Cover Story : An Unforgettable Experience

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A Ramakrishna Prasad

In the year 1985, three-day Prant Pracharaks Baithak was held in Sree Rama Kalyanamandapam, Nungambakkam, Chennai during Deepawali. That was the first Akhil Bharatiya Baithak to be held in Tamil Nadu. On all the three days, unprecedented heavy rains lashed Chennai. The whole karyakarta team was involved in the vyavastha of the entire three-day Baithak in such a manner that there was no disruption in the karyakram. Suriji, who was then Kshetra Pracharak, was overseeing the entire vyavastha. In between meetings, he used to enquire about the vyavastha and was particular that at any cost there should not be any delay in the scheduled karyakram.
On the evening of second day, Chennai Mahanagar Sanghik was scheduled to be held. In the morning on that day, Suriji was taking his bath in an unusual way. He was standing below the balcony of Kalyanamandapam where the rain water was pouring down from the top outlet of the balcony and was thoroughly enjoying the shower of rain water. If I remember correctly, the total ‘Baithak Sankhya’ was 54. Hence, 54 chairs were put on the dais for evening Sanghik, for introducing the Prant Pracharaks and above adhikaris to the swayamsevaks. Suriji casually asked the karyakartas whether there will be a sankhya of at least 54 in the Sanghik. What prompted Suriji to ask this question was that in the morning newspapers it was reported that the entire Chennai came to a standstill due to heavy water logging in all places with pictures of vehicles floating in water. The weather report was that the rains will continue unabated for other two days. The karyakartas confidently replied that a good number of swayamsevaks will turn out for the Sanghik. The location of the Kalyanamandapam was a narrow road leading from Gemini Flyover. All the approach roads to Kalyanamandapam were completely flooded with water upto waist level. No vehicle could come to the venue of the Baithak. The swayamsevaks had to really wade through the waters. For many swayamsevaks their vehicles got struck in different locations and many of them came wading through water for 1 or 2 kms.  Every swayamsevak who reached the venue had different kind of experience. The Sanghik Sankhya on that day was around 250. During the entire programme rain continued. Even while returning the swayamsevaks had to wade through waist-deep water and with lot of difficulties reached homes.

Respect to the Seniors
An anecdote in the life of the great freedom fighter VO Chidambaram Pillai goes like this: During his prison days, he was made to drag the yoke linked to the heavy stone of the oil-press (chekku) and go round and round till he was exhausted. Later, when he was asked as to how he felt while doing that, VOC replied: “I did not go round the chekku; I felt I was doing pradakshinam of Bharat Mata!” A similar incident from Suriji’s life was described by Dr K Kumaraswamy, Sah Prant Sanghachalak of Uttar Tamil Nadu, in a series on Suriji in Tamil weekly Vijayabharatham: “It was in 1979, when a Prant Shibir was held in Tiruchurapalli. After the Shibir, the then Sah Sarkaryavah Shri Yadava Rao Joshi and Dakshin Kshetra Pracharak Shri HV Seshadri proceeded in a car. Suriji was also in the car. En route, the car developed a snag and had to be stopped. The swayamsevak who drove the car was nonplussed. Just then Suriji got down and pushed the car forward. The engine came to life and the journey was resumed. Later, the driver swayamsevak said to Suriji, “Ji, should you have troubled yourself like that?” Pat came the reply: “See Rajan, VOC performed pradakshinam of Bharat Mata in prison. I pushed not the car, but the Rath in which both my preceptors were seated.” Thus came to light the high regard Suriji had for Sangh Adhikaris.
May your tribe increase!

In the 1960s and 1970s Tamil Nadu witnessed vicious Aryan Dravidian race theory propaganda dividing people; atheism, bent upon vilifying Hindu gods and goddesses alone, was also rampart. Swami Childbhavananda, through his Ramakrishna Tapovanam, ran educational institutions across the state for installing devotion in the hearts of the next generation. But Swamiji had voiced his objection to the huge amount spent in raising a memorial for Swami Vivekananda at the land’s end, in Kanyakumari. But Suriji, who was organising RSS work in Tamil Nadu, met the Swami, and in all sincerity, reported the activities and ideals of the RSS to the Seer. Being impressed, the Swami threw open all his institutions for RSS use after gaining a first-hand experience of the Sangh atmosphere. He went further and described the swayamsevaks in a Sangh camp as bhagyavantah because, he elaborated, RSS is taking forward the man-making mission envisioned by Swami Vivekananda. He blessed RSS workers with “May your tribe increase”!

Future Governments to Take Care
A Chennai based senior journalist and swayamsevak had been thrown behind the bars during the 1975-77 Emergency for his contribution in bringing out underground bulletins in Tamil. Soon after his release from jail, Suriji called him and had a talk with him about the assignments awaiting attention. The swayamsevak hinted at sustenance, as his family was not well off, thus:  “Ji, the Government fed me in prison all these months….from now on?” Suriji’s reply electrified the mind of the swayamsevak. Said Suriji: “From now on, the future government will take care of you!” It was mid 1976. Emergency was very much in force. But as events unfolded in the ensuing months, Emergency was lifted, ban on RSS was gone and Lok Sabha elections were held. The dictator was packed off. Sangh work was resumed. The “future government” reference by Suriji came true, with RSS playing a crucial role in Opposition unity, paving the way for forming the Janata Government.
Route March with danda
During MGR regime, the State Government of Tamil Nadu promulgated an order banning carrying of lethal weapons, as some fringe groups had given a call for carrying knife. An RSS route march was due to be held in Chennai. Police refused permission citing the order. Suriji was in Chennai that day. He rang up the City Commissioner and read out relevant parts of the order. He pointed out that it was not a “blanket ban”. Police relented. The route march with swayamsevaks carrying danda was held as planned. The majestic tone of Suriji, it seemed, had driven home the just case of RSS into the police official’s mind!
That is why the country is safe!
Suriji was close associate of Shri Guruji for over three decades. He would narrate in vivid detail the life of that sage, throwing ample light on his constructive organising acumen. In a lighter mood, Suriji once reminisced a conversation between a Socialist leader and Shri Guruji. The Socialist had exclaimed, “Guruji, if I were to be in possession of a cadre base as you do, I would set the entire country on fire!”Citing Shri Guruji’s response to it, Suriji quipped: “That is why the country is safe!”
Now, RSS is seen everywhere
M Karunanidhi, the DMK leader, once observed in a Mannargudi public meeting, “This is Periyar EVR’s soil; but the RSS is growing fast. Formerly RSS was sighted here and there. But now, RSS is seen everywhere”. Suriji made it a point to quote this admission by the Dravidian politician in many of his public address to point out that “Tamil Nadu is not an atheist’s estate. It has been for ages sanctified by great Nayanmar and Alwars. Tamil Nadu is a Hindu land”.

Soon after the Sanghik, Suruji’s face was beaming with joy and he expressed his happiness and commended the karyakartas for good turnout for the Sanghik. On the same night (at around 11 or 11.30 pm), some swayamsevaks and I were going around the rooms of adhikaris to see to it that there was no disturbance to them due to rain. All the adhikaris were sleeping. There was a big hall in which the Prant Pracharaks were sleeping.  To our dismay we found that in some places water was leaking from the top of the hall and falling down in drops intermittently. Immediately, we decided to keep tumblers wherever water was falling. We couldn’t sleep that night as the situation needed continuous monitoring.  Whenever the tumblers became full we replaced it again. The Prant Pracharaks who were sleeping were not aware of it. Around midnight, Suriji was going around to take stock of the situation. When he came to the hall, he saw us and enquired what we were doing. We told him about the leakage of water and what remedial action we had taken. He patted us and left with words of appreciation.
After the Baithak, Suruji appreciated all the karyakartas for the commendable work carried out on all the three days. Sarsanghachalak Shri Balasaheb Deoras also appreciated the way in which the karyakartas managed the entire three days Baithak without any disturbance to the karyakram. He used to narrate the way in which the karyakartas had handled the situation to the karyakartas/swayamsevaks of other provinces while on pravas. The entire three-day Baithak was an unforgettable experience for all the karyakartas who were involved in the vyavastha.
(The writer is Sah Prant Karyavah of Uttar Tamil Nadu)

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