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The above happen to be the 1.5 inch banner headlines in the daily Loksatta of Mumbai during November 1948.
The end of a triumphant epoch
"With the death of the former Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Shri Madhukar Dattatreya alias Balasaheb Deoras, the epoch of growth and glory in the history of that organisation comes to an end. After the death of Shri Golwalkar (Guruji) in 1973 Balasaheb took up the reins as the next Sarsanghchalak, apologetically describing himself as a candidate who clears the examination by having recourse to guide-books; Guruji on the contrary was a student who studied the original works. In the following two decades he steered the RSS ship with such consummate skill that he could prove to the world that he was no fumbling student struggling to get past the testing line but an experienced and expert worker who could ably guide society."
At the conclusion of the editional the Loksatta says
"Rarely does a visionary and man of accomplishment live to see all his dreams materialise fully. If the dreams of Deoras and his contemporary colleagues have not been fully realised it cannot be that their effort fell short of the target. We must appreciate that their aim was much too high for instant achievement. As with any other institution/organisation the RSS ideology may not meet with universal approval. Many might have honest difference of opinion with them; but even such genuine detractors of the Sangh would have due respect for Deoras's life-long achievement and his success. Those who had faith in what he said and came to worship his personality must find no end to their grief at the loss." (Editorial in Loksatta,18-6-96)
RSS leader wedded to service
"While a number of political parties in India alongwith their various outfits are either disintegrating or getting rejected by the people, and while the nation's social, political and cultural life is undergoing tremendous upheaval, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is one organisation which has for the last so many decades been religiously striving to achieve its aims, without swerving from its chosen part. In the fast-changing present age of individualism, consumerism and self- centredness, the trend of continuously working selflessly is gradually coming to an end. The culture of gratitude, of sacrifice, of selfless work is fast becoming a thing of past. At the flimsiest difference of opinion public men start issuing public statements and interviews to the press. They wash their dirty linen in public, split the party, form a new one and at the first opportunity merge it in the parent body. And all this is dished out for public consumption with a vineer of ideology, the ulterior motive being nothing more than personal publicity. This is the current sociopolitical culture. We have on various occasions expressed how our views differ from the RSS policies and their style of functioning. But the Sangh certainly deserves full marks for its organisational skills, unity and capacity for sacrifice. This tradition of the RSS which started with its founder Dr Hedgewar was continued by the former Sarsanghchalak Balasaheb Deoras who passed away last Monday, in fact, he carried it to further heights. Deoras joined the RSS within two years of its formation by Hedgewar and devoted his entire life to the movement. He had graduated with Sanskrit and Philosophy and also obtained a degree in Law. Obviously he could have got a comfortable and lucrative job. But he did not go in for one. Like Hedgewar, Deoras too was a master organiser, in a way, he was but an image of Hedgewar's personality. Hedgewar used to argue that it was no use simply blaming either the Muslims or the British; we must also think of the shortcomings of the Hindus. Again, gathering crowds is not the same as organising people. We must convince the people why we want to organise them. Only than their coming together can be called an organisation. This made a deep impression on Deoras. In this context let us also remember that Hedgewar had participated in Gandhiji's non-cooperation movement in 1930. He was not impervious to his surroundings nor lay cooped up in age-old values and traditions, playing cops and robbers for its own sake.
The Hindu society has its own intrinsic energy and it survived because it was never burdened with political power. Not many would agree with this analysis by Hedgewar. But no one can gainsay that it was original. After the cyclone in Andhra Pradesh and the dam burst in Morvi, the Sangh swayamsevaks rendered yeoman service. The sight of young boys and girls working at the sites without expecting anything in return was found to be quite inspiring by most of those who witnessed it. Actually the real inspiration behind the youngmen's performance was none but Deoras. It was because of his initiative that the RSS participated in the Total Revolution movement of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan. And certainly the Sangh's contribution cannot be ignored. Later, when the Janata Party came to power, it had powerful support of the RSS and the Jana Sangh. This is history.
Editorial in the Maharashtra Times, Mumbai, 19-6-1996
I am required to produce an article after the sad demise of the third Sarsanghchalak of the RSS. I was hardly 17 or 18 when Dr Hedgewar passed away. I had not the least idea that obituaries like this one have to be elaborately penned. All that I felt was grief and nothing but unending grief. When Guruji died I was in my fifties. I had by then reached an age when I could realise that grief is not only to be felt, but for the sake of form and in keeping with the ways of the world one also has to formally express it. Even then I did not produce any write-up.
And now Balasaheb is no more. An obituary continues to be part of the world's routine. But now I have reached an age when I cannot even dismiss the thought whether this kind of literary exercise has any use. And yet I am producing this writing. I am doing it to respect somebody's request. Maybe, I am doing it to comfort my own mind. Balasaheb died on the evening of June 17. The next morning a very young boy came to my house. He had come because he had learnt about Balasaheb's passing away. Since the fast few years, whenever Balasaheb was in Mumbai, because of his disease-ridden body, he had become totally dependent for all physical movement. Dilip Patel is the young local Nagar Karyavah. He was one of the dozen odd youngmen led by him who took turns to attend on Balasaheb day and night. He was at a loss for words. He was not able to fully comprehend what had happened. Looking at him I however could realise what indeterminate grief would be. Is it not surprising that thousands of such youngmen, families all over the country and Indians across the seven seas should feel personal loss at Balasaheb's passing away?
At the beginning of this writing I have included two quotations from a couple of leading dailies of Mumbai, Loksatta and Maharashtra Times. For the Loksatta Balasaheb was the General during the Sangh's glorious chapter. Maharashtra Times found him to be an RSS leader wedded to service. Both the discriptions in themselves are significant, catchy and timely. I personally thank both the dailies for the two editorials. The two headlines as also the two editorials are what an average educated person can understand and appreciate. The editorials also expressed their difference of opinion vis-a-vis the RSS. They have also raised a few questions that should move the RSS workers to look within themselves. I do not agree with the opinions expressed in the two editorials nor with the references to certain incidents quoted by them. Still I would prevail upon RSS workers to read both the editorials in the original. This is the natural development that has come about over the years 1948-1996.
The Sangh also exists in another form, generally not perceived or experienced by other than swayamsevaks. Swayamsevaks guided by the same DNA run various social institutions. Whether an institution or an activity is inspired by and conducted according to the Sangh samskaras can be determined by the same DNA. The test, the affinity, the feeling, the differentiating quality, in fact the very existence is an outcome of the familial feeling, the sincere identification as members of the same family. Accordingly, Balasaheb was the head of the family. Of course, he was ex-Sarsanghchalak. But he continued to be the head of the family in flesh and blood. He represented the true feeling of belonging.
When Dr Hedgewar passed away the RSS was mostly a gathering of little/ young boys. At the beginning of this article I have reproduced two headlines used by the daily Loksatta during the RSS satyagraha of 1948. The Times of India too ridiculed the satyagraha in its sophisticated English idiom in which it referred to the satyagrahis as "school urchins". In those days it was unusual for a grown-up man of, say, about forty, engaging in RSS activities. Today one meets elderly swayamsevaks who could well be fathers of fortyish youngmen. How times change! I attended a Sangh Shiksha Varga when I was a school boy and heard a speech by Dr Hedgewar. Although most of the swayamsevaks were about my own age there were a few oldies, no doubt; but only as many as raisins in a plum pastry. Doctorji's valedictory address would however equally affect all the trainees. Everyone used to be apprehensive of breaking down if Doctorji would continue any longer in the same strain touching the chords in every heart. The grown-up ones were in no better state than we youngsters. I now realise that it was not mere oratory. We would feel that Doctorji was overwhelmed by the prospect of all his kins parting company at the conclusion of the Varga at Nagpur. So were we. As a matter of fact how much had we known each other? There is no rational explanation for the almost other-worldly experience.
Speaking about Shri Guruji the former Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Shri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati once said to the present Shankaracharya that Guruji was verify a miniature of Lord Chandramauliswara whom he daily worshipped. But when Guruji passed away the swayamsevaks felt literally bereaved.
The RSS is not a family; it is a familial organisation. It is an all-encompassing organisation reaching from the individual soul to the cosmic soul, from a single member to the entire society. The expression parivar does not denote a certain arrangement; it indicates an experience which helps grasp the essence of a work culture. Organisation is gradual growth of the sense of belonging. The strain of such belonging rising from the heart of every swayamsevak permeates throughout the world passing through the personalities of the three Sarsanghchalaks.
Outwardly the personality and performance of each of the three Sarsanghchalaks appear to be totally different from one another's. Actually it was so. This is the unique quality of the Sangh and the Hindu society whom it represents. We believe in the traditional concept of God's avatars. All these incarnations differ from one another in form, quality, prowess and other paraphernalia. But their mission is the same Cf. paritranaya sadhunam vinashaya cha dushkritam. They come into the world to destroy adharma and establish dharma. For this they may adopt a different speech, different weapon, different form and find themselves in different situations but their mission will be the same - establishing dharma. They will undertake to do whatever the times demand but keeping in view what transpired earlier. This is the significance of the concept of avatars. During Doctorji's times there were no amplifiers. Even in the times of Guruji telecommunication had not developed so much. The true swayamsevak, will have. the firm conviction that all things said the means of communication are not an end in themselves. The target is the individual and the society at large. He would therefore accord primacy to achieving the task and not bother about fancy equipment.
Guruji died leaving to Balasaheb an all-India organisation, in fact a worldwide movement. It was but natural that the saintly, sagelike and self-luminous personality of Shri Guruji should have imperceptibly influenced a large number of swayamsevaks-in the matter of their speech, their daily intercourse with their friends and associates. One has to consciously guard oneself against this kind of influence on one's externalities. I attended my first Sangh Shiksha Varga in 1938. Gopalrao Khedkar of Nagpur was then the Mukhya Shikshak for the Varga. We then had an entirely khaki uniform. The Adhikaris carried a cane one end of which had a metal cap. When Gopalrao would walk along in his majestic military style he had the habit of giving a slight jerk to his elbow while playing with his cane. When I myself became a Shikshak, in my early days I unconsciously acquired the same habit. Anantrao Deokule was our Shikshak. Without naming me he announced in a military tone : No one shall imitate another. I took the hint all right. My hand stopped twitching.
No one need imitate the outward appearance and mannerisms either of Guruji or of Balasaheb. After becoming the Sarsanghchalak, Balasaheb visited a number of places. There are documentaries recording the visits. Whether these were meetings with VIPs, with saints or sages, with old colleagues, with swayamsevaks' parents, pictorial records and documentaries of all such events are available. I have noticed that in all such pictures Balasaheb can be seen bending lower than the person he is meeting - whether or not the latter be senior in age, office or social status. The Sangh is now over 70 and has built up a dignified image of its own. The head of such an institution would be consciously modest and respectful towards all. This is the time when we have to watch that the prestige of the institution does not override our relationships and social intercourse by belittling the individuals we deal with.
Some years ago the Videsh Vibhag had organised a programme in Vile-Parle (Mumbai). Overseas visitors were to be accommodated in swayamsevaks' families so that they could have first-hand experience of Indian family atmosphere. The households that were selected for this purpose were, by Indian standards, well-equipped and commodious. Yet some people were not satisfied with it. They found the houses cramped and lacking in amenities. It was therefore decided to lodge the overseas visitors in places with five-star facilities. Local workers were not happy with this decision. But who would voice their displeasure? Eventually the matter reached Bhaurao Deoras. He found the proposed arrangement to be quite all right. He had the courage to say that the arrangement was satisfactory and needed no change. Others knew that they should abide by Bhaurao's suggestion. Talking about Balasaheb I am quoting an instance relating to Bhaurao simply to put it in right perspective. One must understand what is correct and also have the courage to say it. Others should discipline themselves to listen to what is right. We find the same attitude in the case of Balasaheb as illustrated by several instances.
How is such a mind trained? I remember an important incident, which happened at the Sangh Shiksha Varga of Maharashtra in Pune in the year 77-78. The Sarsanghchalak was to visit the camp. During his visit Balasaheb joined some swayamsevaks from a district of the Marathwada region for a casual chat. After he was introduced to all of them, Balasaheb enquired if anyone wanted to ask any question. One of the swayamsevaks asked Balasaheb to introduce himself. Everyone including Balasaheb was speechless. Balasaheb asked him where he had come from and which shakha he attended. His reply: I said my first Sangh prarthana after I joined this Varga.
Balasaheb then said to him : "You now appear to be about 17-18. I joined the shakha when I was in the IX standard. Once Dr Hedgewar visited the shakha. He asked everybody his name. I also told him my name : Madhukar Dattatreya Deoras. By the time I matriculated, I discharged my responsibility in the shakha as Mukhya Shikshak, Karyavah, etc. Later after graduation I was made Nagpur Nagar Karyavah. After getting my degrees, I was sent to Bengal as pracharak. I had however to return to Nagpur for some work connected with my family. Eventually, I was also entrusted some other responsibilities by the Sangh. I became Sarkaryavah. And surely you know what I am at present." I might have summarised the account to some extent but Balasaheb offered a complete story of his life till date including his name. All the same at a meeting of the Shikshaks at night he enquired how trainees arriving for the Sangh Shiksha Varga recite the prarthana for the first time in the Varga. This is how he ran the Sangh family. The Sangh grew under his paternal umbrella. This is his keynote message to all RSS workers of today as of tomorrow.
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