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Published by eBooks, 2022-08-03 08:35:28

Jyotipunj-Eng

Jyotipunj-Eng

Madhuram Madhukar
Madhukarrao Bhagwat

Madhukarrao himself was a Pracharak, and he dedicated his son,
Sri Mohanrao Bhagwat as a Pracharak at the feet of the nation
and thus provided a new light in this tradition of sacrifice. Iron
can turn into gold when it comes into touch with a philosopher’s
stone, but it cannot become a philosopher’s stone. The concept of
philosopher’s stone was belied by the examples of Madhukarrao
and Mohanrao. Madhukarrao, the philosopher’s stone, moulded
his son into another philosopher’s stone. Madhukarrao was the
living university of the science of organisation.

He served Mother India for three generations yet presented
himself before none. He did not allow his presence to be given
any importance. He did not make anyone feel the great tradition
of sacrifice. The farewell news of such Madhukarrao Bhagwat
brought to memory a number of anecdotes.

His dress displayed an impression of Maharashtra and
Gujarat. He wore a Gujarati dhoti of Gandhi tradition, a rural
shirt of Vidarbha, holding a tin of betel leaves and eternally
laughing well-known face – such was his disposition that
anybody could like him at first sight. He met a large number of
people and left his impression on all of them. After you met
Madhukarrao, you would feel as if he has blended within us.
His entire personality harmonized within us much like sugar
that mixes into milk.

Gujarat will ever remain indebted to the Man.
Madhukarrao. How can we forget his patriotic actions that he
undertook during the calamitous period of freedom struggle

152

and partition of India? In such a time, when he was an energetic
youth, he gave up his family and village. He sowed the seeds of
Sangh on the ideologically barren land. After that, he worked
hard to prepare the bed of flowers in the form of Shakhas; it is
no easy task to imagine all his hard work.

In the spiritual domain, the guru infuses energy into the
pupil. It is much talked about. Ramakrishna Paramhans infused
energy into Vivekananda. There are a number of such instances,
but one thing we find common in all these instances is the fact
that even the most capable spiritual soul infused energy at the
most once or twice. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
possesses a unique viewpoint so far as spiritual ritual is
concerned in devotion to society and nation. I myself felt the
great Madhukarrao infusing this energy into me as a tradition.
Thousands of people like me have benefited from this energy.
We have had the opportunity to listen about the working style
and lifestyle of Madhukarrao when I was very young, but I got
an opportunity to come before him when I was twenty years
old. That first meeting is still alive within me. He was moving
in me the sensations of devotion to the society as if the bells in
the temple were ringing. He met me as if he knew me for years.

He seems to know everything quite well – who is the person
who has come to meet him? What is he? What has he come for?
What is his purpose? Which way has he to go? What is his
destination? What is his goal? And the like. His style of working
was such that it did not make anyone feel however long the
journey was. It always appeared to him that he was just one
step short of the destination and was about to reach the goal,
and in this way, people after people joined him. How far he had
travelled, nobody knew it, but the destination was closer, he
knew it well.

During the third year Shikshan of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh, I got an opportunity to live with him in
Nagpur. This fine opportunity turned into energy for life.
Narayanrao Bhagwat, father of Madhukarrao, was born at
Chandrapur, near Nagpur in Maharashtra, and was a well-
known advocate. He became a Swayamsevak at Chandrapur in

153

1929. In 1941, he came to Katni in Mahakaushal as a Pracharak
with Eknath Ranade, the maker of Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
After having some experience there, of the two great
personalities of Nagpur, Yadavram Joshi went to Karnataka
while Madhukarrao first arrived in Surat in Gujarat and started
the Shakha at Parekh Technical Institute. In the beginning, the
Sangh Shakha was started in Vadodara (Baroda) and Karnavati.
Madhukarrao was resolved to spread the Sangh ideology all
over Gujarat. He learnt how to speak Gujarati. Not only this, in
the Vadodara Shakha, where a large number of Marathi
Swayamsevaks too attended, he imposed a ban on their speaking
Marathi and urged them to speak in Gujarati. When the
movement for freedom was at its peak, he laid the foundation
stone of resolute Sangh work in 115 towns which became
possible due to his fantastic organisational skill.

The officials at the national level were so confident at the
organisational skill of Bhagwat that the training sessions
(Prashikshan Varga) for whole of north India and Sindh (now
in Pakistan) were being held in Gujarat during 1943 44. A
number of Swayamsevaks like Lal Krishna Advani had got an
opportunity to train under Madhukarrao.

He accepted the domestic life once again after his mother’s
death and insistence of the family. A few days after his marriage,
his father died. Interested in Sangh work, Madhukarrao once
again came to Gujarat as a Grahasth Pracharak. He worked hard
in order to stabilize the Sangh work in Gujarat, and to make it a
respectable aspect of life there. Perhaps fate willed to test this
work of the affectionate Madhukarrao. The Sangh was still in
its infancy in Gujarat, and it was at this stage in 1948 that a ban
was imposed on it there.

How could Madhukarrao silently tolerate the ban which
was imposed on the Sangh, that was like a seven-year-old infant
then? In the innate mind of the delicate and soft-spoken
Madhukarrao, a flame of struggle came alive. He invested all
his might in order to save his seven-year-old child. You can only
imagine how difficult it was to keep the flame of truth lighted
in the tempest of untruth in Gujarat those days. However,

154

Madhukarrao patiently worked to inculcate self-confidence in
the contemporary Swayamsevaks, and directed them to
undertake Satyagraha in order to struggle against the ban. It
was a matter of surprise that more people went to jail in order
to lift ban from the Sangh than people went to jail in connection
with the freedom movement. It does not take much hard work
to infuse motivation in people when it comes to do some good
work; but a different type of motivation is needed when it comes
to offer sacrifice and undergo punishment in order to get good
things freed from calamities. Madhukarrao was equipped with
such wonderful power to inculcate this inspiration.

Madhukarrao was a Pracharak himself, and he dedicated
his son, Mohanrao Bhagwat at the feet of Mother India as a
Pracharak to take part in the pot of sacrifice and thus provided
a new light. Iron turns into gold when it comes into touch with
a philosopher ’s stone, but it does not turn into another
philosopher’s stone. However, the example of Madhukarrao and
Mohanrao prove this assumption wrong. The gem Madhukarrao
transformed into the gem Mohanrao. Madhukarrao was a living
school of the science of organisation.

Paying an emotional tribute to this great traveller of nation
building is a matter of pride for thousands of Swayamsevaks
like me.

I bow to the life of Madhukarrao hundreds of times.

Let us sing so long the voice is lively,
Let the angel of freedom restrain its breath.



The Determined
Anantrao Kale

He arrived in Gujarat to work in the well-known Joshi
Construction of Maharashtra with determination and clear
planning. He took over the assignment of constructing the
pedestrian bridge near Kheda. His body and intelligence kept him
busy in constructing this lifeless bridge, but his heart was busy in
planning to groom and develop. He learned Gujarati as quickly as
possible and began the Sangh work.
There is a small Taluka named Devgarh in Singhdurg
district located in the lap of nature. Here there are massive
forests located in the range of mountains.
About sixty years ago, Mahatma Gandhi came to this town
to tell the people to live life devoted to freedom. The well-known
Mahatma found an invigorated environment all around. On the
massive stage in the front were seated the leaders. Among these
great people was seated a child, just eleven years of age, invited
from a nearby village called Undeel; he had brown eyes and a
pink healthy body. However, nobody had yet paid any attention
to him.

Handing Over the Gold Bracelet
The programme began with the arrival of the Mahatma.

This small child started to sing Vande Mataram in his soft, sweet
voice. The sweetness and fearlessness of his voice drew
everybody’s attention there.

As soon as the song was completed, Mahatma Gandhi called
this child to him, asked his name, and looked at the golden

158

bracelet on his wrist. Just then, the gentleman sitting next to
the Mahatma said to this child, “Give your gold bracelet to the
Mahatma, will you?” The child lost no time and placed the
bracelet on the palm of Mahatma Gandhi for the sake of
Motherland. Before the Mahatma could say anything, as the
others looked on in amazement, the child climbed down the
stage and was lost in the crowd.

This small child, who conquered others’ hearts with his act,
was Anta, the favourite child of the late Man. Hedgewar, who
rose to be Anantrao Kale, well-known among everybody in the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Gujarat.

In Introduction with the Sangh
Anantrao’s father ardently wished to get a primary school

opened in his village Undeel. He requested the education officer
to open a school in this small village located far-off from the
Taluka headquarters. After his untiring efforts, the education
officer agreed to open a school there with a condition that he
would open the school the following year if the children of the
village Undeel passed the first standard. He accepted this
condition of the government. At this time, Anantrao studied in
a school located in Bare Patan. His father told him about the
school and the condition attached to it. With this, Anantrao
suspended his studies for one year, and strived hard to teach
the village children and cultivate their interest in studies, so
that they could pass the first standard. His hard work bore fruit
and he heaved a sigh of relief only after the school was opened
in the village.

Gujarat is indebted to such resolute people. The only way to repay
their debt is to augment the capital constructed by them – with
our hard work, with our renunciation, with our ideals and with
our infinite determination and devotion.

With the exalted spirit of doing others’ good, he came to
Pune for further studies. Here, he came into the contact with
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

159
He was pervaded with the spirit of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh in the young age itself. He came into the
close contact of Dr. Hedgewar, the founder of the Sangh. His
behaviour had lighted a lamp of Sangh in the delicate heart of
Anantrao.

Dedication to Studies
Once his annual examinations and the Rashtriya

Swayamsevak Sangh programme were scheduled to be held the
same day. If he wanted to attend the programme, he would have
to complete the paper quicker. Anantrao and his friends decided
that they would not miss the programme, so they would
complete the paper as quickly as possible. As soon as the
language paper was handed over to them, they set down to
complete it as quickly as they could, and completed it one hour
prior to the scheduled time. The friends signalled to each other,
and they all stood up to go. However, the examiner intervened.
He asked them to read their answer book well, but they did not
accede to this advice and arrived for the programme in time.
When the result for the examination was declared, they all saw
that they had secured first division in that paper. Thus, right
since childhood, he was focussed to his studies as well as ready
to do the Sangh work.

In 1940, he attended the Sangh Shiksha Varga in Pune as a
teacher. That year, the new Sanskrit prayer was introduced. One
day, the Varga officer showed Anantrao the new prayer and
asked him to recite it at the Sangh assembly. During a Sangh
Shiksha Varga, there were a large number of programmes set
the whole day. He had done them all and at the same time, had
learnt the prayer too, which he recited in the evening.
Veer Savarkar was Impressed

Once Veer Savarkar was present as the judge of a
competition. He was greatly impressed by the speech of
Anantrao. He stepped forward to introduce this small Anantrao,
and remembered this introduction all his life. Anantrao
maintained the schedule of meeting Savarkar once every year
until the last of his life.

160

In the Sangh Shiksha Varga at Pune, there was a
Swayamsevak who saved on time in order to invest it in music.
For this purpose, he kept postponing meeting other people too.
Anantrao saw this. Wherever that Swayamsevak sat for meals,
Anantrao too would sit just in front with his peers and would
pretend as if he was playing the sitar. The Swayamsevak grew
peevish at this, and he complained about this to Dr. Hedgewar.
Doctor Saheb said to Anantrao, “Brother, why do you trouble
that Sudhir Phadke?” After this much, Anantrao became a friend
of the renowned musician Sudhir Phadke.

In Work of Man-making
The contact with Dr. Hedgewar had turned into proximity;

it gave his life a goal. The final message from the founder
Sarsanghchalak moved the sensitive heart of Anantrao, and he
gave up his personal life in that young age itself. He gave up
attachment, affection and comfort of his prosperous family, and
determined to live life in conformance with the Sangh’s scheme
of things.

With a firm resolve and clear planning, he came to work in
Gujarat with the well-known Joshi Construction (Company) of
Maharashtra. He took over the work of building the pedestrian
bridge located near Kheda. Building the bridge was only the
pretension, his body and mind were busy building this lifeless
bridge, but his heart was fully absorbed in the scheme of man-
making. He learned the Gujarati language as quickly as possible.
With the expansion of contacts, he started to undertake the
Sangh work too. As soon as the work on the bridge was over, he
bade farewell to his job with the Joshi Construction. He forgot
all about Maharashtra and assimilated himself fully with
Gujarat. He made Nadiad his area of working for achieving his
goal. In the initial days, there was no arrangement regarding
the basic needs, such as food and shelter, yet he confronted these
difficulties in order to carry out the Sangh work without a break.
It did not take long for him to form a large group of comrades.

161

He could guess in definite way the immediate and long term
outcome of a decision that he had made in connection with the
Sangh work. He seldom gave his advice, but whenever he did, it
came true. An instance that occurred during the emergency is very
significant even today.

Perseverance for Sangh Work
Once a Swayamsevak insisted to present him a cabbage to

cook, but the condition was such that both chapatti and
vegetable could not be cooked together. That day, the flour was
saved in order to boil and partake of the cabbage, and felt
contented at whatever they got to eat. That Swayamsevak too
felt contented that his present had been accepted by Anantrao.
He was greatly pleased and now it became his daily routine to
deliver vegetable to Anantrao, who too kept eating the boiled
vegetable and saved on the money meant for the flour. He
utilized this money for the bicycle or bus fare if he needed to
send someone to the nearby village in connection with the Sangh
work. Even today, his perseverance, manifested in the initial
stages, has not diminished a bit. It is true that he loved eating
sweets in meals. Eating a kilo or two of srikhand, jalebi or ice-
cream was like a game to him, but he never spent on his taste
any money received from Guru Dakshina which was meant for
the Sangh and social work.

Far from Fame
The Sangh Shiksha Vargas are held in Gujarat during every

summer vacation. In this camp running over a month, about
500 volunteers from Gujarat take part. Every year, when the
Param Pujya Guruji visited the camp in order to know about
the well-being, Dr. Abaji used to visit with him and he carried
many boxes of mangoes too. This was a regular feature.
However, nobody knew where from the mangoes came and who
sent them. After a long time only, it was revealed that these
renowned Ratnagiri mangoes came from the family of Anantrao.

He did not have the habit of revealing anything about
himself, and due to this habit, he did not tell anything to

162

anybody. When his mother died in 1946, he handed over the
charge to the local workers and went home. His co-volunteers
wished to send a letter of consolation, but none of them could
find his correct home address.

The mother tongue of Anantrao was Marathi, yet he has
created several pieces of poetry in Gujarati. These are enough
in number that they could be published as a collection of
excellent emotional and sentimental poems. His poems have
been learnt by heart by the Swayamsevaks, and they recite them
every moment, but they little know who created them. Anantrao
is not only a poet, but also a good singer, and a still better song
teacher.

Whenever Anantrao felt unwell or suffered from fever, he
ensured that no one wasted his time in a bid to be with him. He
was fully conscious that nobody wasted their time in serving
him. After the emergency, a meeting of the Sangh’s all-India
officers was held at Ahmedabad. Those days, Anantrao had met
an accident, and could not even walk. He thought that the
visiting officers would feel pain, so he vacated the Sangh office
and started to live in a small room at Paldi, which had no suitable
arrangements for him.

In the chilly cold of the winter season, Anantrao did not
have woollen clothing. Therefore, Nathabhai brought a woollen
shawl for him when he visited Delhi. He presented this shawl
to Anantrao. He liked it, and when he came to know that it cost
one hundred rupees, he returned it. He was so harsh on himself,
but he was so soft-hearted for his comrades. During the
emergency, a Sangh Pracharak named Maganbhai went
underground but was caught. He had nothing while in jail. As
soon as the winters started, a visitor came to see him in the jail.
He had with him a sweater and a blanket. Anantrao had not
forgotten to take care of his comrade even during the days of
emergency. These things had been sent to him by none other
than Anantrao himself.

‘Vajr°dapi Ka∂h∞r°∏i M§d£ni Kusum°dapi.’

(Harder than rock, softer than flower.)

163

Who else could be a better example to understand this proverb
than Anantrao?

One day, all friends were sitting together and enjoying
themselves. The friends discussed different topics. Then they
came to discuss—‘what was meant by being indifferent to the
circumstances?’ After different arguments were given, a friend
said, “Indifferent to circumstances, that is Anantraoji.” His
statements are not the subject of analysis, they set deep into the
heart, and they are so striking. Whatever the situation, he never
lost his equilibrium; he remained unwavering under all
circumstances. He never felt angry even under adverse
situations, nor did he express any joy after success. He lived a
continuous uniform life. Whatever the season, he would get up
at half past four in the morning, get ready and play the flute
sitting in one corner. He had assimilated into himself the Sutra –

‘Y° Niø° Sarvabh£t°n°∆ Tasy°∆ J°garti Sa∆yam¢’ (In that which is

night for all beings, the disciplined ones keep awake). He never
underwent a change. He looked the same. He always wore the
same white dhoti-kurta, the same spectacles in the old frame,
the same old chappals filled with dirt, holding a bag in his hand
and sporting a wide smile on the face. He looked the same in
1980 as he looked in 1940, without a change. The advancing age
had certainly grayed his hair; he was always absorbed in his
work whether he travelled by bus or walked on foot, and this
work was recitation of the Gita. During his journeys, he kept
reciting the verses from all chapters of the Gita. He had learnt
the entire Gita right since childhood.

He had interest in education right since childhood, and with
his hard work, he constructed a number of important
educational institutions. The Saraswati School at Dholaka, the
Abhinav School at Siddhapur, the Adarsh High School at Kadi,
the Adarsh High School at Deesa and the Saraswati School in
the remote tribal belt Pal – all these have continued to be effective
centres of education even today. He founded these schools
himself, but he never joined the boards of trusts of these schools,
nor did he join the committee of advisors. These schools are the

164

result of the inspiration and hard work of his perseverant life.
We can feel proud of them.

He could always correctly foresee the short term and long
term impact of a decision. It was seldom that he presented his
views, but when he gave, it was exactly correct. An instance
that occurred during the emergency is very significant even
today.

The Swayamsevaks of the Sangh had decided to put every
resource into making the Janata Party win the elections. So far
as the victory in elections was concerned, we all, including
Anantrao, were very hopeful, and it happened to be so too.
However, we had a difference of opinion on one point. This
difference of opinion pertained to the long term outcome of the
victory. At the time of elections, he had firmly said, “It is the
need of the hour to make them all victorious for the sake of
democracy; however, the first thing that they would do after
ascending the seat of power is to blame the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh, and then, we would be required to
maintain equilibrium and tolerate this all.” At that time, many
of us could not understand what he meant to say. We all were
very optimistic, but the ultimate outcome was the same as
Anantrao had predicted. Those gentlemen in power made the
Sangh the sacrificial goat. The experience and foresight of
Anantrao proved exactly right. Our energy and experience
proved immature.

This Tapasvi undertook unbroken work on the land of
Gujarat, and this resulted into numerous anecdotes and
experiences. He faced different types of difficulties and suffered
most. Gujarat remains indebted to such a great individual, and
to repay this debt, there is but one path, that is to augment the
capital that he has created by his hard work, and this we can do
by our hard work, by our renunciation, by our ideals and by
our goal-oriented resolve.

A Eulogy

In 1940, Anantrao Ramakrishna Kale came to Gujarat as an
engineer and then joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as
a Pracharak. He left for heavenly abode on 12 September. At
the time of his departure towards Undeel, Taluka Devgarh,
district Singhdurg (Maharashtra), the pen found itself helpless
to write this dedication:

How pleasing it is to see
A river
Laughing…jumping…running…
Making a happy noise
Enriching the land.
The scenery is enchanting
To see the swiftly flowing river
Meet the infinite ocean.
The eyes are filled with
The scenery of pretty sights,
And you remember the time of sunrise.
The blood-coloured sky,
The noise of birds,
The movement of cows going back,
The touch of the delicate rays
Coming through the particles of dust,
How pleased they all feel!
The sun’s brightness at noon
Dazzles the eyes,
The sun goes on without a rest
And then

166

Beyond the horizon glances
A destination
Manifesting the delicate redness
Of an instant or two,
And the eyes are stationary.
The heart says
No one should steal this splendour,
Eyes, heart and intellect…
They all are ever ready to obtain
A sight of such splendour.
But sometimes
The heart experiences something else.
It creates something
Not seen by eyes,
Not thought by mind,
Not reasoned by intellect,
Beyond the world,
That is the sensation of heart.
Spirit of the world.
The river that
Blended into the ocean,
The dark enveloping
All directions,
The other side of the horizon
Hiding behind it
Quiet, healthy sun.
This spirit of the world
Is at one time
Soaked into pity,
And at another
Drowned in grief of departure,
And sometimes
The river expresses
A bit of contentment,
And at times,
The moon rises
Spreading cool moonlight

167

The spirit of twinkling stars
All endeavouring to remove dark,
The effort of the moon
Is being seen by the sun…
Quiet, healthy sun,
With detachment,
With affectionate eyes,
And showering its blessings.
It makes feel the true sense
Of Karmayoga of the Gita,
This spirit of the world has not been created
Just like that.
I wished to look
Into the other side of the horizon,
Behind it lies
An instance,
An inspiration,
An unbroken life of a Tapasvi,
Who kept lighted like a lamp,
Spreading continuous light.
This life…this persona
Came into the caves
Of the Ratnagiri,
From a tiny village like Undeel,
Where a child took birth,
And as he grew young,
Gave up everything
With a resolve to serve Motherland,
And made Gujarat his place of action
Forty years ago.
The face always resplendent
In natural shine,
The tune of the flute,
The melodious song,
Set in a very delicate life.
A number of people are witness
Of the hard work…penance!

168

I did not pick up the pen
To relate the tale of his action,
Today I’ll talk of the sun
Beyond the horizon,
And the river that met the ocean.
12 September, 1988.
The Sangh office at Valsad.
Sits a personality
Quite at ease
With a detached feeling,
Spreading smile
Inspiring thousands
Among a few comrades
Who have heard of him.
The body of this brave doer
Has grown fragile
Though he had arrived in Gujarat
In pink complexion
And rising youth.
Now this body has nothing
To offer to Motherland,
To the society.
And so he has decided
To go back to the land of Undeel
After a gap of forty years,
The land where he took birth,
To live the rest of his life,
This is the moment of his departure,
His farewell…his adieu.
A lighted life
Standing on the other side of horizon
Is about to bid adieu
Peacefully, quietly, healthily.
We recite the Gita,
And hear it too,
But we have witnessed for the first time
Nishkam Karmayoga

169

That desires no fruit of action,
Sitting before us
In body and soul, incarnate.
You all must have seen the grandeur
Of a lotus in bloom.
This is the time to feel
The natural spirit of the lotus
Folding back its petals
In the light of the setting sun.
The snake is pretty,
So is its skin,
It gives the snake its beauty and protection…
Still
The snake leaves off the skin
In a natural way…
Just like that…
Without attachment…
Quietly, healthily, naturally…
It was a departure
From place of action to place of birth
But, fate drew him back again
To the pilgrimage
To enter the land,
To not allow the body to remain.
He kept sacrificing in the yajna of his actions
Every moment of his life,
Every particle of his body,
And from it manifested
Inspiration for hundreds…thousands.
The mantra is ringing
“Rashtriya Swaha Idam Na Mam.”
(Sacrificed for the nation, I am none.)
This accumulation of light,
The name of this resplendent life is
Anant Ramakrishna Kale.
As I got an opportunity
To bow before him

170

At this time of farewell,
I feel gratitude,
With a feeling of proud in heart
To have an opportunity to work with him.
I recall again
The river falling into the ocean
The sun going beyond the horizon
The lotus folding its petals
And
From heart, from mind, from intellect,
I am inspired to bow with folded hands
Just like you.

His put his life under the nation’s command willingly,
Donated the organisation with the energy to work heartily.



Dynamic Personality
Keshavrao Deshmukh

Offspring to a scholarly family in Kashi. Passed his childhood
playing in the holy current of the Ganga. All his family is devoted
to the Sangh. The family atmosphere is replete with the competition
that every member does to sacrifice more and more for the Sangh.
Infused with such noble traits, which made Gujarat his land of
action, Keshavrao’s mortal body blended into the five elements with
the Sabar on 2 March, 1981.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is about an eighty-year-
old mute organisation engaged in man-making. The dedicated
effort of the Sangh revolves round the concept that ‘it is enough
if man has been created’. In a way, the Sangh work has become
an open university of the science of organisation. It is due to
unbroken, continuous, dedicated work over a period of eighty
years that has resulted into a countrywide systematic structure,
in which has evolved an adequate decision-making process. It
has established the noblest values to measure every action in
terms of national interest. Whenever everything is available –
structure, system, and process – still everything is dependent
on the person who looks after this all, who leads this all, who
carries its responsibility.
The foundation of the Sangh in Gujarat was strengthened
due to the hard work of a number of people. The structure has
developed much. In such a time, the late Sh. Keshavrao
Deshmukh took over the responsibility of the Sangh’s Prant
Pracharak in Gujarat. A Prant Pracharak plays a vital role in the
Sangh’s life. When we see the period of Deshmukh during his

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stint as the Prant Pracharak, we can find an amazing impression
of his working style and personality on the Sangh’s working
and way of life in Gujarat. His priority lay in the expansion of
the Sangh work on the strong foundation that existed in Gujarat.
He formulated successful strategies in order to rejuvenate the
Sangh’s life in Gujarat, to transform the traditional and old image
of the Sangh, to not allow the Sangh to function as a remote
island but to participate in social life, and such other goals. The
working style of Keshavrao Deshmukh was continuously
progressive. His life was active, his effort dynamic, his work
energetic, and his strategy lively. The life of Keshavrao
Deshmukh was dynamic, still more heroic was his death. It is
extremely heartrending to imagine the moment that an active,
inspiring personality receded into quiet peace just before your
eyes.

There are times in the life of man when self-contradictory
but wonderful instances take place which augment the intensity
of such instances several times over. In the case of Keshavrao
Deshmukh, the death had not come as normally it does, rather
it had rained down like a bolt from the blue. The evil thing
about the fate was that Keshavrao Deshmukh was about to
complete sixty years of his life on the Varsh-Pratipada. A
religious ritual was being organised in Kashi by his family
members to celebrate Shastipurti. It was the first family
celebration ever since Keshavrao had abandoned home in his
youth to become a Pracharak. The preparation for the celebration
was underway for the past one year. The Man. Balasaheb, the
Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had
assented his presence in the programme. The priests in Kashi
too were enthusiastic about this specific religious opportunity.
A number of comrades from Gujarat, like me, had gone to Kashi
to attend the opening celebration. Only a few days were left,
and before the final day of the celebration, Keshavrao
Deshmukh gave up his mortal body. We can imagine how
intolerable the grief of his departure must have been when the
final moment of Shastipurti arrived.

Other instances too came up which produced such
unbearable sorrow. The birthdays of both Keshavrao Deshmukh

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(1921) and the Man. Hedgewar fell on the same day of Pratipada
in the month of Chaitra. And the day Keshavrao died, it was
the birthday of the Param Pujya Guruji.

In Baroda, the Sangh’s Swayamsevaks had decided to
celebrate the birthday of the Param Pujya Guruji in a unique
way. A musical programme was held called Swaranjali in which
the Sangh songs were to be sung. The confluence of song, music
and tune, being held at Gandhinagar in Baroda, transformed
the entire atmosphere into an emotional one. The life sketch of
Guruji was presented through song and music, which fleeted
across our sight like a panorama. In this programme, which
lasted close to two hours, the audiences were taken to the zenith
of their emotions though no speeches were delivered. The late
Vakil Saheb too had arrived from Bombay to attend this
programme specifically. At the end of the programme, the hearts
of all those present there were ringing continuously; such was
the feeling with everybody.

Baroda remained the working area for Deshmukh for
several years. He was very pleased with this programme. The
entire programme had heightened everybody to the zenith of
their sentimental being. Everybody wished to live this moment,
nobody wanted to miss this opportunity, therefore, everybody
kept astutely silent there.

A few moments after such an excellent instance, there
occurred a grievous instance, all of a sudden. Keshavrao gave
up his body within half an hour. How hurting it must have been!
Two conflicting instances occurring together. A few moments
before, Deshmukh was absorbed in the Swaranjali dedicated to
Guruji, body and soul, his face was shining in joy; and a little
later, he bade adieu to all of us and made for Guruji.

When we set out for the Swaranjali programme, we had
hoped for a joyful success of it. In the jeep were seated
Deshmukh on the front seat, while the back seats were occupied
by Vakil Saheb and Nathabhai Jhagda, while I was driving it.
Our dinner was arranged at the residence of Subhashbhai
Mehta, who had come from America to settle down in Baroda.
Vakil Saheb was scheduled to leave for Baroda late into the night.
We left the residence at Gandhinagar in Baroda quite happily.

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We had barely travelled for about 20-25 minutes. The impact of
the programme was so impressive that none of us was talking.
As we turned to enter the society in order to make to
Subhashbhai’s residence, the body of Keshavrao just fell into
my lap. It was the touch of a cold body, as if a piece of ice was
there in my lap. I tried to shake him driving and calling him at
the same time, but all in vain. We reached the residence of
Subhashbhai in about three minutes. The doctor was called
immediately, who declared him dead. It was a moment of
unbearable sorrow just half an hour after the moment of extreme
joy. His death had snatched a piece of diamond from the hands
of the Sangh. Nobody in the entire Sangh family was ready to
accept this information as true. For the Swayamsevaks, who had
attended the Swaranjali programme in Baroda, it was like a
strike from the heaven. The atmosphere was very gloomy.

It was an unforgettable moment of life. I had seen the death
so near me for the first time in life. I had seen death befalling
like lightning. It was for the first time that I had understood
what morality of life means. The metaphysics of uncertainty of
life and certainty of death was manifest before our eyes in its
terrible form.

When we normally call the name of a Pracharak, a particular
image appears before the eyes, but the image of Deshmukh was
quite distinct from it. It was his habit to live a organised life
better than a householder. He was born and brought up in Kashi.
As he was born in a scholarly family, we could find a glimpse of
logic and intellectual elements in his talks. He had been to
Gujarat, especially in south Gujarat, for a long time. This priest
from Kashi was one who could compete with even a trader from
Surat (Surati Lala) when it came to eating. There is a proverb in
Gujarati: “Suratanun jaman ane kashinum maran.” (Birth in Surat
and death in Kashi are auspicious) And here, the priest from
Kashi was fond of Surat food. He lived a very systematic and
excellent lifestyle. He possessed high thinking so far as the
choice of food was concerned. The effect of his lifestyle was
seen on his working style too.

Keshavrao, who passed his childhood in Kashi on the banks
of the Ganga, sat down for meditation on the banks of the

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Sabarmati. He appeared to be a perfect Gujarati. He possessed
a complete Gujarati personality in eating, living, language –
everything. Living life as a Sangh Pracharak, he worked like a
saint. All Pracharaks are habituated of these things. He washed
his clothes himself, but he suffered from soap allergy. As soon
as he touched soap, his hand would show up rashes and pimples
all over the hand, resulting into extreme pain. However, he put
up with pain and tried to do his work himself for years. When
the situation grew unbearable, only then did he agree to get his
clothes washed by others.

Deshmukh also suffered from ‘halwa’ allergy. If halwa was
being cooked in the neighbourhood, its fragrance itself was
enough to spoil his health. It would lead to headache and
vomiting and the like. The Swayamsevaks paid attention to all
these factors whenever he was touring.

He basically hailed from Uttar Pradesh, yet he had
completely blended into Gujarati way of living. He accepted
Gujarat as his home. He had assimilated into himself even
Gujarati language, dress, customs, traditions and the like to the
extent that no one was ever ready to accept him as a non-
Gujarati. Due to this closeness, he created thousands of
Swayamsevaks in Gujarat, on the basis of whom the Sangh work
was progressing well in the state. He wished that Gujarat should
excel other states so far as the Sangh work was concerned, and
he continued to work towards this goal.

The lifestyle of Deshmukh was not monotonous; it was
colourful, all-pervading. He possessed a number of sources for
gathering information. The minutest information pertaining to
every aspect reached him. Despite his love for the traditional
aspects of the Sangh life, he had maintained lively contacts with
different types of people of the society in order to derive
information from them.

The foundation stone of any organisation are visits and
contacts, and the working style of Deshmukh was unique in
both aspects. Contact with the families is very important in the
Sangh work. Deshmukh had evolved a particular family contact
style. His style of family contact was in consonance with the
future plans. He contacted families in a very light atmosphere,

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where he met informally in the middle of food and
entertainment. During his family contact programme, he used
to call other people to the family, and gossip with them, while
conducting free discussion on the future course of programmes.
At times, the planning for important programmes was
undertaken in such informal meetings, and it was something
new so far as the style of organisation was concerned.

In 1945, Deshmukh resigned from his remunerative job in
order to join the Sangh as a Pracharak, and arrived at Surat for
work. He met people daily. He met people during recess in
schools. He continued to expand his contacts, and with his
efforts, Shakhas were started to be held. In the initial period,
small children were attracted to games, while their parents were
attracted by Deshmukh’s speech, behaviour and practice.
Therefore, he did not take much time in blending himself with
the people of Surat. Thus, the Sangh work was commenced in
Surat, and people too were attracted to it. To give shape to a
new scheme, Deshmukh was assigned the responsibility of the
Dakshin Vibhag, and Vadodara became is chief centre.
Therefore, Deshmukh arrived in Vadodara.

His touring programme too was like a mobile school of
organisation. He mostly travelled in bus or train. When he
travelled from one place to another in Gujarat, he would keep
the local new Swayamsevaks with him.

Other instances giving unbearable pain too were produced. The
birthdays of Keshavrao (1921) and the Man. Hedgewar were on
the same day of Pratipada in the month of Chaitra. It was a
coincidence that the day Keshavrao died; it was the birthday of
the Param Pujya Guruji.
While travelling from one station to another, he talked to
the new Swayamsevaks in a light mood. He would keep talking
on different issues one after another, and would not allow even
an iota of tension to creep in. He would talk about the joys and
sorrows of the Swayamsevaks, their families, their development,
career prospects as well as expansion of the Sangh work. On
every station, the previous Swayamsevak would climb down

179
the train, while a new one would join him until the next station,
and then the same series of talks would continue with him too.
This was how he would talk to different Swayamsevaks during
his tours, and thus he hastened the process of the development
of a Swayamsevak as well as the expansion of the Sangh.

We can clearly feel his fragrance of hard work when we
think of the Sangh’s expansion. When we recall his devoted life
today, it clearly brings to the fore numerous qualities in his
otherwise ordinary life. Every Sangh Swayamsevak gets an
opportunity to visit different places and come into contact with
diverse people. However, Deshmukh was very proficient in
identifying the attitude and aptitude of the person coming into
his contact, to feel his energy and to give an opportunity to the
qualities inherent in him. He was at all times making effort to
put into practice the maxim – ‘work for every individual and
individual for every work’. He never felt hesitant to adopt any
information that might have come from an ordinary
Swayamsevak or his family member. An important characteristic
of Deshmukh’s working style was that he did not waste any
time in some particular process to mould others; rather he would
direct the innate qualities inherent in an individual in order to
motivate him to invest him in the national good. Thus, he had
the capability to engage the vigour and energy of more and
more number of people.

When we look at the enterprising decisions made in the
course of Sangh’s life in Gujarat, the name of Deshmukh would
always stick to memory. He was always making endeavour to
develop the work not in the process of ‘addition’ but
‘multiplication’. It was a time in the life of Sangh in Gujarat
when an amount of thirty-five thousand rupees appeared to be
monstrous. In February 1981, a challenge had aroused in the
country due to the conversion of Dalits in Minakshipuram. The
Sangh initiated the awareness programme in the whole country,
and took over the constructive work for the welfare of the Dalit
tribals. At this time, a campaign was also started to collect funds
within a specified period of time. At that time, an amount of
thirty-five thousand rupees appeared to be massive, but
Gujarat’s Sangh collected a relief fund of three lakh rupees, and

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thus created a unique image in the entire country. It could be
feasible only through the efforts and hard work of a number of
people, on which Deshmukh’s enterprise can be clearly seen
too.

Whatever work he took in hand, he would execute it
keeping the long term benefits and outcomes, and not the short
term ones. It helped in positive outcome in the Sangh work in
south Gujarat as well as other projects in the family fold. The
positive outcome that the Jana Sangh and the Vanvasi Kalyan
Parishad (Tribal Welfare Council) obtained in Surat city and
district, Vadodara city and district and Panchmahal was the
result of the foresight of Deshmukh.

The black days of the Navnirman Andalon in 1973-74 and
the emergency in 1975 were no ordinary occurrences for the
common people of Gujarat. Deshmukh held the responsibility
of the Prant Pracharak even during such a crucial period. He
carefully and ably carried out his responsibility whether it
pertained to taking care of the families whose members had
been put behind bars, whether it pertained to the series of
exploitation and atrocities inflicted by the Congress rulers on
Swayamsevak families, whether it pertained to keeping patience
by the families in such a fearful atmosphere, or whether it
pertained to preservation of democracy and the struggle for it.

The heartrending calamity of 11 August, 1979 that occurred
at the Machchu dam in Morbi is enough to move anybody.
Within no time, thousands of people had been engulfed by
deathly current. The Sangh had a strong foundation in the
nearby city of Rajkot. Moreover, Deshmukh was the Pracharak
of the Rajkot Vibhag before he was promoted to the post of the
Prant Pracharak. Therefore, he had a good contact with the
Swayamsevaks in that part of the state, and he was trusted too.
The Sangh started the relief work at Morbi. The media of the
country and abroad appreciated the Sangh’s efforts at Morbi.
The countrymen too were impressed by the selfless service.
Consequently, funds flowed from all over the country for the
reconstruction of Morbi. Deshmukh did not stop at only service
and relief work; he went further and decided to take forward
the project of reconstruction of Morbi.

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It is normal for a Sangh Pracharak to work like saints. All
Pracharaks were habituated of this type of work. They washed their
clothes themselves, but Deshmukh suffered from soap allergy. He
suffered from rashes all over the hand as soon as he touched soap,
which caused him much pain, yet he continued to bear with it for
years and did his work himself. When the situation turned
unbearable and the doctors insisted, only then did he get ready to
get his clothes washed by others.
Due to the breach of the Machchu dam, Morbi and the areas
surrounding it were completely destroyed. The Sangh’s
Swayamsevaks took lead in undertaking immediate relief work,
health service, cleanliness campaign, removing and performing
final rites for the dead bodies of men and animals, and the like.
And then they engaged themselves in the reconstruction of
Morbi for about three years after this incidence. Not only in
Gujarat but in the entire country, the spirit of service displayed
at Morbi went on to be institutionalized as the Sangh’s culture.
Even today, the Sangh’s volunteers are the first to reach a site of
natural calamity in any corner of the country. In a way, working
in the capacity of the Prant Pracharak, Deshmukh’s foresight
has evolved into one of the important attitudes and tendencies
in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The entire fabric of the Sangh work is systematic and
planned. Broadly, the calendar for the year comprises different
types of programmes, tours of small and big officers and the
like. A characteristic of Deshmukh was that he always infused
novelty into the continuously undergoing projects – how to
make them lively, how to create an invigorated and energetic
atmosphere for them. Deshmukh was an organizer as well as
planner. When we were talking to him in January in connection
with some contemporary errands, he would be thinking of the
programmes to be held around Diwali later that year. He
planned and organized things well in advance, sometimes as
early as eight to ten months, in order to keep his comrades
motivated and energetic.
If a man cultivates even a single quality to its zenith, he
assumes greatness; while Deshmukh had cultivated a number
of qualities in his dedicated life and devoted them to the Sangh

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work. It was no ordinary task to guide and motivate
Swayamsevaks, Vistaraks and Pracharaks, in order keep them
inclined towards their work, and carry them all towards
accomplishment of common goals. However, he accomplished
all these things so naturally that others felt they were all so easy
tasks. He was a good organizer. He was proficient in organizing
man’s energy in a natural way.

The Sadhana weekly was published in order to strengthen
the national thinkers by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. For
this purpose, there was an old time treadle machine and a
printing press. It was due to insight and enterprising nature of
Deshmukh that the Sadhana’s establishment was converted into
a modern printing press and office.

He was of the view that the Sangh’s Swayamsevaks should
play an active role in the society’s economic development
through cooperative work. In Surat, the condition of the
Panchsheel cooperative bank was going from bad to worse. Due
to his wide contacts, Deshmukh’s attention was drawn towards
this fact. He immediately motivated a few Swayamsevaks
towards it. It did not take long when the command of the bank
came into the hands of the Swayamsevaks, and in a few years,
the bank rose back to its goodwill.

As the Prant Pracharak, Deshmukh got a short stint of only
ten years, yet in this small period, he created a new generation
in every aspect of Sangh’s life which was modern in outlook.
He handed over responsibility to even the young who appeared
to be suitable as per their ability and capability. It is a difficult
proposition to bring about a change in a large organisation like
the Sangh which has been working for so many years and at so
vast a scale. However, in his brief stint, he showed the courage
to develop new systems.

The offspring of a scholarly family in Kashi, who had passed
his childhood in the sacred current of the Ganga; whose entire
family was dedicated to the Sangh; this child belonged to a
family in which each member competed with the other to
sacrifice more and more. With such positive traits, Keshavrao
made Gujarat the land of his action. He passed away on 2 March,
1981.

Today nation’s life is sorrowful with greed, enmity and blots,
May it be changed with your inspiration with every particle

fragrant;
Let us sacrifice everything to create a new divine nation

Now the pot of sacrifice is ready.



Sunset at Noon
Vasantbhai Gajendragadkar

The picture of Deendayal Upadhyay, who was directly linked in
moulding the life of Vasantbhai, influenced his thinking and
meditation that reflected in his behaviour, Upadhyay expressed
satisfaction in his work.

Were you to describe the ocean in words…
Oceans means what?
Large pond.
Large means what?
Large…and nothing.
That has no limit.
You cannot identify the ocean without going near it.
Just the same
Was the personality of our Vasantbhai.
Scholarly, skilled in behaviour, thinker, entertainer,
conscious, diverse, massive personality, is synonymous to
Vasantbhai Gajendragadkar.
Vasantbhai must have met a large number of people, must
have stayed at numerous houses, and must have given diverse
experiences to diverse people, yet my experience been quite
distinct from the rest. I got an opportunity to stay at his home
for a long time during the successful days of his life.
Within the circle of intimate people, we identified
Vasantbhai as Rao Saheb. I don’t know when and under what
circumstances was he born, but I can tell with certainty that we
always uttered his name very affectionately.

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Entry into Politics: An Amazement
If we examine the contemporary political tendencies and

the lives of political leaders, then the entry of Vasantbhai into
politics was no less than a matter of wonder. Politics has little to
do with values, yet Vasantbhai never accorded priority to politics
due to his values.

It was the time of Parliamentary elections in 1971. There is
a possibility of change if the strategy of one-against-one is
adopted – all political parties were of this view. The name of
Vasantbhai led the rest amongst the possible candidates for
Ahmedabad seat. Looking at the political situation at that time,
there was no reason for Vasantbhai not to get the ticket. The
Jana Sangh started preparation for the election. The propaganda
bills were put up at every place in Ahmedabad. The invigorated
workers were busy in their work, and in the final moments, an
unexpected decision was taken in Delhi, that was that
Vasantbhai would not fight the election. This news was like a
bolt from the blue for the workers working energetically in
Ahmedabad. They expressed their anguish, some even
declared – no ticket to Vasantbhai, no work. In such a situation
even, Vasantbhai did not feel bad at not getting the ticket, and
he urged the volunteers to work devotedly to support the new
candidate Jaikrishnabhai and to ensure his victory. He convinced
the disappointed volunteers himself in person and lightened
the atmosphere. He activated all volunteers – young and old.
Whatever decisions are taken in the national good, we must
stand by them keeping all personal interests aside and to make
all efforts for its execution. He followed such values and taught
others to follow them too.

During these days, Shambhu Maharaj was the Jana Sangh’s
candidate at Dhandhuka. As soon as the election process was
set in motion, the Jana Sangh put forward the name of Shambhu
Maharaj. At this time, a popular leader came to meet Vasantbhai.
He was a leading leader of the vote bank in the Dhandhuka
parliamentary seat and had influence among other voters too.
There were still a few days left for the nomination to be
submitted. He came with the name of another candidate

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stronger and more popular than Shambhu Maharaj. It was mere
coincidence that the name proposed by that leader was that of
a close friend of Vasantbhai, and that person was capable and
eligible from every angle; yet Vasantbhai answered in the
negative after having heard the entire argument. It is hard to
imagine when you are refusing a popular public figure of the
same vote bank. Still, the visiting leader said, “Vasantbhai, it is
politics in which everything is fair. What is the problem if
Shambhu Maharaj does not fight? Who keeps word in politics
today?” Despite all those arguments, Vasantbhai gave a clear
verdict, “Brother, promises might not be important for other
people in politics, but our promises are expressed in our life
values. We shall not be a bit pained if we lose the election, but a
breach in promise would tear apart the faith shown in us. We
must keep our word.” The visitor took his leave, but the words
of Vasantbhai had created a tempest in his heart. Influenced by
his dedication to values, he was motivated to think over this all,
and as a consequence, he became a leading worker of the Jana
Sangh within one year.

No Cheap Popularity, Not Far from Struggle
The reconstruction campaign was at its peak in Gujarat.

The successful programmes by the Jana Sangh, one after another,
had made the entire Gujarat’s atmosphere alive and lively. About
this time, the Communist Party in Gujarat announced the
Gujarat Bandh. As the intention of these people was suspicious,
the Jana Sangh did not approve of this decision. They were
apprehensive that if the campaign was controlled by some other
elements, then it might harm the interests of Gujarat. In such a
situation, the Jana Sangh thought it appropriate to keep silent.
This decision of the Jana Sangh created a little optimism in the
heart of Chimanbhai Patel, the then Chief Minister. He tried to
meet Vasantbhai. The meeting was settled. During the meeting,
Chimanbhai said, “Vasantbhai, if the Jana Sangh kept away from
the Gujarat Bandh, I have the necessary ability to deal with all
other people.” The response of Vasantbhai was given in clear
terms, “Whether the Jana Sangh supports the Gujarat Bandh or

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not, yet our struggle will continue for values. We may not join
the Bandh for the sake of cheap popularity, but we shall not like
to keep away from the campaign which has been started to
establish the values against the government.” The response of
Vasantbhai was fearless in such terms, and in a few days, the
Jana Sangh leaders were all arrested under the MISA.

Significance of Values
Vasantbhai was insistent on values in personal life as he

was for them in public life. Vasantbhai was a professor in the
law college, so he was also assigned the task of examining
answer books in the university. It was quite normal for the
students and their parents to visit the professors examining the
answer books. Several such occurrences took place in this
context. Once, a friend and comrade visited his home when the
paper of an acquaintance came to him to be examined. He
needed some help. Now, the relation was so close that he could
not refuse it at that time, but when the result was declared, the
candidate found that he had failed in that paper.

The leader in any organisation influences the success of
the entire organisation through his conduct and qualities. The
success of Gujarat Jana Sangh as well as the series of unshakable
volunteers will always show the glimpse of life values of
Vasantbhai.

Sensitive Nature
Vasantbhai was a sensitive person, so he got angry too, and

the reason behind it used to be quite different. I was introduced
to Vasantbhai when I was an ordinary Swayamsevak; therefore,
we maintained a respectable distance as it ought to be between
a leader and a follower. However, in a few days, I started to
work as a Sangh Pracharak in Ahmedabad. Vasantbhai greatly
respected Pracharaks. He loved when a Pracharak visited his
house, he used to meet and talk to them for long. However, I
never went to his house, because I had always maintained a
respectable distance from him right since the beginning. Once
we met in a programme. After the pleasantries, Vasantbhai

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started to express his unhappiness in some aggressive words.
He said, “Of course, you are an honourable Pracharak now, you
have grown bigger, while I am still a Swayamsevak! You can
say ‘no’ if you don’t want to visit my house.” He uttered this
and went away. I knew this nature of Vasantbhai. He could be
unhappy with no one. The same day I visited his house. He
talked to me for long, right late into the evening, as if nothing
had ever happened in the morning, we took our dinner together.
Not only this, he insisted that I should have meals with him
every Thursday, and this settlement of Thursday meals
continued right until the last.

Vasantbhai’s wife Vidyaben approached the dead body of Vasantbhai
for the final adieu. She was to return the Mangalsutra that she
had been gifted twenty years ago. Vidyaben took out the
Mangalsutra with shaking hands; that sad moment made that
gloomy environment still gloomier.

The Param Pujya Guruji breathed his last on 5 June, 1973.
The meeting was held at the Sangh office the whole night.
Vasasntbhai was on a tour to Patan. He was yet to be informed.
He received the news about the death of the Param Pujya Guruji
from the newspapers the next morning. Immediately he started
from Patna and reached Ahmedabad about eight o’clock. All
officers made for Nagpur by air via Bombay. Vasantbhai came
to my room directly. He was much broken, he was sad to the
extreme. He just uttered a sentence, “What Narendrabhai, you
could not wire me even at night!” Saying these words, his eyes
grew wet. This was the outcome of the infinite faith and devotion
that he possessed for the Param Pujya Guruji.

We had witnessed Vasantbhai’s energy in working a great
number of times. Many of these instances have left an indelible
impression on our mind and heart, and we remember them all
our life. One day during the reconstruction campaign, many of
the Jana Sangh workers had been arrested under the MISA.
Those days, Vasantbhai was busy writing a book ‘Sriguruji’ to
be published by the Sadhana Pustak Prakashan. Had he gone

190

to jail, the book was in all probability to be postponed. Therefore,
as soon as he got the clue, he went underground. I was assigned
the responsibility of keeping contact with the outsiders and keep
him informed of every development outside. The campaign was
at its peak those days. Almost all leaders of the Gujarat Jana
Sangh were in jail. The bullets were flying about outside.
Sacrifices were being made in great many numbers. The entire
Gujarat was under curfew. It was a difficult mental situation
for a sensitive leader like him to be underground. He was very
eager to know what was happening outside. He would grow
quite restless if there was any delay in delivering the news to
him. The violence and assassinations taking place during the
mass campaign were shocking the heart like never before. At
this crucial time, he accomplished his task simultaneously at
two fronts equally well. One was to keep contact with the
struggle outside; and at the same time, concentrate his mind in
order to complete the writing of the book Sriguruji. This
occurrence left a deep impression of his concentration and
sensitivity on my mind.

Simple and Natural in Grave Assignments
Vasantbhai was the most joyful person of the Sangh family.

He was loved by everybody. It was his habit to cut fun at every
member in the family. When Vasantbhai was married, Vidya
Bhabhi did not drink tea. Vasantbhai wished that she should
drink tea. Therefore, he allowed Vidya Bhabhi a time of one
month to start drinking tea. He had specifically asked her to
start drinking tea by 9 March as their marriage was held on 9
February. Moreover, he had urged this in a very fantastic
manner. One fine day after the marriage, his brother’s son started
to chant a new mantra: “Vidya Kaki nau marchala kay karanar?
Chaha pinar…chaha pinar…” (Vidya Kaki, why should you wait
for March? Drink tea…drink tea.)

It became a daily feature. To keep his heart, Vidyaben drank
a cup of tea one day, and after that, she never drank it, nor did
Vasantbhai asked her to.

Vasantbhai suffered from diabetes, but he was much fond
of eating. I used to visit him on Thursdays for meals. Therefore,

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he would tell Vidya Bhabhi to make sweets on four or five
Thursdays in a year saying that it was my birthday, and after
that, he would say that it was not Narendrabhai’s birthday.

Much in the same manner, he often teased his Shanti Bhabhi
too. He would conceal her items, terrify her, caught cockroach
and threw it on her; and sometimes, he raised a commotion
with her son in the house in joy. Thus, he made fun and kept
himself in good spirits. Vasantbhai loved to bathe in rain. He
would bathe in it even if he was unwell. His last rain bath was
with us. It was raining heavily. Rao Saheb put on his clothes
and took me along. We sat in the garden in front of his house.
The rain continued for two hours and we enjoyed in it fully.
Rao Saheb was enjoying the drops of rain like a child, and was
watching the nature’s glory. It was the final Savan (month of
July-August) of his life. He lived a simple, quiet and natural
personal life even while holding crucial responsibilities of
Gujarat Jana Sangh and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Vasantbhai lived a short life, yet it was fully glorious. He
was the living example of striving for the values. The three most
important things that contributed to success in his life were
clarity of thought, faith in conviction and character to act. The
final days of Vasantbhai were very painful. He had to undertake
extreme physical and mental burden due to the threat to
democracy during the state of emergency, as well as in his
capacity of a leader in the struggle being led in other states. He
decided to undergo surgery in Bombay so that his body could
undertake more responsibility.

On the night of 6 February, 1976, we went to see off
Vasantbhai in Gujarat Mail. As always, he started his cycle of
talks with the lighter moments. The elections for the Rajya Sabha
were about to be held in Gujarat, and he was as good as the
final candidate for the Rajya Sabha. At the station, I started my
talk with that point, “What Rao Saheb, you were supposed to
prepare for Delhi, and here you are going to Bombay.” At this
he commented, “Our vehicle runs in the reverse.” This talk in
lighter vein was the last that we have had together. Vasantbhai
was admitted to Bombay Hospital on 9 February. On 12

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February, the alliance government of Gujarat fell down. As soon
as Vasantbhai got this news in Bombay, he grew restless. He
continuously murmured, “I ought to have been in Gandhinagar
at this hour. It was a fine opportunity to carry out my
responsibility, but here, I am lying on the bed.” He would
murmur such things lying alone in his bed. This news had
certainly shocked him, which aggravated his condition further.
And at 6.40 in the evening on 16 February, he passed away. This
unfortunate news was given to me on telephone.

It was quite heartrending to imagine that the thousands of
volunteers would have to carry the very Vasantbhai on their
shoulders, on whose shoulders they had risen to glory in social
life, but this was the truth. His dead body was brought to
Ahmedabad on 17 February. As soon as his dead body was
brought out of the ambulance, groups of volunteers herded
together to carry it. Here, the people carrying his body had to
carry two responsibilities – to carry the body as well as to carry
the responsibility of realizing his goals.

The dead body was kept in the front room of the house.
The body with half-open eyes was not ready to invite anybody
today, as he had always done. The spring season was not
charming the room with his frolics. The sleeping Vasant had
only four things before him – towards the right on the front
wall was the photograph of his leader, and the photograph of
his mother who appeared to be content with the deeds that her
son had accomplished in life, and the photographs of two great
people right before his eyes – Dr. Hedgewar and Guruji. As if
Vasantbhai was gazing at them, his mute face seemed to be
saying – I am leaving midway without having accomplished
the task assigned by you, are you unhappy about it!

Amongst the intimate group of people, we identified Vasantbhai
as Rao Saheb. I don’t know how this name of his came into
existence, but it was sure that we pronounced this name with
much love.

• Those were directly related to moulding the life of
Vasantbhai, the reflection of whose thinking and

193

contemplation could be seen in his behaviour, such was
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay whose photograph seemed
to express satisfaction about the accomplishment of his
companion, at the same time inspiring other comrades
not to feel sorry.
• The being lying here never loved his body.
• He kept lighting a lamp through the lamp of his life.
• He never looked away from hard work.
• He had given up all comfort in order to realize the dream
of people’s welfare.
• His tendency to worry for others could not prevent him
from leading to the funeral pyre.

Preparation was being made for the final journey of
Vasantbhai. No words are enough to describe such a moment.

Vasantbhai’s wife Vidyaben approached the lifeless body
of Vasantbhai to bid farewell for one last time. The Mangalsutra
that she had been gifted twenty years ago, it was time to return
it. Vidyaben took out the Mangalsutra with trembling hands.
This moment turned the entire atmosphere sad and gloomy.

At 2.30 in the noon, his funeral procession started from the
Jana Sangh office at Khadiyan, his place of action. I think it
suffices to say that few political leaders get such a funeral
procession. He ruled people’s hearts. They felt their hearts
turning barren. Tears were streaming down millions of eyes.

At the funeral ground, he was offered a glorious homage.
Every one of those who came to offer his homage had lost
something. There was no formality in this homage; it was the
story of agony of every heart. That night, I noted in my diary:

“The glass of friendship cracked before we could drink,
The sun set before it was the evening.”



On the Occasion of First Death
Anniversary of Vasantbhai

Brother,
What focus you had
That you kept
Lighting
And lighting lamps
In villages after villages,
In houses after houses,
But you ought to have looked back
If the source of light
Itself is being burnt!
But brother,
From the last spring
To this one.
Passing through the door
With the source of light
We treaded much,
Treaded long,
So before the first anniversary,
The ‘alliance’ turned
Into a ‘party’,
To keep the light of democracy
Lighted!

Points to Ponder

Human Well-being
The follower of Hinduism has never try to attract others

through greed and attraction, because it does not lead to eternal
well-being. The Hindu culture seeks learning – from dark to
light, from death to immortality, for well-being of human life
lies just in this.

Human Life
Drops of water look pretty on the lotus, but they are

momentary. These drops are destroyed by the sun’s rays, they
then exist no more. Human life is just like this.

In What Lies Bliss
Bliss does not lie in matter; it lies in the religious mind.

Sweet tastes good, it gives pleasure to eat, but how much can
you eat? How long will you eat? If you eat more, it would lead
to vomiting and you will feel bored of sweet, or you will grow
indifferent to it.

I have undertaken lifelong campaign on the thorny path full
of troubles,

I am ignorant of honey, I have drunk poison all life.



Committed to Service
Dr. Vishwanathrao Vanikar

There is a depositary of the memories related to Dr. Vanikar. He
was the friend of the sufferers, his pity was natural. He was the
man of action. When he sat with the saints, he was the true pupil.
He was the man of struggle. He remained devoted to the society
until the last moment of his life. He devoted even his personal life
to the society.

Amongst the prestigious families of Ahmedabad is counted
the Vanikar family. His family enjoyed a high reputation. Of
the mill-owner families running over generations, the Vanikar
family enjoyed a unique identity. Anantrao Vanikar was an
engineer by profession. He had served as the Chief Engineer in
Ahmedabad. He had created a number of records one hundred
years ago. Anantrao Vanikar belonged to a village Vani, near
Nasik in Maharashtra; however, over generations, his
forefathers came and settled at ‘Bhau Ki Pole’ in Ahmedabad.
Vishwanath Vanikar was his only offspring. His father was an
engineer, but he chose to be a doctor. He possessed a tall figure,
well built body and impressive personality. He completed his
practice in London and returned to India for service to the
nation. Dr. Vanikar was the first pathologist of Gujarat.

About fifty years ago from now, a doctor enjoyed a high
prestige and reputation in the society. And this prestige was
still higher for this foreign degree holder. If an individual is
respected in his youth, he can be imagined to be riding high in
glory and bliss. This makes some people talk through their heads

200
and walk two steps above the ground; but the traits and culture
of Dr. Vanikar were quite different. Even after he became a
doctor, it was perfectly normal for him to ride a bicycle around.
He led a very simple life, and became a favourite person among
the people of Gujarat. Looking at his capability and prestige,
the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation requested him to take
over the charge of the newly-built L.G. Hospital. He gave up
his good income in order to take over the charge of the L.G.
Hospital just for the sake of people of Ahmedabad. Not only
this, he worked hard to provide extension service to provide
health services to people, especially the mill workers.

For Dr. Vanikar, rendering health services was like serving
God. His profession was not a source of income for him. He
must have cured millions of the suffering people during his
lifetime. Vanikar administered injections to millions of patients,
but an incident was much painful. This made him feel sharply.
The incident was like this. One day, the mother of Dr. Vanikar
came. She was ill. She was ninety years old. Dr. Vanikar served
her like a son should. The doctor who had injected lakhs of
people felt emotional when it came to injecting his mother. His
hand trembled and the place where he injected emerged a
painful sore. It pained her much, but it pained him still more
intensely. He could not forget this incident even after her death,
and whenever he remembered this instance, he grew restless.

Dr. Vanikar was acquainted with several great men
including the Param Pujya Guruji, the Sarsanghchalak of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, because his family had been
inseparably related with the Sangh-lovers. The liking for
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Gujarat was in a normal
condition, still due to his prestige, the leading people of Gujarat
succeeded to bring Dr. Vanikar in the Sangh’s fold. There were
rumours that he might take up some high post in the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh in Gujarat. He was requested too, but he
refused every time. Not only this, he would bring some new
gentleman and get him introduced to the Sangh. Thus, he
continued to introduce new Swayamsevaks to the Sangh who
were eligible and capable to hold different posts in the Sangh,
and he undertook this task lifelong.


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