Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Karnataka paid tributes Nudi Namana to Chandrashekhar Bhandari, veteran RSS pracharak who departed to heaven on 30th October 2022. This tribute gathering of Nudi Namana, held in the evening on 10th November 2022, Thursday, was attended by 100s of karyakartas and close associates of Chandrashekhar Bhandari. Chandrashekhar Bhandari was born in the year 1935, and he completed his Graduation in Science and Education. After working as, a Teacher for a short stint, he started his journey as Pracharak in 1961. During the Emergency in 1975, he was extensively involved in literary activities. He was an eclectic personality being, a poet, thinker, author, journalist, researcher, and historian. He also headed the Prachar Vibhag of Karnataka South and North in 1994 and, in 2012, worked as Akhila Bharath Sahitya Parishad Parantha Samyojak. Kuvempu Bhasha Bharathi awarded him Best Translator in 2011 for Samajaika Kranti Surya Ambedkar, a well famed Book’s. Nagaraj, Kshetriya Sanghachalak, Dakshina Madhya Kshetra, Shri. Su. Ramanna, Senior Pracharak, Shri. G. B. Harish, Author & Thinker and Shri. Du. Gu. The Senior journalist Lakshman paid their heartfelt tributes in this homage assembly.
Shri V. Nagaraj remembered Chandrashekar Bhandari, who was fondly known as Chandru to him. He hailed Chandrashekar Bhandari as a highly revered pracharak who will always be a role model. Recalling an instance, he said Chandrashekar Bhandari answered, “I am a pracharak”, for asking why does he wash his clothes when someone could assist him in these chores. Sharing the traits of Chandrashekar Bhandari, Kshetriya sanghachalak described him as a true Swayamsevak. He was non-egoistic and always followed the code of conduct in the Sangh, irrespective of his seniority and age. Chandrashekar Bhandari’s contribution to expanding Sangh’s work was immense. They frequently travelled, and he was always adaptable to any scenario. Acknowledging his efforts in documenting the history of Sangh, he noted the quality of internalizing the Sangh in Chandrashekar Bhandari himself for the society and nation. He was soft-spoken yet firm in his opinion. Chandrashekar Bhandari was a frequent visitor to the mythic club. In the year 2014, during a memorial lecture highlighted the need for Reservation in society and called upon to create such a society where Dalits themselves will voluntarily give up their Reservation. Along with all such traits, Chandrashekar Bhandari’s humor attracted many.Well, know journalist Du. Gu. Lakshman paid tributes by conceding the way Chandrashekar Bhandari inspired the youth of Karnataka and the impact made by him through his influential writings. Du. Gu. Lakshman highlighted the awareness Chandrashekar Bhandari had about the importance of documenting the activities and history of Sangh. He observed the habit of reading 7-8 newspapers to understand and analyze the happenings in society. Talking about the exceptional quality of Chandrashekar Bhandari’s immense interest in the etymology of Kannada, Hindi & English words valued his careful research before writing any article to assert no wrong messages are conveyed. For more than six decades, he consistently wrote articles and was extensively involved in intellectual activities in the Sangh. The journalist described Chandrashekar Bhandari as empathetic, straightforward, and favourite and always open to listening.
Shri G. B. Harish orated as Basavanna, can be called Bhakti Bhandari Basavanna, and Chandrashekar Bhandari can be called Desha Bhakti Bhandari. Similar to Vo Nguyen Giap of Vietnam, who was transformed as a teacher into a soldier, RSS has produced such soldiers to serve them in various fields of society, and one among them was Chandrashekar Bhandari. He reminisced about Upendra Shenoy’s friendship and Chandrashekar Bhandari’s intellectual discussion about multiple facets of the community and the nation. He reminded the committed contribution of Chandrashekar Bhandari in the translation and authoring of numerous books. Like Chile’s poet Neruda, whose poems were widespread and liked by lakhs of people, Chandrashekar Bhandari’s poems became omnipresent and enjoyed even by socialists. One such was” Dharegavatariside svargada spardhiyu”, a famous Kannada poem prevalent in national festivals, schools, functions, ceremonies, etc. He concluded his words by recalling Chandrashekar Bhandari’s hospitality to everyone who visited him, showing the down-to-earth trait.
Senior Pracharak, Shri Su. Ramanna addressed the gathering by asserting this Nudi Namana is not an end, and this is not only Nudi Namana but also Kruti Namana. It is how the legacy of RSS has been carried out for years. He recalled the pledge taken by VA Gopal in an homage meeting held in the year 1968 for Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay. Shri. Ramanna defined Chandrashekar Bhandari as an Ever-lasting lamp and Silent sage who dedicated himself to the cause of the society and nation; Sangh provided so many such silent sages. He called upon to remember and inspire by such ever-lasting lamps on the Centenary of RSS and hence termed tribute as Kruthi Namana. He pronounced RSS is an organization with no personification aspiration or institutional ambition. Dr Hedgewar ji established such a legacy in 1925. Further asserted, Sangh is not an organization or institution but a Cultural movement. Shri. Su Ramanna recalled a book release ceremony held in Chamarajnagar, quoting Kollegala MLA Shri. Mahesh’s opinion on Sangh. After coming in contact with RSS, Dalit activist Mahesh understood Sangh’s non-political nature and adorned the ideological commitment, non-personified lifestyle, and financial discipline of pracharaks & karyakartas of RSS. Shri Su. Ramanna added RSS is all-inclusive and not exclusive. He called upon to carry forward the legacy of many silent sages like Chandrashekar Bhandari and to take a pledge like VA Gopal took in Pt. Deen Dayal’s tribute that Chandrashekar Bhandari’s dutifulness, sacrifice, and commitment will be taught within us and be a Swayamsevak showing path in the society. He asked the gathering to repeat sentences of senior pracharak shared once in Pt. Can you translate Deen Dayal Upadhyay’s homage ceremony about the legacy of RSS to English as:
“What if the body is destroyed today, the lamp of hope will continue to burn; the new generation will come forward and pour the oil to this lamp”?
The ‘Nudi Namana’ Tribute by Dattatreya Hosabale, Sarakaryavaha, RSS, was read in the gathering below. In his tribute, he said, “Chandrashekar Bhandari is one of the jewels of Sangh’s pracharak legacy. For the nation’s cause, he improved his personality and dutifulness on his own, scrubbed them on the white stone of Sangh like sandal, and dedicated it to the worship of the motherland. He was experiencing happiness in this great work and became guiding light and role model to all. In his unique way, he was simple in life, highly intellectual, non-egoistic, and highly competent in sangha Karya. He has left us a matchless legacy. He was a devoted and allegiant pracharak with a multifaceted personality as a poet, author, and sportsman who was ever-ready and is the life of learning. Always hard work and a life of non-compromising and unwavering ideological commitment. Witness Sangh’s journey in Karnataka. Though he joins history now, he is always immortal. His inspiration is an ever-lasting lamp, and he lets this lamp show the light to us. May his Atma attain Sadhgathi. Om Shanti. “The tribute meeting ended by observing silence for a minute and reciting of Shanti mantra. Saha Sarakaryavaha of RSS Mukunda CR, Kshetriya Pracharak Sudhir Ji, Kshetriya Karyavaha Thippeswamy, Prant Pracharak Guruprasad, Saha Prant Pracharak Nandish, Senior Pracharak Ka. Sri. Nagaraja, Former Legislative Council Member Bhanuprakash, noted writer S.R. Leela., National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party CT Ravi and many other dignitaries were present.
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