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Swayamsevaks of R S S
The instruments of Social transformation and National Regeneration
Our Motherland Bharat is an ancient Country with a glorious past known for its highest achievements in spiritual and intellectual spheres as well as material prosperity. Every person belonging to this Hindu Society was imbibed with the noblest human values of life, popularly known as ‘Dharma’ which stood far: mutual respect, feeling of equality, contentment, control of senses, not coveting anything belonging to the other, causing no harm to anyone else, living together in peace with coordination and cooperation, every one tying to progress towards god-head. This society needed no central power of authority of a state or government. This has been succinctly described in Mahabharat:
“Na Rajyam Na Cha Rajaseet, Na dando nacha dandikah,
Meaning that every member of the society was protecting each other by practicing Dharma (conscious of his duties and responsibilities towards the society) and there was neither a Kingdom nor a King. No punishment nor a punisher.
It was the responsibility of the educated and elite to lead such a life, in thoughts words and deeds upholding Dharma, setting an example before all to emulate. But when some such persons neglecting these values became selfish, greedy and started exploiting the others, the entire society suffered and degeneration was set in. Mutual distrust and fights started dividing the society. Attracted by the all round prosperity of the country, some foreigners invaded the country and the internal weaknesses helped them to enslave the people. This one thousand years of slavery further degenerated the entire society and there was deterioration in all aspects. Meanwhile there were several efforts in all parts of the country by a few patriots, saints and sages to set right the short comings and become politically free and stop the degeneration. There was only a partial success to their efforts.
Ultimately in the middle of the last 20th century, the country became politically free, losing large portions of our land to the enemy. But these six decades of political freedom has not been able to put on end to the growing internal weaknesses and day by day the national cultural values of Dharma are declining. Corruption has became rampant.
Regeneration of the society can be brought about only when every person transforms himself to be a responsible unit of the society, particularly it is the responsibility of the educated and the elite to lead such a life abiding to the principle of Dharma and set an example to others.
Unfortunately the experience of some of the great patriots was disappointing. As early as the earliest invasions Arya Chanakya has made a very sorrowful but significant, observation and a statement that the indifference and inactivity regarding the national problems by the large number of good people is causing greater harm to our country than the intense activities of the few evil minded and the enemies of the country. In the last century Swami Vivekananda, the great patriot saint, has said that it pains him extremely to see the life of inaction being led by the educated. This was the challenge: how to make such people practical and active to bring about the transformation. Wherever Swamiji went he made a fervent appeal and expressed his anguish very powerfully to rise up and awaken the society. He said “ I want to start institutions in the country to train young men. Men, men these are wanted , everything else will be ready afterwards, but strong, vigorous, believing young men sincere to the backbone are wanted. He said “Man making is his mission in his life”. Unfortunately his life was short. He could not execute all his plans in his life time. His mission was left unfinished to be taken up by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, who founded the R.S.S. giving a practical shape to all the ideas of Swami Vivekananda and evolved a practical method of working to train youngmen with character and discipline selfless and patriotic, ever ready to sacrifice in the interest of their Motherland upholding its noble ideals of Dharma and Samskriti.
The living model which provided the necessary vision inspiration and guidance to the youngmen to mould themselves was the life of Dr. Hedgewar himself. He worked day and night maintaining personal, affectionate and loving regular contacts with every person, endearing himself to everyone he came across. He concentrated on the young generation. He innovated a method of meeting every day for one hour where good samskars are imparted to the body, mind and intellect. This was named the Shakha and participants were called Swayamsevaks. Very soon he was able to collect a group a youngmen, who became his coworkers to spread the Shakhas to several places in Nagpur and other places. The organization was named Rashtriya Swamsevek Sangh - R S S. The methods and the technique adopted by the Sangh for transforming its vision into reality have been tested and found to be effective Swayamsevaks moulded as instruments of transformation have by and large, proved successful in whatever field they have entered and working undauntedly for allround national regeneration. This Shakha technique of working has brought about a two pronged effect. A good number of good gentleman in the society have begun to shed their indolence and indifference and have started giving their time and energy for many social activities applying their minds to eradicate the social evils and internal weaknesses also setting an example before others in leading a socially active life selflessly, upholding the Dharmic values of life. Observing and experiencing the selfless devoted way of working by the Swayamsevaks, the general public are also cooperating with them in many social service activities and involving themselves.
To illustrate here is a glimpse of more than one and a half laks of service (Seva) projects that have come up in thousands of places of our country.
It is a well established fact that whenever and wherever any calamity, natural or man made strikes, Swaymsevaks are the first to reach to carry on relief and rehabilitation of the affected victims.
When devastating famine struck Bihar, the famous Sarvodaya leader Shri Jayprakash Narayan inaugurated one famine relief centre started by Swayamsevaks at Nawda near Gaya on 8th Feb. 1967 and said “None, not even the Prime Minister of the country, can equal the selfless services of RSS.
When Pakistan war ended in 1965 Genreal Kulwat Singh exclaimed; Punjab is the Sword-arm of India and RSS in the Sword-arm of Punjab.
After the China war in 1962, the Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, a known detractor of Sangh, invited the Swamseveks to participate in their uniform and band, in the Government parade of the Republic day in Jan. 1963, recognizing the services rendered by Sangh Swayamsevaks at the time of war with China.
When the Andhra Coast was hit by the ferocious cyclone in 1977 observing Swayamseveks working, a Congress Minister remarked “RSS people are doing magnificent work and a senior Sarvodaya leader declared that “ Ready for selfless Service” should be the apt name of RSS.
After the Dam burst disaster of Morvi in Gujarat. Then editor of illustrated weekly Shri H.V. Kamath wrote “ when it comes to serving their fellow countrymen, they seem willing and ready to rollup their sleeves and get to work and also ask for nothing in return not even a picture in the weekly”.
Swayamsevaks carry on many regular service activities all over the year under the names of Several All India Organizations inspired by Sangh, like Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Vishva Hindu Parishad, Seva Bharati, Bharat Vikas Parishad, Vidya Bharati, Deen Dayal Research Institute, Arogya Bharati etc. also a sister organization for women Rashtra Sevika Samiti. There are a few organization at the provincial level like Janakalyan Samiti in Maharashtra, Hindu Seva Pratisthan and Rashtrothan Parishat in Karnataka, where Sangh Swamseveks are involved.
The RSS trains its workers, not to discriminate anybody in the society in the name of the caste creed or class, touchability or untonebaility. As early as 1934, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, in 1939 visited sangh camps and were pleasantly surprised to find the Total integration and equality, and Ghandhiji in 1947 spoke that during his visit to RSS camp he was completely satisfied with the total absence of untouchability.
In 1969 Shri Guruji persuaded all the heads of various orthodox Sampradayas to give a declaration and a call to Hindu Society that there should be no discrimination of high or low touchable or untouchable in the Society and all the Hindus should conduct themselves as equals in all mutual interactions. In day to day life and in all the activities that Swayamsevaks conduct, the poor and the illiterate of all sections of society are treated with respect, dignity and affection and Swayamsevaks try to instill in them self-confidence, self-respect and make them self-reliant abandoning the inherent inferiority complex.
In the backward areas in cities, towns and villages regular service activities are conducted in Educational, Medical and Health, Social and Religious as well as Economic developmental fields. Educational activities include, tuition centers, regular Balavadis to High Schools, Residential schools, free hostels, Yoga Shikshana Kendras, Bala Gokulams and Samskar Kendras are being run. A special effort is being made to take education to the remotest villages, where the Government or any agency has not reached, through One Teacher Schools called Ekal Vidyalayas, Till now more than 30,000 villages have been covered including forest and hill regions.
Medical and health services are rendered through regular hospitals, dispensaries, medical camps, mobile dispensaries & etc. In many villages health workers are trained named Arogya Rakshaks and Arogya Mitras who attend to the Primary needs and First-aid in their Village. Self help groups, vocational training centers, Handicrafts training centers are organised in many places.
Apart from these, some villages are selected and efforts are made for their allround total development To illustrate there is the example of a village named Mohad in Madhyapradesh with a population about four thousand. By the efforts of Swayamsevaks of the local shakha, the literacy rate has reached 98% and majority of them speak and converse in Samskrit also. Fifty types of small Cottage Industries are running. Majority of the farmers are organic farmers Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides are being avoided. Almost every house has a biogas-plant and thus it has become a smokeless village. No tree is cut in and around the village. Every house has a toilet. Roads are kept clean. All kinds of addictions of tobacco and liquor have been rooted out. Nonviolence pervades and no dispute is taken to a court or police. All are happily living like members of one family.
Another village called Anjankarai down South in Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu, also is being developed by the swayamsevaks of their village. They started with renovating a dilapulated Temple and started Bhajan and Mathru Mandalis. They discussed the problems of the village. Small savings and S H G’s were started Even small boys and girls saved from their pocket money which totalled up to two thousand each in an year. This was a great relief for the poor parents helping them in the year beginning of the schools when they could pay for the uniforms, fees and books. Observing the mutual co-operation of the people of the village, government officers and Bank Managers have come forward to give all help through several governmental schemes of development. In and around the village Christian conversions, which was very much rampant has been completely stopped. Drinking water facility has been provided. The entire village is happily progressing all working in co-operation.
On the same above pattern efforts one going on in several villages all over the country. The basic principle being, the villager, their talent, water, money of the village should remain in the village itself to become a self-sufficient, self reliant village unit. This should stop the immigration towards cities.
Delhi has the biggest colony of leprosy affected brethren. The services rendered by Seva Bharati, Delhi unit, impressed a social welfare officer of Delhi State, She, a Muslim lady, made arrangements to honour Sewa Bharat with a special award, exclaiming that “She had not come across such a magnificent work among Lepers.”
Even the words like ‘tribal’ which separate people from the main stream are avoided. Those who live in forests are called ‘Vanavasis’ and those in hills are called ‘Girivasis’. Just as the Nagaravasi and Gramavasi terms are used.
When Shri Morarjee Desai was the Prime minister, he visited a large gathering of vanavasis at Jashpur in Madhya Pradesh, the headquarters of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, he was very much impressed with several developmental activities of the Kalyan Ashram and exclaimed “you have left the Christian Missionaries far behind”. Regular sports and athletic activities are conducted among the Vanavasis bringing out their hidden talents and they are taking part in Olympics and national sports events. A good number of educated young people, who lived in the V.K.A. hostels and graduated, have not sought any government jobs, instead they are working as full timers along with Sangh Swayamsevaks, in the Service Projects of Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram.
The R.S.S. Swaymasevaks have been working silently and sincerely and building up a chain of Service organizations under various names mentioned previously and also a few individually. The instances given above are only indicative and illustrative and not at all exhaustive as much more can be cited, but these are sufficient to bring out the relevant point.
“R.S.S. a Vision in Action” is a compilation running in to more than four hundred pages has tried to explain to some extent the variety and types of these activities in various fields of national importance. This is being updated, as the work is expanding every year.
All these efforts taken together point out to a remarkable feature in the annals of social transformation. It has been exclusively a people’s movement, initiated and taken forward by the people, not only without any government favours , but often facing unscrupulous assaults. It is an amazing story that how the common people have been motivated and their energies roused and channelized by men charged with a high spirit of idealism, character and dedication, the hallmarks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
- Ma.K. Suryanarayana Rao Ji.
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