End of an Era

 

RSS ideologue and veteran journalist Madhav Govind Vaidya passed away in Nagpur on December 19. Shri M G Vaidya was the first official spokesperson of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Vaidya was admitted at Spandan Hospital, where he breathed his last. Vishnu Vaidya, his grandson, told media that he died at a private hospital at 3.35 pm. “He had contracted coronavirus but recovered from the infection,” Vishnu Vaidya said, adding that his health deteriorated suddenly on Friday.

Dr Manmohan Vaidya, Joint General Secretary of RSS, and the late stalwart’s son in a tweet said, “Shri MG Vaidya, my father breathed his last today at 3.35 pm at Nagpur after completing 97 years of an active, meaningful and inspiring life. He was a veteran journalist, a Hindutva “Bhashyakar” and active Sangh (RSS) Swayamsevak for nine decades.”

His funeral was conducted at Ambazari Ghat (Crematorium ground in Nagpur) at 9:30 am on December 20. RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat paid last respects to MG Vaidya at his residence. “His life was an encyclopedia of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He lived RSS and its ideology,” the Sarsanghchalak told reporters in Nagpur.

RSS SarsanghchalakDr Mohan Bhagwat visited the Nagpur residence of M G Vaidya to play his last respect to the departed soul. In his message he said, “During the present day Sangh work if we need any reference or guidance on various issues, we used to consult Baburao ji Vaidya as he had seen the entire evolution of RSS since the times of Doctor Ji”.

As soon as the news of the passing away of the veteran RSS leader broke, tributes started pouring in from all quarters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the passing away of noted writer and journalist MG Vaidya. Prime Minister in a tweet said, MG Vaidya contributed extensively to the RSS for decades and also worked to strengthen the BJP. Shri Modi also expressed condolences to his family and admirers.

“Shri MG Vaidyaji was a distinguished writer and journalist. He contributed extensively to the RSS for decades. He also worked to strengthen the BJP. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also expressed his condolence on the death of RSS ideologue MadhavGovindVaidya, describing him as a nationalist and an institution by himself. “Deeply saddened by the demise of veteran RSS functionary and Sanskrit scholar M G Vaidya. He was a nationalist, a prolific writer and an institution by himself,” tweeted the Vice President.

Paying his tributes to the RSS veteran, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “My humble tribute to BaburaoVaidya. Baburao was fortunate enough to work with all Sarsanghchalak. It was a firm belief that Baburaoji would be a centenarian, but destiny had something different in mind. It is sad that a pious and sage-like personality has passed away. May God grant peace to the departed soul. Peace.”

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis anf Home Minister of Maharashtra also expresed their grief over the the demise of great thinker, ideologue and former Editor of Tarun Bharat M G Vaidya.

Maharashtra Union of Working Journalists (MUWJ) and Nagpur Union of Working Journalists (NUWJ) condoled veteran journalist M G Vaidya’s demise. “His demise is a huge loss for journalism in Vidarbha region. We will remember him for an important attribute of respecting the thoughts of others even while being firm on own thought. He had affection for MUWJ and NUWJ both,” stated the condolence message issued jointly by Pradipkumar Maitra, MUWJ President; Brahmashankar Tripathi, Secretary; Shirish Borkar, NUWJ President; Vishwas Indurkar, Vice-President of Tilak Patrakar Bhavan Trust; Vinod Deshmukh, Joseph Rao and others.

MG Vaidya was ace journalist, ex MLC, Sanskrit scholar and first official spokesperson of RSS. Born on 11 March 1923 at Taroda village in Wardha district of Maharashtra, Shri Vaidya became a Sangh Swayamsevak at the age of eight, when Doctor ji was the Sarsanghchalak. In his nine-decades-long journey as a swayamsevak, ShriVaidya was closely associated with Guruji and all other Sarsanghchalaks of the Sangh. He held several important responsibilities in the Sangh like ‘Akhil Bharatiya Baudhik Pramukh’ and ‘Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh’ and national spokesperson of the RSS. In 1944, Shri Vaidya passed his BA in first class with the gold medal for his performance in Sanskrit. In 1946, he was awarded the Daji Hari Wadegaonkar gold medal when he cleared his MA exam. From 1978 to 1984, Vaidya was a member of the legislative council in Maharashtra. A noted nation first thinker, Shri Vaidya has written dozens of books on various topics, ranging from politics to literature. An autobiographical account of being in RSS — titled ‘Main Sangh Mein, Mujh Mein Sangh (I am in Sangh, Sangh is in me)’ is one his popular works. Many of his books have been translated into many Indian languages. His popular column titled “Bhashya” in ‘Tarun Bharat’ ran for 25 years, and is considered one of the longest-serving newspaper columns.

He had a long association with Organiser weekly as a contributor and wrote many articles on Hindutva and contemporary political issues. His commentaries on democratic reforms, contemporary relevance of Hindutva and application to the present day issues are still a guiding force to intellectuals and policy makers. He was a ready reckoner on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and even with his deteriorating health would recall the incidents related to RSS with exact date and context.

His son Dr Manmohan Vaidya is SahSarkaryavah of the RSS, while his youngest son Dr Shri Ram Vaidya is also a pracharak with the responsibility of Sah Sanyojak, Vishwa Vibhag.