|
|
|
|
Joining the RSS almost from its inception as a bal swayamsevak at the age of eleven as he grew Balasaheb cast himself in the mould of his mentor, the visionary Hedgewar, the epoch-maker who condensed the age old wisdom of this land into an aphorism and an easy way to practice it - the shakha. And then there was no looking back for this man once he put his shoulder to move forward Lord Jagannatha's rath that is the RSS. Like Doctorji, behind his stem facade Balasaheb had a soft and considerate heart that beat in tune with million of swayamsevaks. Old timers in Nagpur recall how Balasaheb used to sit in the verandah of the Mahal RSS office under the banyan tree and exude an air of relaxed simplicity even while deliberating over many a ticklish problem of head and heart. Taking decisions came naturally to him. A hard task master he certainly was. it was only natural that being endowed with exceptional qualities of leadership, the mantle of Sarsanghchalak should fall upon him after the passing away of Shri Guruji in 1973. "We are old heads on a young body", he would say, referring to the set of selfless colleague who fanned out in different-directions to carry the message of the Sangh.
It was Balasaheb's conscious decision that brought new dimension to the RSS work. The vision of the Sangh's founder was translated into reality by an able architect- that Balasaheb was. A keen observer of political events, Balasaheb was quick to see the shifting power balance and the emergence of vote-bank politics that would damage the social framework besides weakening the democratic institutions. So when the anti-establishment agitation fueled by a desire to cleanse public life of corruption took the shape of a Nav-nirman andolan in Gujarat Balasaheb had no hesitation in ending active support to this yet another reform movement. But he was aware of its political overtones. It is probably divine dispersion that every Sarsanghchalak had to face a ban on the RSS, but for the organisation to invariably emerge with renewed vigour. Guruji became the Sarsanghchalak in the forties when the nation was passing through the crucial birth of Independence. The holocaust of Partition followed by the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi had torn the social fabric asunder and dealt a severe blow to the RSS. But the Sangh came out unscathed in spite of the insinuation and calumny. No doubt as a result Sangh's progress had a set-back. But the second ban after Independence followed by the "second freedom struggle" and the war against the Emergency only rejuvenated the Sangh. Balasaheb, pained at the miserable plight of the people under a draconian Emergency wrote to the Sangh leaders working underground of his decision to go on an indefinite fast to save the rashtra-dharma and restore democracy. A diabetic body would not have lasted long. The dead conscience of Smt Gandhi would have hardly reacted, felt the underground leaders and refused the permission to Balasaheb. Inspired by his urge for supreme sacrifice, the Lok Sangarsh Samiti under the Sangh's leadership wrote a new history of a peaceful democratic revolution. It was not surprising that the RSS should have invited the wrath of the then Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi who quickly slapped a ban on the RSS. This brought out yet another facet of Balasaheb's leadership qualities who adroitly guided the organisation as well as the country through the days of the Emergency. After the ban on the RSS was lifted, to the surprise of many, the number of shakhas had grown. But Balasaheb was not surprised. Nor was he surprised at the post-Emergency political developments. In spite of the ban on RSS, the unconstitutional and illegal declaration of the Emergency, the unfortunate incarceration of lakhs of swayamsevaks, and the horrendous atrocities and excesses committed during the Emergency, Balasaheb's advice to the then Government in general, was to "forgive and forget"
He too came in for severe criticism from some quarter for this piece of advice, but he remained firm on his stand and finally proved himself right when the post-Emergency rulers chose not to "forgive and forget", paying a heavy price in the bargain. But all along, Balasaheb was preoccupied with the laying of the foundation for the next course of action to be undertaken by the swayamsevaks. Under his leadership the Sangh diversified into every walk of life and set up institutions in all parts of the country to tackle every known problems facing the society. Among them the scourge of untouchability was one that Balasaheb strived hard to rid the Hindu society. With the zeal and vision of a revolutionary he declared that the caste-system was outdated and that it should go lock, stock and barrel. For the millions of swayamsevaks attending the daily shakha caste had no more relevance in their social dealings but to the handful of self-proclaimed pundits of the new class" the road to social equality ran over red carpets.
Unmindful of the jibes, Balasaheb quietly toured the whole country meeting leaders from various strata of society and helping clear the cobwebs of disinformation and prejudice. He was very sure of the direction in which he was leading the Sangh, but was concerned about the pace. Judge us not as though we were politicians: look at the social impact of our doings, he pleaded with critics.
The shakha has an in-built mechanism that allows one to rise above caste, class and other parochial divisions and dissensions. Balasaheb saw the immense potential of the shakha as an instrument of change in the society. Yet he firmly believed that it is the swayamsevak who will transform the society. The shakha is an instrument to create such swayamsevaks. he would say. Speaking at the Vasant Vyakhyanmala of Pune, he declared unequivocally : "If untouchability is not a sin, nothing else is. It must go lock, stock and barrel." He aimed at and worked for social harmony much before the Mandalisation of politics with the narrow view to garner votes. Social assimilation for him was a matter of conviction, a commitment that he vowed to achieve even as a child.
He was instrumental in creating a consensus in favour of a resolution adopted by the RSS on the sensitive reservation issue. "Just for a moment think of yourself as having been born in such a neglected scheduled caste family and then decide", he pleaded. Such was his commitment to the cause of social harmony.
He exploited every problem and turned it into an opportunity to carry further the message of Hindu unity. After the unfortunate incident of Meenakshipuram, the Sangh undertook a number of yatras all over the country that shook the Hindu society out of its complacence. Doctor Hedgewar's birth-centenary celebrations that followed gave an opportunity to the Sangh to expand its network of seva institutions. The growth of RSS during his tenure was phenomenal. Though he prefered to maintain a low profile, he guided the team to cross the mark of forty thousand shakhas and at the same time expand the number of affiliate organisations allowing them maximum functional freedom. There can be no limit to the number of organisations deriving inspiration from the Sangh, he used to say. For every problem swayamsevaks can pool together their talents and organise themselves into a solution he felt. But the basic problem is Hindu unity and a nation is great and only as great as its common man is, he would say. His message could be summarised into what he himself said when replying to his felicitation on saharsachandradarshan :
Let us all be firm in our Hindutva ideology which actually has universal welfare as its summum bonum. Let us forget the superficial distinctions of high and low, rich and poor, of caste, creed and religion, of language, region and faith. Let us rise above all this, assimilate, awaken and engage in our disciplined work of organising a strong Hindu people. The hand that has the strength to wield the sceptre should also be endowed with the spike to discipline the wielder with moral force. Such strength can come only through an organised, disciplined society guided by lofty ideals. So we must have more daily shakhas to realise Doctorji's dream.
 |
||
|
||
|
||
