Guruji Enjoyed Wide Respect
I am very much delighted to read in the May 20, 2018 issue of the Organiser, the English version of late Ashok Mitra’s article on Shri Guruji, originally written in Bengali and published in ‘Aajkal’ on June 9. 1991. The Hindi translation of the said article is available in the 12th volume of ‘Shri Guruji Samagra.’ Ashok Mitra, although a Marxist, had intellectual honesty, and whatever he wrote about Shri Guruji, is a standing testimony to this towering trait of his, a quality rarely found in Leftists, for whom all those who do not subscribe to their ideology, are class enemies. And that was the exact reason which compelled Mitra to first quit the Jyoti Basu ministry and then from the CPI (M) itself. Here, it is pertinent to note that Ashok Mitra was not the only person who had the highest regard for Shri Guruji. Among many more others from diverse fields of our national life, who were greatly impressed by Shri Guruji’s lofty character, personality and affection, were Varghese Kuria of Amul, the architect of ‘Operation Flood,’ the largest dairy development programme in the world, who wrote, “Golwalkar and I became close friends. What impressed most about him was that he was an intensely patriotic Indian. To me he came across as an honest and outspoken man and I always thought if he were the Hindu fanatic that he was made out to be, he would never have been my friend,” and Khushwant Singh, the popular Indian journalist, author and lawyer, who, after his meeting with Shri Guruji at Mumbai wrote, “There are some people against whom you build up malice without knowing them. Guru Golwalkar had long been on the top of my hate list. I have taken more than half an hour of Shri Guruji’s time. He shows no sign of impatience. When I ask for his leave, he again grasps my hand to prevent me from touching his feet. Was I impressed? I admit I was. He did not persuade me to his point of view. He made me feel that he was open to persuasion.”
– U. Gopal Maller, Calicut
