Tribute : A ‘Maha Tapasvi’ Departs
It was in 2000, I went to Sohan Singhji at Keshav Kunj, Delhi to confirm the details of a photo that we had received from Jaipur. Apart from the then Sarsanghachalak Shri KS Sudarshan, there were three other people in the photograph sharing the dais. I showed the photo to Sohan Singhji and he very affectionately explained the details. He also provided me with some valuable inputs about the function. While leaving his room, I, in a normal way, expressed thanks to him. He immediately called me back in his known style and asked: Ye dhanyawaad ki parampara kab se shuru ho gai Sangh mein. (How long the tradition of expressing thanks began in the Sangh?) I had no answer. “We all are working for the same cause. There is no need to use such words,” he clarified.
| Condolence meeting in Delhi on July 18 at Talkatora Stadium at 5.00 pm |
These words show how particular Man. Sohan Singhji was in moulding each and every worker coming to his contact. Every worker, who came in his contact, has some or the other inspiring anecdotes to share. It was because of such extraordinary skills, Sohan Singhji was popular as “a workshop of man making”. He is credited with moulding thousands of dedicated workers in Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana. The huge gathering turned to Keshav Kunj and also at Nigam Bodh Ghat, Delhi on July 5 to pay him tribute, displayed how deeply he touched the lives of the workers. He was taking rest at Keshav Kunj due to growing age. Whenever he used to wake up he asked his associates: Kya prarthana ho gai? This shows how dedicated he was to the cause. It was because of his dedication and devotion to the cause that a new precedent began in Delhi Prant of the Sangh on July 5. Sohan Singhji was offered Sangh Prarthana at the crematorium.
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As the news of passing away of Sohan Singhji spread, workers from Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana rushed to Keshav Kunj early in the morning to have his last darshan. He had breathed his last at 11.40 pm at Keshav Kunj on July 4. He was 93. The last rites were performed by his nephew Dharmadev Yadav at Nigam Bodh Ghat. Tribute by Sarsanghachalak (July 19, 2015 Page : 58-59) |
Sohan Singhji was very particular about educating the young generation of glorious history of the country. To materialise his vision, the swayamsevaks in Rajasthan have established some monuments—Durgadas Smarak in Jodhpur, Prithviraj Chauhan and Raja Daharsen Smarak in Ajmer, Haldighati and a monument at the Punyasthali of Maharan Pratap at Chawand. The latest one is Pratap Gaurav Kendra in Udaipur. It is a unique project in the country, which ignites the inner soul of the visitors about country’s glorious past and gives a positive direction to that energy by motivating them to join any of the sewa activity in their vicinity. The project is ready for inauguration. As one enters the Kendra one sees the painting of Sohan Singhji captioned Hamari Prerana. The reason of installing the painting is that Sohan Singhji never allowed anybody to click his photo. I remember an incident of Delhi. Sohan Singhji was addressing Rashtra Sevika Samiti workers at Patel Nagar office. I had gone there to cover the meeting. I clicked about a dozen photos aiming Sohan Singhji, but could not take even a single photo, which shows his full face. Whenever, I tried to click the photo, he turned his face. He never wished his photo to be clicked or his name to be published. After visiting Pratap Guarav Kendra in October 2014, I met him in Delhi to know his feelings about his dream coming true. He inquired about the progress of the project with attention but did not share his feelings.
“Sohan Singhji had an extraordinary skill of moulding an ordinary swayamsevak into a dedicated worker. He was selected for Indian Army but instead of joining the Army he decided to serve the nation through the Sangh. He was very much active during the Freedom Movement. During the ban on the RSS in 1948 he underwent highly inhuman atrocities in jail. During Emergency also he was in jail for about 18 months. But he never cared for himself. He was bothered about the well-being of the workers and their family members who were in various jails fighting against the Emergency in those days,” said RSS Akhil Bharatiya Gou Sewa Pramukh Shri Shankar Lal.
In his tribute Rajasthan Kshetra Sanghachalak Prof. Bhagwati Prakash Sharma described him an ever-inspiring torch-bearer for all the swayamsevaks and lakhs of families in Rajasthan, and across the country. “His reminiscences of an affectionate and intimate mentor to all the swayamsevaks are still fresh and would perpetuate to inspire and guide all of us and go a long way to enliven our enthusiasm and engagement for the patriotic devotion towards our motherland. As a Vibhag Pracharak of Jaipur and Prant Pracharak of Rajasthan he cared for and groomed every karyakarta to redeem his ultimate potential and inspired hundreds of them to devote their life as Sangh Pracharak or Vaanprasthi.
As a patriotic visionary and organiser he pioneered several organisations and nationalist activities in Rajasthan like starting of the Seema Jan Kalyan Samiti in 1985 to care and cater people in the border areas, nurtured the Beawar Pariyojna and also invigorated the Banswara Pariyojna through the Bharatiya Jan Kalyan Pratisthan looking after the welfare of tribes in Banswara Vibhag. With the success of these and several other projects steered by him, he was later on given the responsibility of Akhil Bharatiya Dharma Jagaran Pramukh.”
—Pramod Kumar
(July 19, 2015 Page : 58-59)
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