the entire period of our freedom movement. The Islamic and the Christian aggressors on our country practised cow slaughter as one of the ways of demoralising our people who revered the cow. As a result, almost every freedom fighter had declared that the ban on cow slaughter would be the very first legislation to be passed on attaining freedom. On the question of cow protection, Mahatma Gandhi had gone to the extent of saying, “To me cow protection is of far greater significance than even of attaining freedom”. Ironically, after the British have left Bharat [Indien], not only did cow slaughter continue but has also increased many many fold. Therefore, in 1952, Swayamsevaks undertook a massive campaign and collected about 1.75 crore [10 Mio.] signatures from the adult citizens, demanding ban on cow-slaughter. On the completion of the campaign the collected signatures were submitted to then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. It was a pleasant experience that several thousands of Muslims and Christians too had appended their signatures in support of the demand. Some eminent men among them had even issued statements favouring the cause. It is regrettable that the Government ignored this massive national mandate. A more unfortunate fact was that even in those Hindu states where cow slaughter was prohibited before independence, the law was watered down. In the recent past, huge mechanised slaughter houses have been started resulting in atleast a 100 times more slaughter of cow than what it was prior to independence. A grave situation is staring us in the face that in this land of cow worship of Gopal Krishna, our entire cattle wealth may well be wiped out in the near future. Therefore, the Swayamsevaks are undertaking several types of activities to stop cow slaughter and save the country from the looming disaster. Several hundreds of sadhus and saints have also taken up this holy cause and are going round the country for that purpose. The issue has now gained momentum due to the initiative and leadership provided by revered Shri Jayendra Saraswati Swamiji of the Kanchi Mutt. Putting Up of Vivekananda Rock Memorial Subsequent to the 1962 Chinese aggression on Bharat [Indien], our national morale lay at its lowest ebb. Nation’s psyche was deeply hurt and wounded. The utmost need of the hour was to rouse the nation to its innate spirit of heroism and self-honour once again. Towards this end, a massive campaign for national awakening was planned. It was as if providentially ordained that in 1963 Swami Vivekananda’s [1853 - 1902] birth centenary occasion also came on hand and the inspiring life mission of our nation was provided for the campaign. Before leaving for his world-renowned trip to the United States, Swami Vivekananda had meditated on a huge rock in the middle of the sea, a little away from Kanyakumari. For 3 days on end, the Swami had meditated on the future of Bharat [Indien] and decided upon the mission of his life. It was resolved, therefore, that on this holy rock of such unique national significance, a grand memorial be built for the Swamiji.
Keeping in mind the importance of this mission, Shri Guruji relieved its Sarkaryavaha, Shri Eknathji Ranade, in order to take up the project. Christians tried to put up several impediments to stop the venture. However, because of Eknathji’s tremendous capacity and remarkable tact the work was started, overcoming several more obstacles. All over the country, Sangh’s Swayamsevaks took up the responsibility of collecting donations and simultaneously build up awareness and people’s participation. Many well-wishing wealthy men and some state governments too came forward to extend their helping hand for the cause. Alongside of this, in hundreds of schools, colleges and universities eminent persons spoke on Vivekananda’s inspiring message of national awakening. Books on Swamiji’s stirring thoughts were published in several languages and widely distributed. As a happy culmination of all these efforts, a grand memorial for Swami Vivekananda was dedicated to the nation in 1970 as a beacon lamp reflecting our undying national urge and inspiration. It now stands as a great pilgrimage centre drawing towards it several lakhs of our countrymen all the year round. Journeys for Cultural Unity
For millions of our people, both Bharat Mata [Mutter Indien] and Ganga Mata [Mutter Ganges] are universally revered symbols of our cultural unity and divine sanctity. During November 1983, Vishwa Hindu Parishad undertook gigantic project of organising unity journeys to every nook and corner of Bharat [Indien] carrying to the people the sacred waters of the Ganga [Ganges]. Placing Bharat mata’s image at the forefront and carrying pots of Ganga water, more than 2,000 Rath-yatras travelled starting from all the four directions of the country. The three main yatras and the other smaller ones put together covered about 50,000 km. On their way, they passed through 3 lakh villages, and established contact with 10 crore people. In a similar manner, a campaign was launched in 1995 to intensify faith in the holy Go-Mata [Mutter Kuh]. During October-November, 1995, placing the figures of Go Mata, along with those of Bharat Mata and Ganga Mata, 1,726 Rath Yatras were launched. Throughout these yatras public meetings were held at 1,73,797 places and contact was established with 11.88 crores people. Struggle for Ayodhya (अयोध्या) Ram Mandir Several lakhs of people took part in the country-wide shila-pujas for the Ram temple at Ayodhya (अयोध्या) and in journeys carrying Ram Jyoti. Later came the foundation laying ceremony, the historic Karseva for building the temple itself, the martyrdom of several Ram devotees – all these thrilling episodes have marked the golden pages of our national life in the recent past. Needless to say, the Swayamsevaks of Sangh also had put in their best efforts in co-operating with VHP [Vishva Hindu Parishad] in all these phases of the campaign. The Birth Centenary of Dr. Hedgewar The birth centenary of the Founder of the Sangh, Dr. Hedgewar in 1989, came as a joyous and heart warming occasion not only for the Swayamsevaks but for all the lovers of the cause of Hindutva [Hindutum]. Covering every state in their campaign for carrying the life saving message and mission bequeathed by Dr. Hedgewar, the Swayamsevaks reached 2,16,284 villages across the entire length and breadth of the country. This is until now an unsurpassed record for any massive person-to-person contact programme. In this programme, 1,48,70,682 families were personally approached by the Swayamsevaks. Role of the Various Sister Organisations Dr. Hedgewarji had wished that the task of national re-construction be undertaken in all spheres by the Swayamsevaks who were honing themselves in the Shakhas. Apart from the seva-field, specific areas such as education, students, teachers, workers, farmers and tribals, Swayamsevaks have also built up huge independently-run organisations in the fields of dharma, art, swadeshi, politics etc. Work among women is also going on in the name of
on the model of Sangh, but independently. Every one of these stand out in their respective areas as the most outstanding and influential organisations. To name a few such ones:
Although these bodies are independent and totally autonomous, there is a common current of virtues such as spirit of nationalism, discipline, harmonious co-operation, dedication and commitment to ideals imbibed in Sangh by the Swayamsevaks. All these organisations are trying to re-establish our eternal national values of life in their respective areas of work. They also ensure that every man and woman who comes within their sphere of activity would spend his/her strength, skills and experience in building and strengthening the organised people’s patriotic force. Therein, in fact, lies the uniqueness of our national life. It has never centred round politics or political power. It is with a view to re-establishing this characteristic national feature, that none of these organisations depend on the favour or disfavour of the powers that be. They have been going on and growing exclusively on the strength of its workers and people’s co-operation and support. The overall goal of the collective efforts of all these dedicated organisations is that our people should evolve into a nationally conscious, vigilant, duty conscious, disciplined and self-reliant nation. Then alone can the present situation of politics and political power totally dominating over every aspect of our national life, be changed. Only then can the people’s power be able to reining in the governmental power. Lessons From our History At this juncture, it is quite possible that several questions arise in your mind: Can the mere carrying out of such organisational and service activities ensure comprehensive national regeneration? Today, the nation is facing ever so many dangerous challenges and complicated problems can we find solutions to all of them? Had the founder of the Sangh thought about all these aspects? Such doubts and questions are indeed of great importance and significance. Doctor Hedgewar was an extraordinarily original thinker. He was not to be content for having participated in the freedom struggle or for having conducted several national awakening programmes. He made a keen critical study of the strengths and weaknesses of all such efforts going on at that time. He also studied in depth our past history. While closely pondering over all such aspects, one particular question confronted him, “Why are we today in such a poverty-ridden and slavish condition? Has our country been in such a backward state from the very beginning?” The answer to these questions were also clearly given in our past history. Doubtless, in the last one thousand years, our country has steadily got degenerated. Before this, for thousands of years our country was the most educated, prosperous and gifted with unique scientific achievements. In the entire world, it also topped in trade, industry, agriculture and radiant with a sublime culture and dharma. But, in spite of all this, why were we defeated by the foreign aggressors? Weren’t our soldiers brave enough? Or was our people’s numerical strength or natural resources insufficient? Our history tells us very clearly that we were not inferior in any of these aspects. In reality, on all these counts, we were far ahead of the aggressors. Of course, sometimes, we lagged behind the aggressors in war strategy and modern weaponry. At some other times, we also could not comprehend the crooked and unethical war practices of the aggressors. We fell victim to our own naive expectations that the aggressors would also be fair and truthful and would follow the rules of dharma yuddha as was prevalent in Bharat [Indien] then. Our people were caught in yet another illusion. We believed that the religious beliefs of the aggressors i.e., Muslims and Christions, would be similar to ours – tolerant and generous. We thought that the differences lay only in the modes of worship. We did not conceive that our own people, on falling a prey to these foreign religions would become disloyal to our motherland and worse, as their numbers grew, our national life itself would be destroyed. Disunity – the Chief Malady However, the most important reason, more than all others, for the decline of our nation, was the corroding disunity of our nation. In our collective social consciousness, our nation has been our dharma bhoomi, karma bhoomi, punya bhoomi and moksha bhoomi [Land der Religion, des Karma, des Verdienstes, der Erlösung] par excellence. Pilgrimages were undertaken by our people from one corner of the country to the other. During special occasions such as the Kumbh Mela, devout people from all over the country including from far off hills and jungles assembled in massive numbers. However, inspite of all this, one over-riding factor was not in our minds.This country forms the basis of our national life, it is our rashtra-bhoomi [Reich]. Safeguarding its unity should have been our first and foremost duty. But this all too important basis of our national existence had almost vanished from our people’s consciousness. Later, the crooked and cunning propaganda campaign of the British brought about yet another self-delusion. Our own people, under the influence of the English educational milieu, started to forget their true National Self. Their minds were overwhelmed with questions which confused and confounded them: Who are we? What is the name of our country? What is our nationality? Questions and doubts about such fundamental issues dominated their mind infused as it was with a sense of self-negation. Correct Diagnosis by Doctor Hedgewar Dr. Hedgewar realised that unless our country is freed from this chief cause for its downfall, it can never save itself from dangers and difficulties in future also. In those days, the main objective of every national agitation was to free the country from the clutches of the British rule. But no one was mentally disposed to do any in-depth study of what had caused, in the first instance, our degeneration and how we could rid ourselves of those failings. During the freedom struggle, it was also felt that independence could not be secured without taking along the Muslims also in the struggle. So, the Congress leaders were embroiled in the issue of how they could bring the Muslims into the fold of freedom movement. However, Dr. Hedgewar determined to concentrate on removing the basic weaknesses of our nation which had caused our physical and psychological subjugation. He was clear that the disorganised state of our nation and the fact that we were oblivious of our nationality and its inherent strength were the main causes of our downfall and degeneration. Realisation of Our True Nationality In contrast to the mindset of our people in the days of the founding of the Sangh, there is now a wholesome change in it. Due to the untiring efforts of the Swayamsevaks, Shakhas are now held all over the country and the influence of the Sangh also has vastly increased. As result of this, not only most of our ordinary citizens but also the well-educated people have come to realise the true nature of our national identiy. They now clearly recognise that their national identity is ‘Hindu identity’ and our nation’s name is Hindu. Our people also realise that if the Hindu society does not stand united as a well organised national personality its very existence will be at stake. Need to Organise the Entire Hindu Society It is true, Dr. Hedgewar had started the Sangh Shakhas to organise the Hindus on the basis of Hindu nationality. But saying only this much was not enough. Simultaneously, he was thinking on what should be the concept of Hindu Consolidation, for achieving which Shakhas were started? What should be the mindset of the Swayamsevaks to accomplish this task? The Doctor started educating the Swayamsevaks on all these counts. Normally an ‘organisation’ means an institution within the society – forming just a part of it. But the Doctor aimed at organising, through the Sangh, not merely a part but the entire society. Which means, the entire Hindu society itself should be transformed into an organised state of existence. Undaunted Stand on Hindu Unity From Dr. Hedgewar’s time till today, Hindu Unity has been the sole, unfaltering mission of the Sangh. After Dr. Hedgewar, Shri Guruji had taken over the reins of the Sangh. An incident related to this period comes to mind in this regard. Taking advantage of the murder of Gandhiji [1948-01-30], the Congress, Samajwadi and the Communist cadres went on a rampage to destroy the Sangh. They organised fierce attacks on the houses of Swayamsevaks, particularly in Maharashtra (महाराष्ट्) and some parts of Karnataka. The strength of the Sangh in those days was also not negligible. The Sangh could have very well given a fitting reply to the hooligans. But the Sarkarayavaha instructed Swayamsevaks to keep calm at all costs. This was repeated even when Shri Guruji’s quarters in Nagpur (नागपूर) was attacked. Shri Guruji said, “We are dedicated to serve and unite the Hindu Society. I cannot allow even a single drop of blood to be shed of any individual of the same society” and ordered the Swayamsevaks gathered outside to disperse. Same View-Point Even Amidst Widespread Popularity Here is yet another, but a different type of instance. In the beginning of February 1948, ban was imposed on the Sangh. This was lifted only in July, 1949. After this, Shri Guruji travelled all over the country .People gathered in massive numbers to hear and honour him. Upon seeing the mammoth gathering at the Delhi (दिल्ली / دلی ) function, the BBC commented, “In India today there are only two persons for hearing whom very large numbers of people assemble. They are Pandit Nehru and Golwalkar, the chief of the RSS”. In spite of commanding such vast popular support and overflowing response, Shri Guruji gave only the message of maintaining peace and harmony among the people. He did not allow even a semblance of bitterness of the memories of the barrage of vilification and physical attacks on the Sangh to enter his mind. In a similar vein, he advised the Swayamsevaks saying, “While eating, if inadvertently our tongue is bitten by our teeth do we pull out our teeth? Similarly, we should remember that our leaders today are our very own. We should have the same attitude of generosity towards them”. Why Did the Sangh Reject Indiraji’s Proposal ? Our country was under a state of Emergency during 1975-77. During its final days, Shrimati Indira Gandhi [1917 - 1984, Ministerpräsidentin seit 1966] came to know that the powerful campaign against the Emergency launched by the Swayamsevaks was shaking her out of her dictatorial throne. Hence, she sent a very senior officer of the secret service as emissary to meet the Sangh leaders. Her message was that if only the Sangh suspended the agitation against her, she would lift the ban on the Sangh. The Sangh’s leaders rejected the offer out of hand saying that the Sangh would never dream of letting down the country in order to save its skin. Why is the Sangh Aloof From Politics ? We have seen how the Swayamsevaks are continuously working towards the removal of every kind of social evils such as caste discriminations, untouchability, etc., undermining the unity and harmony of our society. But there is yet another propensity severely eroding our social fabric, especially after independence. Many of the political leaders infatuated with the lure of power, are perverting our social diversities such as community, language, caste etc., into social cleavages, thereby fragmenting our society, with a view to serving their own narrow electoral interests. Dr. Hedgewar who was himself in politics had realised only too well its potentiality to damage the society. Hence, after the founding of the Sangh, inspite of being a reputed political leader in the Vidarbha area, he kept himself and the Sangh also completely away from politics. Subsequently also, the Sangh has been steadfastly sticking to the same line. On Every Occasion, Away from Power & Politics After attaining independence, the central theme of our national life has become politics and elections. Therefore, people sympathetic to Hindutva [Hindutum] had suggested that an influential organisation such as the Sangh should enter politics. They felt that it would immensely benefit the Hindu Society. But the Sangh decided to remain firm true to its decision to stay away from politics. During the 1948-49 ban on Sangh, the then Home Minister Sardar Patel wrote to Shri Guruji urging him to merge the Sangh with the Congress and continue to serve the society through that forum. At that time, prospects of the government lifting the ban on the Sangh were indeed very bleak. Even then, Shri Guruji wrote back to the Sardar with due respect that the Sangh, as before, wished to continue to serve the nation in the cultural sphere. Yet another situation came up before the Sangh in the wake of the end of Emergency in 1977. All the then leaders of the various political parties knew for certain that it was the Swayamsevaks who had played the crucial role in mobilising the people to struggle against it. Not only this, the Sangh had also played a decisive role in bringing together the diverse political groups on one platform – the Janata Party – through its workers both inside and outside the prison. When elections were announced, the Swayamsevaks proved to be the main force to embolden the people to come out with fortitude and strength, and vote against Shrimati Gandhi. It was mainly these efforts which had culminated in the landslide victory of the Janata Party defeating the autocratic regime, and restoring democracy in the country. It was on this background that many people expected that some representatives of the Sangh also would be inducted into the Central and state cabinets. But as soon as the Emergency was lifted and the ban on the Sangh removed, the Swyamsevaks got back to their Shakhas from the very next day, leaving behind politics and related affairs. The gross injustice done by Srimati Indira to the country and to the Sangh, the inhuman torture and violence unleased by her regime on the Swayamsevaks were very well known but still Shri Balasaheb Deoras advised: “forget and forgive”. How Are so Many Workers Prepared ? You might be wondering how many lakhs of dedicated workers must the Sangh be having for organising and running Shakhas in thousands of centres all over the country, and also for carrying on several such big organisations, widespread campaigns, etc. As the Sangh is now 75 years old, it is clear that ever new generations of workers must also be getting readied. How is it possible for the Shakhas to continuously keep up the flow of such trained and dedicated men? Now-a-days, we hear that for want of dedicated and committed people, many religious and service organisations are facing immense difficilties. But the Sangh seems to have no such scarcity of such men. It can even depute trained and committed workers to other organisations also. What could be the reason for this? Dr. Hedgewar had thought deeply over this issue. He had introduced simple but highly significant techniques for the running of the Shakhas. For instance, he had made it a point that in the Shakhas there should not be any such programme or symbol which would make the Sangh appear separate from our society.
The Bhagawa Dhwaj or the saffron flag, invoking whose blessings the Shakha is conducted, is a symbol of reverence for all Hindus alike. While going about their day-to-day activities and routines also, the Swayamsevaks do not behave or wear any differentiating symbols. Their behaviour, dress, language and demeanur all remain the same as others in the society. There is nothing to differentiate them from the rest of the society. Hence, they are saved form being ‘ghettoed’ as a cult or an uncommon outfit, outside of the Hindu fold. Dr. Hedgewar also succeeded in changing certain deep-rooted wrong conceptions in the people’s mental make up then prevailing about social work. An ordinary Hindu thought that it was sufficient for him to think and work for his family welfare alone, without any thought of the society. A few among them thought it fit also to provide some financial assistance to one or the other social cause. Time permitting, they sometimes participated in social programmes also. But the majority of them would either keep themselves entirely unconcerned or were contented with only expressing sympathies. Dr. Hedgewar had designed and organised Shakha programmes so as to overcome such mental blocks about social activities and to unhesitatingly participate in them. During his time only young boys and college going youngsters would attend the Shakhas. Hence, to suit their convenience Shakhas were held only in the eveninigs. Nowadays boys, youth, the aged and also from various professions take part in Shakhas; as a result, Shakhas are run at timings suitable to them. Pracharaks and Local Workers During and after the Shakha timings, Swayamsevaks intract in an extremely friendly and homely atmosphere. The members of the Shakha also maintain a warm and cordial relationship with the members of the Swayamsevaks’ families, be they young or old, men or women. As a result, new persons who come to participate in the Shakhas feel delighted and at home and unlike others in the society the Swayamsevak never feels that social work is a burden to him. Slowly, but steadily, seeing the dedication of the senior Shakha workers, the Swayamsevaks start giving more time to work for the Shakhas. Simultaneously, in keeping with each one’s ability they are given some small responsibilities. They are also provided with adequate training to effectively carry out those responsibilities. In this process, a succession of trainees grow to become trainers and the continuity from one generation to another is maintained. It is through this process that some of the more capable from among those who are trained thus, choose to dedicate their full time for the Sangh. They are sent to various parts of the country depending on where there is the necessity. Such workers who are assigned full time responsibility are known as pracharaks. The duration a Pracharak (प्रचारक) works full-time for the Sangh depends on his mental preparedness and capacity. He is provided with specialised training also for this purpose. It is but natural that the number of such pracharaks will be limited. However, the majority of workers normally remain locally. They are students, farmers, workers, teachers, merchants etc. They belong to different age groups also. They range from boys between 6-10 years of age to old people but who are mentally and physically fit. They spare time for Sangh activities each day from their bread-winning and other domestic routines. They move within their village, town or city or even go out to other places at regular intervals for strengthening and extending the Shakha network. As the Sangh grows in age it is natural that the age of the senior ones who are associated with it also grows. In keeping with the Hindu vanaprastha [3. Lebensstadium, Rückzug] tradition some workers who are in the 50-60 or more age group, relieve themselves from their family responsibilities and dedicate themselves fully to the Sangh’s work. They are allotted work keeping in view their age, experience, background etc., and trained accordingly. It may now be clear to you as to why and how the Shakhas have been sufficiently successful in enabling even the common man to participate in the service of the society. Several other sister organsations founded by the Swayamsevaks have also succeeded in creating devoted and disciplined workers from their own fields of activities. There are also certain high water-marks of the character of all such workers. They never desire or expect any rewards for their efforts and sacrifices — neither money nor fame nor position or any honours. They also never aspire to tom-tom their name.They are happy in striving to further the qualities and virtues in their co-workers and desiring to see them become more capable and efficient than themselves. The Significance of Shri Guru Dakshina Dr. Hedgewar also introduced certain distinct and original features in the working of Shakhas so to ensure that the ever new generation of workers have the right mental attitude towards the Sangh. For every organisation, to carry on its work sucessfully, its members should necessarily have, in addition to character and discipline, a healthy attitude towards its finances. For this sake, Dr. Hedgewar, instead of collecting fees or taking donations tried to inculcate a spirit of selfless offering/samarpana. The tradition of Shri Guru Dakshina was introduced in the Sangh precisely towards this end. Every year on the holy Vyasa Poornima (Ashadha shuddha poornima) day considering Bhagwa Dhwaja [Flagge] as the Guru, each and every Swayamsevak offers his dakshina. It is with the help of these offerings that the activities of the Sangh are carried on throughout the year. By this method, the spirit of self-reliance is cultivated among Swayamsevaks. Speaking to the Swayamsevaks on this issue, Dr. Hedgewar used to say, “However poor a family is, the members of the household do not go out begging for conducting any happy or unhappy occasion in the house. Whatever their difficulties they meet their requirements within their means. Such should be our thoughts about the Sangh too”. In fact, the Swayamsevaks adopt this attitude while conducting any of the Sangh’s programmes like camps, functions, campaigns, etc. Devotion to The Ideal, Not to Any Individual Through this unique practice of Guru Puja Dr. Hedgewar succeeded in replacing personal loyalties with that of devotion to the ideology. And he himself stood as the shining exmple in this regard. One never heard him say, “I am the founder of the Sangh”. He never took decisions pertaining to Sangh on his own. He always discussed them with his colleagues. He would invariably say that decisions were taken by his co-workers. He also followed every single rule or system with utmost rigour. He always said, “In the Sangh, there is no such distinction as the ‘leader’ and the ‘worker’. We are all Swayamsevaks”. Even today, whatever the responsibility one holds, either in Sangh or any sister-organisation and whatever his stature outside the organisation, it is only in saying “I am a Swayamsevak” that a worker feels himself honoured. It is because of this attitude that the word ‘Sangh Swayamsevak’ invokes in any ordinary countryman of ours a sense of implicit trust and confidence. Needless to say, the original seed of this great Bunyan tree of people’s trust was laid by the total self-offering of Dr. Hedgewar to the ideal. Sangh Growing In Spite of Opposition Reading the story of the Sangh so far, you would expect it to grow in the future also as it did uptil now. You may also wonder whether this growth has been all along without any opposition to it at all? In fact, since its very birth the Sangh has had to face ever so many types of foul propaganda and fierce opposition. You already know how strong a nationalist Dr. Hedgewar was even as an youngster. It is no surprise that he should have unfailingly attracted the hostile attention of the British rulers. Three times, they attempted to put a govermental stop to the Sangh activities. It was because of the public support and dexterity of Dr. Hedgewar and Shri Guruji, that all such efforts proved ineffective. Even after Independence, opposition did not subside. Following the death of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948-49 and later during the state of Emergency in 1975-77 bans were imposed on the activities of the Sangh. Again in 1992, after the Karseva a ban was imposed, which was lifted because of a verdict from the tribunal in that very year. Each and every time after a ban the Sangh came out ever more sparkling and popular as gold put into the fire Who Are These Accusers? There is even now a continuous barrage of mal-propaganda let loose against the Sangh. It is only natural that as Shakhas have spread far and wide, Sangh’s influence should be having its impact on all fields of our national life including the political, and that as a result anti-propaganda would also ensue. But who are these people who level such a variety of wild allegations against the Sangh and other related Hindu organisations? By now, you would have surmised that these people belong to some particular religious groups or political parties, especially the English press and Christian missionaries. Hitler had a notorious propaganda minister Goebbels, by name. He used to say, “If falsehood is repeated a hundred times it will start sounding like truth”. It appears our accusers are his devoted disciples! “Gandhiji’s Murder” / Government Confess Allegation Was Baseless Let us take the example of Gandhiji’s murder. Repeatedly it is alleged that the Sangh had killed Gandhiji. However, in a letter dated, 27.02.1948, to Pt. [Pandit] Nehru, Sardar Patel, the then Home Minister had unambiguously stated that “Neither the Sangh nor any member of that organisation is involved in the conspiracy to murder Gandhiji”. Later on, not even in the charge-sheet filed in the Special court of Justice Atmacharan was there any mention of the Sangh or of any Swayamsevak. Even later, in the specially constituted Kapoor Commission Report also the Sangh was totally exonerated. Shri Morarji Desai, as the Prime Minister, stated the same in the Parliament in 1977. Even the prohibitory ban of 1948 had to be unconditionally withdrawn. This was stated in 1949, by the Government itself in the Maharashtra (महाराष्ट्) Assembly also. Now tell me, if after all this, the allegation is being repeated even now, is it not clear that those who accuse us of Gandhiji’s murder are the verily disciples of Goebbels? Opinions Of Prominent Personalities Another similar baseless allegation against the Sangh is that it is communal, it is opposed to Muslims and Christians. Uptil now, there have been many communal clashes in our country. Every time the special Enquiry Commission constituted to probe into the riots, have given a clean chit to the Sangh. In fact, Justice Venugopal Commission enquiring into the violence at Mandaikadu (Kanyakumari) stated that the mass conversion of Hindus to Christianity had triggered the violence. The Justice had even advised the government to prohibit religious conversions. Former President Dr. Zakir Hussain during a Milad mehfil at Munger held on 20.11.1949 said: “It is totally false to allege that Sangh hates or attacks the Muslims. In fact, Muslims also must learn mutual love and respect, co-operation and skillful organisation from the Sangh”. Uptil now the Sangh has never demanded that the Hindus be given any special rights or facilities, over and above what is available to others. On the contrary, it has always declared that giving special privileges on the basis of religion would be against the secular norms and democratic set up of our country. Former Chief Justice Of Bharat [Indien] At the Gurudakshina function held on 25.08.1968 at Bangalore (ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು), former Chief Justice of Bharat [Indien] Shri Koka Subbarao said, “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is creating national consciousness and cohesion—through self-reformation and mental and physical discipline. It has now become a household name throughout the country and everybody recognises the selfless service it is rendering to the people. The Sangh has also been striving to rejuvenate the Hindu tradition-which has always allowed all faiths to be practised without any discrimination. This is in fact the essence of secularism. Therefore accusing the Sangh as anti-secular is meaningless”. Field Marshal K.M.Carriappa at the RSS function, at Mangalore, in 1959, declared: “RSS work is my heart’s work.... My dear youngmen, don’t be disturbed by the uncharitable comments of interested persons. Dr. Hedgewar, the revered founder of this great organisation, has set before you a bright example of selfless devotion to the service of our motherland.” Why is it then that some politicians continue to accuse the Sangh of being anti-secular,etc.? It is quite easy to find an answer to this. There is now a greater Hindu awakening. They are now getting upset and feeling insulted because of their continuous neglect, abuse and ridicule by such politicians. The crooked electoral game been played by them, with an eye on the non-Hindu vote bank, of granting more rights and privileges to the Muslims and Christians than for the Hindus has become clear to the latter (Hindus). The Hindus have at last learnt to give such pseudo-secular politicians a fitting reply in the language they understand i.e; of elections. Since the Sangh works to generate awareness of their rights under democracy among the Hindu people, it is natural that it becomes a target for them. Sangh & Politics / Different Spheres of Activity There are some who ask various types of questions vis a vis the nature of relationship between the Sangh and the BJP [Bharatiya Janta Party]. We have already noted at the beginning of this Story that the Swayamsevak enters every field of our national life and tries to infuse the sublime values of Hindutva which he has assimilated as a Swayamsevak. One such area is politics. The presence of Swayamsevaks is the only common link in all such organisations working in different spheres of activitiy. One such organisation is the BJP which works independently. At the Centre or in the states, wherever the BJP is in power, it takes decisions and formulates its policies independently, on its own. The Sangh has no role in it whatsoever. The Sangh, on its part, directs all its efforts towards giving a right overall national content into the social mind. BJP and the BJP-led governments work in the legislatures and administrative area of governance whereas the area in which the Sangh works is social and cultural. Swayamsevaks are only too well aware of what Swami Vivekananda had said in this connection: “Every great work has to pass through three stages. They are neglect and ridicule, opposition and finally victory”. The Swayamsevaks, on their part, are involved in their work with invincible faith in the ultimate victory of Sangh, not in the least bothered about any such motivated oppositition or mal-propaganda. Carrying the Torch Abroad After having gone through the Story of Sangh so far, you must be wondering: What about the Hindus living abroad? They are also our own kith and kin; has not the Sangh thought about them at all? Yes, certainly. The Sangh Swayamsevaks who have gone abroad from here and those who have become Swayamsevaks there itself, have been taking forward the torch of Hindu Consolidation in their new adopted lands also. Three Stages of Migration Before going into the story of what precisely is their contribution to the Hindu cause, it may be of interest to you to know the 'why' and 'how' and 'when' the Hindus have gone to different countries and their general conditions there. Broadly speaking, the Hindus have migrated abroad over three periods of history. A major group was taken out under duress by the British rulers as indentured labourers to the then British colonies, such as the Caribbean countries including Guyana, Surinam, Trinidad, Jamaica on the one side, South Africa and Mauritius on the other side and the Fiji islands in the Far East. It was from 1845 onwards and mostly from U. P., Bihar (बिहार) and Tamilnadu that this migration took place. The terrible hardships that they had to undergo even for their survival is unimaginable. Many of them even perished. But thanks to their indomitable spirit, not only were they able to survive but also make a distinct mark of their own in those far off regions and also make their adopted lands prosperous. Attaining Eminent Positions They educated their children and soon carved out for themselves a prominent role in the social and political set up of those countries. They took care to ensure that they retained their pristine cultural values even under highly adverse conditions there. A few have even attained the highest executive posts in some countries. For example, the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Shri Aniroodh Jagannath, of Trinidad, Shri Basudev Pandey, and till recently of Fiji, Shri Mahendra Choudhary, are all Hindus. So also the President of Guyana - one of the youngest in the world, Shri Barrat Jagdev, and of Singapore, Shri Nathan, are both Hindus. Only recently, a World Hindu Conference held in Trinidad was addressed by RSS chief Shri Sudarshan, and by the Prime Minister who thrilled the audience by leading them in the recitation of the famous Hanuman Chalisa by heart. Needless to say, all these eminent brothren of ours are intensely proud of their Hindu heritage. A majority of the second group of migrating Hindus, mostly from Gujarat (ગુજરાત) and Punjab, have gone to East African countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. They were mostly small shopkeepers, businessmen or as supervisors in the Railway Construction work undertaken by the British Colonial masters. They too, by the dint of their intelligence and efforts, soon attained high economic positions in these countries. The third major group of Hindus who have gone abroad are professionals – doctors, engineers and more recently the computer engineers. They have mostly gone to USA, UK and Western European countries and are holding prestigious positions there. Three of them were the recipients of the prestigious Nobel Prize – Shri Khurana [Har Gobind Khorana, geb. 1922, Nobelpreis in Medizin 1968] (medicine), Shri Subrahmanyam [Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, 1910 - 1995, Nobelpreis für Physik 1983] (Physics) and Shri Amartya Sen [geb. 1933, Nobelpreis für Wirtschaft 1998] (Economics). The children of these professional migrants too are attaining high scholastic distinctions in their studies. As a rough estimate, there are about 25 million Hindus settled in almost 120-125 countries in the world. They are a peace-loving, law-abiding community, sincere and hard working. Owing to their immense contribution to the welfare of their adopted lands coupled with their exemplary harmonious and peaceful family life, they have earned respect from their local compatriots. Towards Maintaining Cultural Identity The major challenge facing these migrant Hindu brothers of ours is about their children, who are exposed to highly unfavourable cultural environment taking a heavy toll of their awareness of our sublime Hindu cultural heritage; which, in short, means the loss of their cultural identity. This, in turn, makes them an easy prey to the vicious propaganda and corrupt conversion tactics of Christians and Muslims. It is in this context, especially, that the Sangh is striving its utmost to keep the flame of pride in their invaluable Hindu ethos burning bright in their hearts, so that they can stand up with their heads held high. With a view to be able to tackle all such local problems, Sangh is concentrating on consolidating the Hindus as a well-knit society. The Shakha technique, you will be pleasently surprised to know, has proved equally successful abroad also. The Swayamsevaks epitomise its efficacy by saying, "coming together is beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success." The Sangh's full name is Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (H.S.S.) [Webpräsenz: http://www.hssworld.org/hss/hssworld.htm. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-27]; only in Kenya, it is Bharatiya Swayamsevak Sangh and in Myanmar, it is Sanatan Dharma Swayamsevak Sangh. The Shakhas are regularly held daily, weekly or monthly depending upon the local situation. Just as in Bharat [Indien], pracharaks and vistaraks are also coming out in many countries including U.K., U.S.A., Malaysia, Netherlands, Myanmar etc. Main Focus on the Youth The main focus of Sangh is upon the youths. Besides the Sangh, National Hindu Students Forum in U.K. [Webpräsenz: http://www.nhsf.org.uk/. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-27], Hindu Students Council in U.S.A. [http://www.hindunet.org/hsc/. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-27] are also active. Hindu Sevika Samiti [Webpräsenz: http://www.samiti.org.uk/. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-27] is active among the Hindu girls on the same lines as the Rashtra Sevika Samiti here. The H.S.S. has so far organised youth training and leadership camps twice in Bharat [Indien], in 1992 and 1997, in Bangalore (ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು). It has also organised Vishwa Sangh Shibirs in 1990 (Bangalore (ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು)) and 1995 (Baroda) with a view to bringing together Hindu activists, (both male and female) for mutual interaction. There has been a noticeable upsurge in the Hindu activities abroad in the wake of these impressive camps. The third one in the series is expected to be the biggest so far, with a possible attendance of 500 Hindu workers from about 35 countries which will be held in Mumbai during Dec. 26, 2000 to Jan. 1, 2001. Yet another effort for maintaining contacts with Hindus in almost 100 countries abroad is through a fortnightly news-letter "Samvad". There are about 40 countries where some sort of Sangh-inspired activity is going on and there are 33 countries where Shakha type of activity is going on. Various Facets of Impact You may now like to know more about the impact the Shakha-system is having among the locals. In 1984, the Chief Inspector of Police at Bradford came to the camp site to congratulate the Sangh adhikaris for the exemplary restraint and discipline displayed by the Swayamsevaks in the face of provocative slogans raised against the Sangh by some Khalistani extremists. Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, the then Prime Minister of U.K. addressed the Makar Sankranti festival of Sangh in Jan. 1990 and garlanded the photo of Dr. Hedgewar. In 1996, in London's Wembley, the Mayor of Bradford Mohammad Riyaz had joined the Hindu marathan and publicly declared, "Your emphasis on moral and cultural values alongwith physical discipline is exemplary" and rejected as baseless the charge that Sangh was fascist and anti-Muslim. W. Hanuman Singh, a Christian, is a Communities Relations Education Officer in U.K. declared that he was proud of his great Hindu ancestory and was happy that the Sangh was dedicated to preserving those high values. At Atlanta in U.S.A. William Cenekar, a Christian scholar presiding over a Unity Conference of Theologians belonging to various Christian groups said, "The life pattern and life values of Hindus will certainly enrich the faith of Christians in general and can qualitatively change the Christian theology and experience. In Australia, Ganesh immersion ceremony is observed by all the Hindu organisations coming together in a single grand procession. In Kenya and Mauritius In Kenya and Mauritius, the bringing together of Hindu organisations of various denominations on a common forum, namely, United Hindu Council of Kenya and Hindu Council of Mauritius, has helped the Hindus to close up their ranks and put up a united voice in protecting their interests. In Mauritius, in 1979, Hindu Council workers were successful in bringing the Hindu leaders together and thereby averted the formation of an anti-Hindu governement by a Frenchman. In Kenya, thanks to the efforts of the Hindu Council – the Vedic, the Buddhist, the Jain and the Sikh (Panjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ) scholars came together to finalise a common syllabus for Hindu religious education in all schools. The governement too co-operated and got text books printed and enforced the syllabus, thus ending the monopoly of Christian religious education in Kenya. Further, Deepawali has been declared a national holiday for the Hindus and 'Om' postage stamps issued. Trinidad has the unique distinction of taking the first step in the formation of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The seed of V.H.P. was sown when Shri Shambhunath Capil Dev, then an MP of Trinidad, visited Bharat [Indien] and in his meeting with Shri Guruji stressed the need for a world Hindu organisation and urged him to take the lead in that regard. Buddha Pradarshni in Myanmar In Myanmar, the impressive Buddha Pradarshani highlighting the life and teachings of Buddha has generated feelings of spontaneous goodwill in the Buddhists' mind towards the Hindus and has helped in strengthening the fraternal ties between the two. In Malaysia, a declared Muslim state, when Muslims objected to the ringing of bells in a temple nearby a mosque, the highest court of the land ruled out their objections saying that they had no right to object since the Hindu temple was much older and the fault lay in their constructing the mosque nearby. Restoration of ISCON Temple In the religious domain, Vishwa Hindu Parishad is doing excellent work, virtually acting as an umbrella organisation for the various Hindu religious Sampradayas, so that the Hindus could speak out in one voice. A very notable example of how such Hindu unity proves effective could be witnessed in the restoration of the ISCON [International Society for Krishna Consciousness] temple in North London two years back. V.H.P. [Vishwa Hindu Parishad] and Sangh were in the forefront of putting up a mammoth unified protest by 35,000 Hindus against the unjustified order for the closer of that prestigious temple, which forced the government to finally declare that "the spiritual needs of the Hindus outweighs the environmental considerations." Recently, a very valuable textbook "Explaining the Hindu Dharma; A guide to teachers" [ISBN : 1-85175-118-1] has been published by the V.H.P., U.K. Highly acclaimed by the academic community, it is of great help especially to the teachers – many of them non-Hindus – who are expected to teach Hinduism to the Hindu children in schools. So far they did not have sound reference material to rely upon. The book is very well received in other countries also. Service Activities Service-oriented bodies such as Seva International in U.K. [Webpräsenz: http://www.sewa-international.org.uk/. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-27], India Development and Relief Fund in U.S.A. and in Kenya [Webpräsenz: http://www.idrf.org/. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-27] are contributing their mite towards the uplift of the deprived sections of our people like the tribals, urban and rural poor people. They were among the first to come forward to help financially during the natural calamities in Bharat [Indien] like the Latur earthquake disaster in 1993 and recently the Utkal cyclone tragedy. Organising Hindu marathons regularly has been another special feature over the last several years in U.K. The amount collected during such marathon runs is donated to the social service projects in Bharat [Indien] and elsewhere. In Kenya, the disabled among the locals are provided with artificial limbs and medical relief camps are held with regular frequency at different centres. Series of Hindu Conferences Recently, there has been a growing interest among the foreigners towards certain beneficial facets of Hindu life-traditions, such as Yoga and Meditation, Ayurveda, family values, importance of Sanskrit and the holistic Hindu approach to life. These topics formed the highlights of the Hindu Conferences organised during the last one and a half decades in various parts of the world. The conferences in Denmark 1985, Nepal 1987, Singapore 1988, Netherlands 1988, U.K. 1989, Germany 1992, U.S.A. 1993, South Africa 1995, Kenya 1998, Trinidad 2000 have proved as landmarks in bringing about a strong awakening among the local Hindus. Eminent local non-Hindu leaders have also attended such conferences: such as, Mr. Nelson Mandela who addressed the 40,000 strong Hindu gathering in Durban, South Africa, and spoke in eloquent terms about the Hindu philosophy and culture and said that the world was looking towards this philosphy as a solace. He also gratefully acknowledged the contribution of the Hindus during the freedom struggle of South Africa. Commendable Contribution by All Hindu Organisations A large number of other Hindu organisations are also carrying on commendable work for helping the Hindus to maintain their Hindu identity and nurturing their devotion towards Mother India and her culture.
and similar other ones, are all active concentrating specially on the Hindu youth. The Sangh feels that the time is now ripe for the Hindus in general and the youths in particular to come forward to play the role of effective cultural ambassadors in the foreign countries. Creating a sound social infrastructure of Hindus infused with the awareness of their intrinsic unity and of their noble heritage, is what is direly needed to achieve this; the Sangh is striving precisely to fulfill this need in all those adopted lands of theirs. A Loving Appeal to You as a Hindu This, in brief, is the Story of the Sangh. Reading this you will certainly feel that unless the Sangh speeds up its activity there could be many more dangers overtaking the country. Therefore it is clear that many more thousands of people like yourself need to come forward to extend their hand of whole hearted co-operation in this task. Therefore, it becomes the duty of every Hindu to give at least a little time as did the squirrel in the Ramayana for the sake of our Hindu society, our motherland and for the Sangh. I lovingly appeal to you as a Hindu brother not to stop with the mere reading of this Story but play an active role in the spread of its Great Message. The Story is like that of Mother Ganga This, in short, is the Story of the grand task of rejuvenating our society in which everyone of us has a role to play. This is the Story of collective efforts of all of us to elevate our beloved Motherland Bharat Mata [Mutter Indien] to the commanding heights of glory through the awakening and organising of our Hindu society. Swami Vivekananda’s disciple Sister Nivedita [1867 - 1905] had once said, “If only the Hindu People come together every day for even ten minutes at a common place and pray, they would generate enormous strength and energy”. The ‘Shakhas’ have made her prophetic words a living reality. This is the Story of the step-by-step realisation of Dr. Hedgewar’s historic dream of 1925 on the Vijaya Dashami Day. However, this is a unique and a very special story. Every story has an ending some time or other. But this is an Unending Story. The Unending Story of an Unending Society; the living, immortal story of the Hindu Life-Current similar to the perennial Ganga Mai who renews herself every moment. Its onward flow will go on forever and forever, showering its blessings of all round peace and prosperity, harmony and happiness over the entire humanity. [Quelle: http://www.rss.org/rssstor.htm. -- Zugriff am 2001-07-08. -- Fair use] |
