Swayamsevaks of RSS Jankalyan Samiti not only ensured that the nurses in distress were provided food and accommodation but also ensured that they get their jobs elsewhere, so that they continue to serve as Corona warriors.
In the COVID-19 outbreak, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s Janakalyan Samiti, Maharashtra Prant has been serving the needy individuals with ration items and medical supplies. Till now, around crores of individuals and lakhs of families have been served under their humongous efforts. The RSS Jankalyan Samiti’s selfless efforts also reached out for the help of the Corona Warriors i.e. Doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and the police officials by providing COVID-19 protective measures like PPE kits, sanitizers, etc. Now along with this Swayamsevaks have been arranging meals for the Doctors and nurses engaged in serving the patients in the hospitals of Mumbai.
In the enormous Godly service or ‘Seva Karya’ of RSS Jankalyan Samiti, the Swayamsevaks show readiness in owning up any responsibility that comes in their ‘path of service’. In a similar event, On April 26, 2020, at around 3 pm, Sanjay Lahu Makar, Kurla Bhag (District) Karyavaha got a call from the Bhag Karyawaha that five nurses in a hotel on LBS Road in Kurla were in need of meals. On getting this information he immediately called upon the given phone number however the contact was not possible. Later in the evening, he talked with a nurse named Avantika Pandey to find out that they were staff of a well-known hospital in Mumbai however as the hospital was closed their arrangement related to food was made in a hotel nearby. The hotel has been offering them a single menu of dal, rice and a vegetable in lunch and dinner for the last month.
Although the food was available it is but obvious that any individual if served with the same menu for a month can make his/her taste buds numb. Hence, after eating the same food every day, the desire of nurses to eat food was dead. For them eating the same food had a more negative psychological impact than the current fear of the Corona Crisis. Avantika asked, “If you are helping and if it’s possible please get us bread or some other vegetable. Please don’t help us with dal-rice for that we had it in plenty!”
Since the area where the hotel was located was far from the settlements, the Swayamsevak from Sarveshwar Nagar, Shri. Ashish Patwa said that he will come and inspect. He informed them that the hotel was not safe for women to stay and from there he called the police station and informed them that their visit was necessary. However, when the police visited the hotel immediately, there was no more concern. The RSSJS was already serving meals for 70 doctors and nurses at Kurla Bhabha Hospital in the afternoon and night. Along with this activity, the name of these five nurses was added too and dinner meals were delivered to them on a daily basis. However, after four days, the head nurse of the hospital refused delivery of dinner and Avantika got upset on learning about the refusal.
After some days on the 9th of May, Avantika called upon Ashish and mentioned that some of the nurses were being kept in a room in the hospital and the norms related to social distancing were not observed. Also, the food that the hospital served was not good enough. On asking about the other nurses she confirmed that they would be connected to the municipal hospital. Avantika had earlier called the police regarding these matters however the police officials refused to help them saying that it was an internal matter of the hospital. All of the five nurses were not happy with the management’s behavior towards its staff and with no option left they decided to quit and leave the hospital as soon as possible.
The hospital’s management was too cunning in nature and seeing the dissent from these nurses closed all the gates of the hospital and made sure they could not escape from the hospital premises. Swayamsevaks tried hard to convince the nurses that it was late night and asked to stay there for the night and possibly work out a solution tomorrow. But Avantika was not in the mood to listen and said. “We will serve the patients in the Corona ward. If the time comes, we will die while doing this work, but we will not return to this hospital again,” Fortunately, the hospital management agreed at last to leave them but on the condition of signing on a declaration.
Shri. Sanjay asked them to return to the same hotel temporarily and promised for some arrangement early morning. All five nurses were from different states and it was very difficult to return home. Two of the nurses indicated they were willing to work elsewhere and serve the patients. Hence, immediately the Bhag Sanchalak Dr.Dnyanesh Gawankar was contacted. Dr. Dnyanesh asked him to send their information and asked if they were ready to work in the COVID-19 ward. Avantika and another nurse from Madhya Pradesh immediately agreed.
Swayamsevaks be it Bhag Karyawaha or Bhag Sanghachalak or of any other role in RSS consider their ‘SevaKarya’ as a ‘Sacred duty’ towards the motherland. Every other Swayamsevak when asked about their role in Sangh they introduce themselves as an ‘Ordinary Swayamsevak’ despite their role in Sangha.
The next morning, Dr. Dnyanesh talked with the nurses and asked them to come and see him at the nursing hospital in Vikhroli. Ashish Patwa arranged for them to reach there in the morning. Sanjay got a call in the afternoon that the nurses wanted to take their luggage from the hotel and leave it in the hospital and on knowing this he pulled out the car and took their luggage and dropped off at Vikhroli Hospital. On the way, he inquired about their family and asked whether the rest of the nurses were ready to work but they denied.
Accommodation and meals were to be arranged for these nurses at the hospital. Most importantly, both of the nurses would now have the opportunity to serve the country in this Corona crisis. Avantika Pandey expressed her readiness to serve the nation and thankful note to the Swayamsevaks. On the way out, the Swayaymsevaks saw the satisfaction on the faces of both of them and once again returned with new energy thinking of the next Sevakarya. The nurses were efficiently set out of the trap of the hospital and their expertise was brought in for the effect of battling the COVID-19 virus. The entire process was efficient due to the smooth coordination among Swayamsevaks.
Swayamsevaks be it Bhag Karyawaha or Bhag Sanghachalak or of any other role in RSS consider their ‘SevaKarya’ as a ‘Sacred duty’ towards the motherland. Every other Swayamsevak when asked about their role in Sangh they introduce themselves as an ‘Ordinary Swayamsevak’ despite their role in Sangha. This thought process comes from the fact that be it Bhag Karyawaha or Bhag Sanghachalak, what the outside world sees as ‘position’ Sangha’s Swayamsevaks see them as their ‘responsibility’. The two-dimensional thought process, of seeing ‘position’ as ‘responsibility’ and ‘SevaKarya’ as ‘Sacred duty’ is what stands as the basis of smooth coordination between Swayamsevaks which outputs as the needy being efficiently served.
(As narrated by Sanjay Lahu Makar to NewsBharati where this article was first published)
