September 17, 2012 11:40 IST
Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh chief KS Sudarshan, who passed away on Saturday, broke the barriers of
past burdens, dogmas and ritualism and often faced severe criticism from
various quarters. But once he took a stand, no one could make him go back on
it, says Tarun Vijay in tribute
Sudarshanji was like a family member. Sharing the good times and
bad, standing with us like a father figure and trying to help. For him
scholarship, organisational burden and national policies came after human
relations. An emotional person, he would often engage visitors in long chats,
and it was a great experience to listen to his words of wisdom on science,
spiritualism, metaphysics, environmental issues and almost anything under the
sun.
Even
when he was the global chief of the world's largest Hindu organisation, he
remained the most accessible person on earth with whom we could discuss,
criticise, vehemently oppose organisational decisions, even express
disagreement on what he said or wrote, and yet be without the fear of any
'disciplinary action'.
He
was, after all, a father figure to us. A mentor who never got angry but who
tried to shape us through love and persuasion.
He
was us.
Yet
he never trod the beaten path.
His
first address to the nation, a press conference in Nagpur after assuming charge
as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, was on the economic situation and the
need to assertively follow a policy that would help indigenous industry grow,
provide more employment to the skilled and unskilled labourers and blue collar
workers. Contact Raman Singh (chief minister of Chhattisgarh) and get
information on what he has done to produce bio-fuel and publish a detailed
report, he would say.
His
long discussions with the then petroleum minister Ram Naik resulted in the
central government's policy on bio-fuel.
In
RSS karyalayas (office cum residence), he made it an unwritten rule
followed by all to only fill as much water in the glass as one is sure to
drink. 'Don't waste water, don't fill up the glass only to throw it into the
washbasin. Water is sacred and scarce,' he would urge.
He
tried to persuade everyone he met to stop ostentatious marriages. Don't go in
for such celebrations, it's a mockery of India's [ Images ] poor millions and a blot on Hindu society. And so was
his mission to fight female foeticide. We worship Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati
as stone idols but kill them in the womb, he said in a speech.
He
praised Indira Gandhi [ Images ] for her role in the 1971 war and invited a huge load
of criticism from those who thought we ought to be hateful and hard-hitting on
the Congress. He hated the hate element in Indian politics and tried to reach
out to everyone as an Indian.
The
business of enlisting, de-listing and blacklisting is a Communist preserve, he
would tell us, why should a Hindu fall into that abyss and still hypocritically
keep on chanting the story of Charvak, the atheist who was given an exalted
position of rishi in spite of being an exponent of a philosophy that negated
Vedic principles.
Very
often, whenever he happened to be in Delhi [ Images ], he would come to the offices of Panchjanya
and Organiser and discuss several contemporary issues with the editors.
His knowledge of global affairs and their likely impact on India was awesome.
His friends' circle included diplomats, scientists, Vedic scholars,
environmentalists and economists espousing the cause of Swadeshi.
He
was fond of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's [ Images ] poems and would recite many of them verbatim at
several meetings. So when a daily newspaper published his interview that
created awkwardness between him and Vajpayeeji, he felt sad about it.
And it goes to the credit of both leaders' maturity that the bad blood was
removed and relations normalised.
His
knowledge of Islam was so astounding and correct that he surprised the Islamic
ulema and maulanas, whom he loved to engage in conversations. He wanted to
reach out to Indian Muslims and inspired many such organisations and efforts.
Perhaps he was the only Hindu leader of his stature who never forgot to send
Eid greetings to his Muslim friends every year.
He
would often come to our home, chat with the kids as if he was of their age and
watch some interesting programmes, essentially non-political, on television. He
was very happy when our daughter was born and came home to name her and be a
part of the annaprashan ceremony.
At
a later stage, when he relinquished the post of RSS chief, he would often feel
sad and lonely and recite Atalji's poems -- on the resolve to face odd
situations with firmness. About his failing health, he would say: 'I forget the
names of my close associates, it's a terrible thing.' And would often go back
in time, recalling his Jabalpur days, his roots in Tamil Nadu, and the plight
of Hindus due to their own mistakes.
Once
he told us that a great astrologer in Tirupati (now no more) had divined his
past and said he was a Sri Lankan Tamil in his previous birth. We all laughed.
Sudarshanji
wanted to restore the glory of Hindus the world over and would often say, 'The
time is very near when Hindu society will unshackle the colonial mindset and
acquire its destined place in the comity of nations. No one can keep Hindus
subjugated and a slave of political expediency for long.'
An
ardent devotee of Sri Aurobindo, he would declare with a great confidence -- a
new India will rise, and soon. Happier, mightier and wealthier. Hindus are born
with the divine gift of science and mathematics; no one can beat them in
scientific pursuits. It's in our genes.
He
would get enraged on seeing the plight of Hindus in Pakistan, Bangladesh and
even in India due to political vote-banks and sham secularism. The leaders are
spineless, they do not feel the pains and sorrows of Hindus, he would lament.
Every party has a Hindu leadership, why don't they feel anguish on seeing how
Hindus are being persecuted all over South Asia, he would ask. We must work
with the Hindus of other political groups and shouldn't be confined to the
Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ] alone, but are other groups willing to receive us, he
would question.
He
broke the barriers of past burdens, dogmas and ritualism and often faced severe
criticism from various quarters. But once he took a stand, no one could make
him go back on it.
He
was like a family member to us. And to many, many Swayamsevaks all over the
nation. I regret not being able to have his best speeches and interviews
published in his lifetime, although a publisher had made such an offer years
before. But his memory will always keep us moving towards building a greater
and happier Bharatvarsh that is India.
Tarun Vijay is a Bharatiya
Janata Party member of the Rajya Sabha
