Thousands of swayam-sevaks of Delhi and leaders belonging to over five dozen social and religious organisations paid rich tribute to veteran Sangh Pracharak Vishwanathji at Keshav Kunj on May 26. Vishwanathji had passed away in Amritsar on May 24.
Paying tribute, RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri K.S. Sudarshan appealed to all the swayamsevaks, workers and leaders of other organisations who had any kind of association with Vishwanathji to write down their reminiscences and send them to Shri Santosh Taneja in New Delhi so that his thoughts can be compiled for the future generations. ?The inspiring life of senior leaders like Vishwanathji should be published comprehensively. It will inspire all the present and future workers,? the Sarsanghachalak said.
?The life of Tulsidas changed with just one comment of his wife. Similarly the life of Vishwanathji also changed with just one comment of his parents. Before becoming the Pracharak he would devote most of his time to the Sangh work and would return home late night. One day when he came late, his parents did not open the door and said to go back to the place where he was till then. That whole night Vishwanathji moved here and there in the city. After doing graduation, he fully dedicated himself to the Sangh work and observed this resolve till he breathed his last,? Shri Sudarshan said.
Referring to the conflict that stroke Punjab decades back in the name of language, he said Vishwanathji delivered his speech in Punjabi at that time, which irritated some workers. After the speech, he said if we have to work in Punjab we should not hesitate in speaking Punjabi. ?Even the Pracharaks who went to different states from Nagpur in initial days, first learnt the languages of those states and then started the work. Similarly whenever Vishwanathji visited Punjab he spoke in Punjabi,? he said. Talking about the Partition, he said Vishwanathji did not come back to India for months after the Partition, because Shri Guruji had directed all the Sangh workers not to return till all Hindus come safely from there. ?During the Khalistan movement in Punjab, Vishwanathji played a key role in forming the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat to unite the society under the leadership of Sardar Chiranjiv Singh. The thinking of Vishwanathji is still relevant in finding solution to various problems the society is facing today. As a Pracharak, he remained dedicated to the motherland for 62 years,? the Sarsanghachalak said.
VHP president Shri Ashok Singhal said Vishwanathji lived his life like a tapasvi. ?The impressive Sangh work that we see in Delhi today is because of the hard work of Vishwanathji. In 1977 when I came to Delhi, I lived in the adjoining room of Vishwanathji and saw his tapasvi jivan very closely. I never felt any difference in our views. Along with the shakha work, he also concentrated on sewa work. The massive demonstration staged in Delhi after the Meenakshipuram incident was success because of the hard work and guidance of Vishwanathji,? Shri Singhal added.
Kshetra Sanghachalak Dr Bajranglal Gupt said during the 37-year-long association with Vishwanathji I found that he was expert in assessing the qualities, shortcomings, capacities and capabilities of a worker. Veteran Pracharak Thakur Ram Singh said Vishwanathiji was among the workers of first generation, which took the organisational work to new heights. Akhil Bharatiya Sewa Pramukh Shri Premchand Goel recalled his long association of 54 years with Vishwanathji.
Kshetra Pracharak Shri Dinesh Chandra informed the gathering about the last days of Vishwanathji. He said three workers were deployed in shifts in his service round-the-clock. More than 500 workers served him since January 28 when he developed the problem. Even on May 24 he could speak clearly. ?I never saw any tension on his face. He wanted to engage himself in the work after getting well. He wanted to work even while remaining bedridden. His advice was always clear, correct and producing good result in long term. His inspiration helped in spreading the work in various fields,? he added.
Delhi Prant Sanghachalak Shri Ramesh Prakash said during the Emergency they lived at the same residence. ?He was always active for developing true faith for the work among the workers,? he said. Shri Satyanarayan Bansal, former Delhi Prant Sanghachalak, said his personality impressed everyone. He even used to own the mistakes committed by a worker who worked under his guidance. If any worker differs himself on any point, he never got irritated and listened to him patiently and corrected himself if necessary. His style of working was performance oriented,? he said.
Shri Jagdish Sahay, elder brother of Vishwanathji, who came to Delhi with the asthikalash to be immersed in the Sangam in Prayag, said he was fully dedicated to his work.
Prominent among those who paid floral tribute to Vishwanathji included senior VHP leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore, Deputy Mayor of Delhi S.S. Bajwa, Delhi BJP president Dr Harsh Vardhan, Leader of Opposition Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, veteran Sangh Pracharak Shri Sohan Singh, Vidya Bharati leader Shri Dinanath Batra, VHP leaders Shri Omkar Bhave and Shri Champatrai and scores of leaders belonging to various organisations of Delhi. (FOC)
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