The founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, is not important just for being one of the great people born in the 20th century. It can be said that he was born with the idea of samashti (collective whole) in mind. His unique style of functioning can be characterised by minute observation of the situation, analysis of the surrounding events, conclusion of that event from a social point of view and then thinking about self-regarding action in that situation.
A report of a meeting was printed in the newspaper namely Maharashtra published in Nagpur at that time. It said, “Some people abruptly stood up in the middle of the meeting. Within five seconds, all the people on the Walker Road side stood up as if they had been electrocuted and started running, clutching their lives as if they were being chased by a tiger. The lamps of the Kitson lights fell down by the impact of the crowd and got extinguished. The running crowd hit the wall of the Venkatesh Theatre. A stampede ensued. Many lost their sticks, some lost their shoes, caps, dupattas and dhotis. The crowd of 4,000 people was seen cowering in fear within a fraction of a second. After an inquiry, the real reason was found. A man sitting in the middle of the meeting felt a tadpole under his feet. So he got up to look down. Five to ten people sitting close to him also stood up. Someone shouted ‘Snake! Snake!’ As soon as people heard it, they started running. Seeing one, the other also started running in fear. 99 percent
of the people ran away without understanding why they were running.”
Had we been there at that time, or read this news, we would have exaggerated about it to others and had fun for some time. A meeting of 4,000 was disrupted by a mere frog! Those who were not in the meeting must have laughed after reading the news. Many must have exclaimed about the silliness of our people. Dr Hedgewar was not in Nagpur that day. On reading about it in the Maharashtra newspaper, he was perplexed. He purposely met some organisers of the meeting. “Leave the audience aside, why didn’t you come forward in time and stop the people?” he asked. “What could I have done alone?” was the response he got from everyone. We too hear the phrase ‘What can I do alone’ many times. Whether a Hindu is in a meeting, on a pilgrimage, or at the Kumbh Mela, he is always alone. This inferiority complex of loneliness would lead the Hindu society to self-destruction, felt Dr Hedgewar. A Hindu should feel that I am not alone, the society around me is mine. The sentiment of ‘Not Me, but We’ should be nurtured in the Hindu society. The work that started with this thought by Doctor Ji is Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Sangh means the daily shakha that runs for an hour. Shakha is the experience of collectiveness. By coming together every day, the feeling of we are not alone but one among many, “we are a drop of Sindhu” will be strengthened, and the apprehension emerging out of loneliness will be removed.
Shakha is the journey of an individual from Me to Us – The contraction of ego and the expansion of collectiveness. The songs sung in the Shakha are simple, straight and reinforce the sense of “we” (vayam). For example, l We (not Me) reside in the mountains, we will be servants of Shivaba (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj).
- All the unshakable boundaries of personality have been crossed, the image of the great person has been established in the vast heart.
- In the egoistic cell, where the virtue of manhood has been locked up, that cell has been divided into this vast life now.
- Will the organs live without the body, will the components live apart from the society, life is lived by this principle, the society is considered as the whole family, leaving its own selfishness.
The stance since day one has been ‘Society belongs to the Sangh and the Sangh belongs to society’. Shakha belongs to the village, to the entire settlement. No matter what caste the Swayamsevak running the Shakha belongs to, the thought is always of the entire village, locality.
The Sangh has not adopted the method of making an individual great or becoming a leader. The basis of the Shakha is collectivism. The nature of the Shakha is collective games, collective march or drills, collective exercises, collective singing and collective prayers. The intention is to create a sense of ‘We’ among the participating children, youth and adults. The word we itself is full of confidence. The Shakha started in 1925. The sense of ‘We’ created in the minds of some youth in Nagpur ensured the protection of Hindus during the 1927 riots that took place in Nagpur. The scope of ‘We’ is infinite. There are more than 80,000 shakhas that create a sense of ‘We’ in the society. Be it Arunachal, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Kerala, this effort is going on everywhere. The word ‘We’ is full of affection. There is an instinctive tendency to offer help in times of crisis like earthquake, flood, cyclone, famine, and drought. We means empathy. Songs that inculcate such emotions are sung with great enthusiasm in Shakhas. For example,
- The brother who wanders behind, holds his hand and walks with him; let everyone have food, clothing, home, facilities, education, and all the benefits easily accessible. No signs of high, low, untouchability; only the same blood flowing in everyone’s veins and the tradition of belongingness remain.
- Pure platonic love is the basis of our work. Tears are flowing continuously from millions of eyes today. Countless brothers are suffering today. Remove sorrow and give happiness to everyone, this is the only conduct, this is the only behaviour.
What cannot be done with ten speeches is achieved with one song. The Shakha awakens a sense of duty in society. “Bharat is my country and all Bharatiyas are my brothers and sisters”; our National Pledge begins with these lines. Sangh has adopted the phrase Bharat Mata ki Jai from day one. Everyone present at the Sangh Shakha collectively says, Bharat Mata ki Jai. No matter how big the group is, whether it speaks different languages, follows different sects, or is of different status, when everyone says Bharat Mata ki Jai in one voice, the depth of the words ‘Bharat is my country’ automatically increases. When the fraternal sense of being children of the same mother grows, fraternity is developed. All distinctions based on high and low, untouchability, language or province, north-south or east-west cease to exist. Loving everyone equally and following the rules comes naturally. Not just rights, but a sense of duty is awakened.
It has been 99 years since the work of the Sangh began. The Sangh has achieved considerable success in instilling the ‘We’ sentiment. The Sangh plans to further expand its reach in the centenary year. There are many individuals and organisations who are willing and doing all sorts of small and big works for the benefit of the society. The idea is to reach out to all of them. Plans are being made.
There will be no question of differences of minds, and the whole society will be able to witness the miracle of the spirit of We. These five topics have been chosen for the centenary year.
- Personal, family and social conduct must be harmonious. Untouchability should go lock, stock and barrel
- The capacity of imparting moral values in our family must increase
- Everyone can inculcate some simple habits to keep the environment clean. Water must be used carefully in the home, industry and agriculture. Birthdays can be celebrated by planting a sapling. Single use plastic can be removed from our usage and waste can be disposed properly
- Observance of civic duty – Includes things right from following traffic rules to voting without fail while choosing a candidate
- Swadeshi conduct – Living with Self-Respect – Swadeshi conduct creates employment. If everyone uses at least one piece of Khadi cloth, many people will get employment. One should think about how much Swadeshi principles can be brought in hymns (bhajan), food (bhojan), house (bhavan), language (bhasha), and attire (bhusha)
Importance of Self-respect
It is important to have respect for our country, mountains, rivers, our sages, sants, scientists, artists, brave warriors, along with all our languages. The upcoming generation should inherit this self-respect.
The more this sense of ‘We’ is awakened, the more resurgent Bharat can be experienced.
We are the sons of Amrita, we are the sons of this earth; Let us shine brightly today, the future belongs to the motherland.
What profound thoughts Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar had behind the Nagpur meeting stampede incident! Isn’t this a complete transformation process for the individual and society, given that our country has gained the Shakha that enhances the sense of ‘We’ by eliminating the vice of “self-centred attitude” of just ‘Me’?
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