Rss 360° Page 15

  4.Rakshaa Bandhan - We all know that Hindu society is divided in so many ways; be it caste, religion, class or language. The lack of unity and spirit of brotherhood is the bane of this society. Rakshaa Bandhan is a traditional festival in which a weaker person would tie the ‘thread of brotherhood’ or ‘Rakshaa bandhan’ to the stronger person to seek his support or protection. So, a priest would tie it to his host, citizens to their soldiers, and a sister to her brother. In fact, the first known story on rakhi talks of Indraani, wife of mythical god of heavens – Indra, tying the thread on Indra’s wrist. Though the festival has become more of a family function between brother and sister in recent times, the RSS has chosen this festival to send forth the message of universal brotherhood. On this day, volunteers not only tie this sacred thread of unity and brotherhood to each other but also go out to tie it to members of the society and reach out to under privileged sections of the society too. Thus, it becomes a social festival of brotherhood and social amity at all levels.

  5.Vijayaadashamee – We all recognise this festival as the day that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is a victory of forces of the good over the evil, of light over the darkness. It is a festival that by its very names celebrates the spirit of triumph and bravery. It is the day when Hindus worship arms and workers worship their tools of production since centuries. The RSS has adopted this tradition and worships arms (shastra pooja) on this day. It is a day to rekindle the spirit of courage and fortitude by remembering the epic battle between Rama and Raavana, with the former fighting with limited resources. We also remember that Rama was able to achieve this remarkable victory with the help of his tribal friends and unarmed forces of monkeys. It was a remarkable job of social organisation.

  There is significance to this day. This is the ‘foundation day’ of the RSS. The RSS was established on Vijayaadashamee in the year 1925. The day is marked with RSS members taking out parades dressed in uniform with its martial music band all over India. On this day, the Sarsanghchaalak or RSS chief is always present in the traditional parade in Nagpur, its Head Quarters and the place where this movement came into being. RSS chief is not known for giving too many interviews or press statements, so this address to the volunteers at the end of the parade is taken as a pointer to the RSS policies, and direction for the coming year. Thus, his annual address is much awaited event for media and socio-political analysists too. As times change, we now see nearly entire electronic and print media covering it well.

  6.Makar Sankraman – This is a day celebrated throughout India under various names. It is the day when Sun enters North Solstice. It is the day, when the nature, and with her, the people throw off the inertia of winters to become active again with a change in the season. It is a festival that celebrates revival of activity in every aspect. Thus, it has a message for the whole society. It is celebrated all over North as Sankranti or Sankrant, while in Tamil Nadu it is Thai Pongal, in Assam it is Magh Biho and so on.

  In Maharashtra there is another custom linked with this day. People exchange sweet made of sesame seeds (til) and jaggery (gul/gud). At this time they greet each other with “til gul ghyaa aani gode gode bola”, meaning, let us exchange this sweet and speak sweetly with each other. Thus, there is a message of social amity and sweet relations in this exchange.

  Since, it is the last festival of the calendar year it is also the time within the RSS when stock taking or peer review begins informally that would result in new responsibilities and postings, re-organisation of certain activities etc. at the time of new Hindu year.

  You will note that conventional Hindu festivals like Diwali and Holi do not appear in this official list of festivals. You will also find that all the six festivals have some social significance and some message. A few of the festivals are inward looking for the and the swayamsevak, while most others are outward looking and are meant to reach out to the members of the society with some message.

  It goes without saying that all the activists celebrate all other festivals as per their geographical and local norms and traditions with full gusto and local shakhas also take part in arrangements of many such festivities in their own areas. For instance, our shakha used to look after the arrangements on the day of ‘Mahaashivraatri’ in the temple which was in the compound where our shakha used to be held. The day would witness high numbers of visitors and our job was to regulate crowds throughout the day. Our reward for the work done was snacks from the pujari at the end of the grueling day.

  There have been lot of insinuations that RSS didn’t celebrate Independence Day or Republic Day all these years. This is not true. RSS has been celebrating 15th August as ‘Akhand Bharat Din’ as long as I know, to remember the tragedy of the partition. As a tradition set by Dr. Hedgewar, RSS swayamsevaks have been taking part in these national festivals including Republic Day as common citizens alongwith the society, like they do for religious festivals. Reader would have understood by now that RSS, as a rule, never did anything for publicity, nor did it take photographs to advertise its patriotism. Hoisting the tricolor was not allowed in non-government buildings till 2002 when a Congress MP won a judgement against the government order. It hoists its specific Bhagwa flag only in shakhas and special programmes. RSS volunteers have sacrificed their lives for this land in peace time and war time. It wouldn’t be possible unless its swayamsevaks were totally devoted to their Motherland. Talking of photographs and records, for a different RSS related book, it took me nearly 6 months to collect some photographs, especially old ones, from scores of personal and official sources as not many were available.

  VIII

  Supremacy of Mission Over Self

  Right from his entry into the RSS fold through a shakha, each volunteer or swayamsevak has clear understanding that the mission and the organisation are bigger than the individual. And, that nation is bigger than the organisation. Work is organisation oriented, not person oriented. This message comes through time and again in meetings, decision making and conduct of individuals.

  There was a camp a few years back. A senior activist and head of Sangh’s Juhu area, Vasudev Valecha, a successful industrialist and also a major supporter for local organisations in many ways, was to participate in the camp. While rushing from the airport, he was caught in a traffic jam, and was delayed by an hour. This delay cost him dear, as he was not allowed to enter the RSS camp. His junior colleague went to the senior most in-charge of the camp, Bhaskar Rao, and requested him to make an exception for him, trying to buttress his argument by mentioning his dedication and benevolence. Chief of the camp was unmoved and said, “How does it matter? Discipline is discipline”, and Valecha ji was sent back. In keeping with true traditions of a swayamsevak , he returned all the way back to city without raising a ruckus and never did he complain about this incident, kept on working with full energy till his last breath.

  There are such examples at all levels. The activist is trained through out to sublimate his ego for higher goal of nation building for which organisation is the medium. It is not easy to ingrain this state of ‘egolessness’ or genuine humility in an age when even the friend’s friend of a nephew of a municipal corporator can threaten a police on duty with “don’t you know who am I?” I know of friends like Milind and Ravi who dedicated gave prime 4-5 years of their lives as prachaaraks and are on back-slapping terms with many ministers, but are back to their humble life styles and working selflessly for the society, not expecting anything for the years devoted for nation building. This overall simplicity and humility of the activists from young to old is a humbling experience for any person.

  When the ego of a manager becomes bigger than the purpose of the organisation, even commercial organisations fail or suffer badly. Case of Lehman Brothers is too new to be recounted here. We are aware that ego of the CEO in not agreeing to terms of rescue of the beleaguered corporation led to the collapse of not only Lehman but the whole financial system of US, leading to an unforeseen major global disaster.

  Social
organisations split or become dysfunctional because of this curse. Ego is further boosted by propaganda or personality promotion. This is the reason why RSS members shun propaganda and media consciously. Though, this has affected its image as its critics’ comments have gone unchallenged. It has also resulted in sustained growth of organisation, human resources and a sense of joyful brotherhood which is envy of its critics.

  Subsuming Personal Choices to Organisational Goal

  I have seen people giving up on their pet hobbies due to their pre-occupation with a responsibility RSS has given them. I have endless anecdotes about such change in a person’s priorities. I will just recount one interesting story. A renowned painter and art director of Raj Kapoor era, Shanti Dev tells us that he refused to go to shakha in Lucknow as it clashed with his flute classes. One day his prachaarak, late Deendayal Upadhyay jokingly told him, “Shanti, don’t listen to your shikshak and carry on with your music lessons. After all, when the country is on fire, you can play your flute!” This was prior to independence. Young Shanti dropped his flute lessons from that very day and resumed his attendance in shakha.

  Most of the prachaaraks, generally, have great academic credentials and could have been highly successful professionals had they not given up their worldly pursuits. Many a talented senior activist are subdued towards the greater goal. There are very few exceptions to this philosophy and such people have done very well in the fields they have gone in. I can talk of late Sudhir Phadke, a highly respected music director and singer from Maharashtra as an example. Though, I personally believe that such talents should be allowed to grow and make a place for themselves in the society and serve society in a different way. But, if such people heed to a higher calling, well I am in a minority. And one has to admit that unless there is focused devotion to nation building exercise and readiness to sacrifice self-interest in any way, it is not an easy task. Call of a higher goal will ultimately override all other considerations.

  Seniors remind young workers that service to the motherland cannot be a ‘time pass hobby’, to be taken up at a ‘suitable free time’. Things will happen only when this service itself becomes the prime goal and every other pursuit is tailored to that end. An evocative Sangh song reminds one that, “it is easy to be a moth and burn oneself over the glowing flame of love, but it is very difficult to be a lamp that burns self, atom by atom, to give light to others. Path to dedicated service is, indeed difficult.”

  I recall a gentleman, Vijay Swami, a post graduate with a decent job and a good life in Pune. He went to hear a talk by a missionary of Vivekanand Kendra. After hearing him talk about Arunachal Pradesh and Vivekanand Kendra’s work there, he felt that there was a higher calling than the mundane life he was living. He quit his job for greater pursuit of social upliftment, living there for more than a decade now and is like a citizen, working with locals, running schools, dispensaries etc. Currently, he is heading a new project Research Institute of World Ancient Traditions Culture and Heritage (RIWATCH) there.

  Nurturing and Promoting Talent

  One of the secrets behind the sustained growth of the RSS as an organisation, is recognising a talent and nurturing it. The promotion of a volunteer through the organisational ranks as an activist and a senior worker is strictly based on performance and his dedication. The senior activist (kaaryakartaa or worker) of a particular locality or region keeps a watch on the work being done by junior activists and recognise their talent on different parameters. The next job is to persuade that person to take up a responsibility. It is amusing that the RSS is the only organisation where a promotion is dreaded by an activist! The reason is that he would have to work harder and dedicate more time out of his day-to-day life.

  Never in my experience, have I found a person being promoted due to his closeness to a senior. Nor have I found a deserving person being overlooked because of his social or economic status. Yes, there can be some mistakes when an unsuitable person is picked up. But, all concerned people understand that it is human to err. When something like this happens, the affected person jokes that “he was falsely accused of having a quality which he didn’t possess!”

  It is possible that a person may be given a responsibility sometimes because there is nobody better available at the time. But, it is striking that the person ‘accused’ of having a particular quality, then works hard to acquire that talent and deliver results. It doesn’t surprise anybody when a physical instructor is promoted to be an intellectual trainer; or a good singer is made responsible for catering arrangements of a camp. The underlying lesson is that if a person has decided to dedicate a considerable part of his life for the society, he will surely work hard to acquire any talent that is required to fulfill his mission. This horizontal movement across the different disciplines is not very common in other organisations though there may be exceptions.

  Shunning Organisational Politics

  Sometimes, two people in a team do not see eye to eye on many issues, nor does their style of working match. They may have heated arguments during meetings which sometimes carry on outside too. But it is amazing when a worker proposes the name of the same person, with whom he has had serious differences, for an important assignment, because one must choose a person best suited even if one may have personal reservations. I have gone through such moments myself. It is a lesson for any management team. Organisational politics is firmly eschewed. A Sangh poem says, “path ka antim lakshya nahin hai sinhaasan chadhate jaaana”, that is, “The ultimate goal of this path is not rising to higher positions of power.”

  There are cases where a person was removed from a post if he was found to be behaving in a way contrary to expectations from his position. The case of late Vasantrao Oke, a dynamic prachaarak of Delhi during and after partition is well known in Sangh lore. He was one of the most powerful public figures in those times. He had an imposing personality. But, when it was felt that his ego was getting better of him and he was treating himself as bigger than organisation, he was transferred by Shri Guruji, to another position. He was so incensed that he resigned and left the organisation. The reconciliation happened after decades. Important footnote is that Shri Guruji kept in touch with him during all these years, another important lesson in human relations.

  According supremacy of organisation and the mission, conquering personal ego for higher objective, promoting talent irrespective of personal likes and dislikes has led to a robust organisation and a team of workers difficult to find in any other social organisation. Shri Balasaheb Deoras, the third Sarsanghchaalak of RSS, used to call swayamsevaks, ‘dev durlabh’ team of workers, i.e. a team that even gods would find difficult to build.

  IX

  Human Relations and Management Training

  Beginning from the rank of a ‘gat naayak’ – group leader – a volunteer goes through HR and management training all through his working life in the organisation at different levels. After all, the RSS is built on ‘Human Relations’ in the purest sense of the term. The young volunteer gets the basic lessons in inter-personal skills, communications and also dealing with people from diverse cultural back grounds right from his first responsibility.

  A swayamsevak or volunteer learns to overcome his own personal likes and dislikes, even modify his basic personality traits to have better relations with people. He learns to work with people from diverse backgrounds. As he moves up the ladder of hierarchy, he learns more lessons. He learns to co-ordinate between different teams and work without bias and prejudice with different kinds of people.

  How the human relations can be maintained through heartfelt but effortless behavior is illustrated by an incident that was narrated by a budding singer Sanjay Pandit in 1980s. He was supposed to sing the main song during the valedictory function of a state-level camp in Maharashtra held in Pune in 1983 with an attendance of over 10000 volunteers. Naturally, he put in painstaking efforts with active help from a senior prachaarak, late Nanarao Dhobale. However, just a day before this event, a message came tha
t Sudhir Phadke, the great singer and composer of Maharashtra, would be coming to the camp and be on stage in full RSS uniform to sing the song. Naturally, since this renowned swayamsevak had made time for this event, the seniors asked Sanjay to stand back. Sanjay was heartbroken, but as a swayamsevak he too understood the importance of the event and took it in his stride. Anybody else could have forgotten this small incident in such a massive three day event, but, not Nanarao. Sanjay received a letter within a week from Nana, sharing his pain, apologising to him for this last minute change and heart break that he must have felt, blessing him with a great future. Sanjay says that an incident that could have embittered his heart, turned him into a lifelong swayamsevak with this simple heart to heart communication.

  Dr Hedgewar, himself, was the best example about a person moulding one’s personality to suit his or her goals. He had a fiery temper that was a gift of his genes. The whole family was known for its temper. His testimony in the defence of his act as a satyagrahi in front of a British judge in 1918 Non-cooperation Satyagrah so alarmed the judge that he said, “your defence is more seditious than your speech!” But, once this doctor decided to build an organisation like the RSS, he changed himself so much that nobody ever heard him shout or lose his temper later in life. He could joke and play with people one third his age and also work with the most respected leaders of those days in political and social arena. He spoke simply, without any flourish, but effectively as his words came directly from heart.