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"The Sangh is my Soul" - Atal Behari Vajpayee





                             "The Sangh is my Soul"

                         (by Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee)


{Quote}

I came in contact with the RSS in 1939 through Arya Kumar Sabha, a youth 
branch of Arya Samaj, in Gwalior-then a princely state which was not part 
of any province.  I came from a strong 'sanatani' family. But I used to 
be at the weekly 'satsang' of Arya Kumar Sabha. Once Shri Bhoodev Shastri 
who was a senior worker of Arya kumar Sabha, and a great thinker and an 
expert organiser, asked us: "What do you do in the evenings?" "Nothing", 
we said, because the Arya Kumar Sabha used to meet in the morning on 
every Sunday. Then he recommended us to go to the shakha.  Thus I started 
going to the Shakha in Gwalior. It was my first association with the RSS. 
At that time the shakha in Gwalior had just begun.  It had only 
Maharashtrian boys, and naturally all the swayamsevaks used to speak only 
Marathi.  I started going to the shakha regularly. I liked the games 
played in the shakha as well as the weekly 'bauddhiks' (intellectual 
discourses).

A pracharak, Shri Narayanrao Tarte had come from Nagpur to start the 
shakha. He was indeed a superb human being; a  very simple man, a thinker 
and an expert organiser. What I am today is the making of Shri Tarte. 
Next to him I was inspired by Deendayal Upadhyaya and Bhaurao Deoras. 
Gwalior was then not within the field of Bhauraoji. But once he had come 
to Gwalior with Shri Balasaheb Apte who was the then Bauddhik Pramukh. 
Apteji was very soft-spoken. We were soon drawn towards him.  I had 
talked with him for only a few minutes.  But the same year (1940) when I 
went to see the first year Officers' Training Camp (OTC), I came in close 
contact with him. I went there just to attend the valedictory function of 
the camp, not for training. Dr. Hedgewar had also come there for the some 
time.  I first saw him there. When Doctorji was ill I went to see him.  
In 1941 when I was in High School I did my first year OTC. In 1942 when I 
was in Intermediate class I did my second year OTC, and I did my third 
year in 1944 when I was doing my B.A.

When I wrote 'Hindu Tan-man Hindu Jeevan' I was a student of class X. 
After completing my graduation from Gwalior I did my M.A. from the DAV 
College in Kanpur, because there was no post-graduate college in Gwalior. 
I then got State Government's scholarship also. Owing to Partition, I 
could not complete my Law. And then in 1947, I decided to give up my 
studies to come out as a whole-time worker of the RSS. Till 1947 I did 
the RSS work at the shakha level and carried on my studies.   I also 
participated in the Quit India Movement in 1942 and was jailed.  I was 
then studying for my Intermediate examination. I was arrested from my 
native village Bhateshwar in Agra district. I was then 16.

My father was not attached to the RSS, but my elder brother was. He would 
go to the shakha. Once he went to the winter camp where he created a 
problem.  He said: "I cannot take my food with the other swayamsevaks. I 
shall prepare my food myself." And see how deftly the RSS handled the 
situation. The 'sarvadhikari' (superintendent) of the camp complied with 
his request and provided him all the necessary thing for preparing his 
food. After taking his bath and properly adjusting his sacred thread, 
etc., he started cooking his food. On the first day he prepared the food 
for himself. the next day, however, he could not prepare it and joined 
the queue of all swayamsevaks for partaking of the food. Within 44 hours 
he was changed.

The RSS does not change only individuals. It changes also the collective 
mind.  This is the beauty of the RSS ethos.  In our spiritual tradition 
an individual can attain a great height.  Even self-realisation is 
possible if one undertakes the right 'sadhana' and also attain 'nirvana.' 
But what about the society? Nobody thinks about his obligation to the 
society in general.  Now for the first time the RSS thought about it and 
concluded that by changing individuals we shall change the society. Had 
the sarvadhikari at the camp scolded him and not allowed him to prepare 
his food himself his spiritual development would have been thwarted, 
whereas in the RSS within 44 hours he was a changed boy. This is the 
"secret method" of the RSS. That is how society is changed.  It is true 
that it is a long process but then there are no short-cuts, no instant 
recipes.

Gandhiji had praised the RSS for the absence of untouchability in the 
organisation.  Only the RSS organises the society.  Other movements only 
divide the society by emphasising distinct 'identity', different 
'interests', special 'status', etc.  They only encourage untouchability 
by constantly reminding the so-called untouchables of their 
"separateness." "You are being insulted. You have no place in society."

The RSS has a two-fold task before it. One is to organise the Hindus. To 
build a strong Hindu society, well-knit and rising above caste and other 
artificial differences. Some differences will persist but then variety is 
the spice of life. Like, we have the differences of the language. We 
don't want to destroy this diversity. The other task is to assimilate the 
non-Hindus, like Muslims and Christians in the mainstream. They can 
follow the faith of their own conviction. No one can object to it.  We 
worship trees, animals, stones, and what not. We have hundreds of ways of 
worshipping God. They can go where they want. But this country must be 
looked upon as the Motherland for them. They must have a feeling of 
patriotism for this country. But the Islamic division of the world into 
'Darul Harab' and 'Darul Islam' comes in the way. Islam has yet to learn 
the art of existing and flourishing in a country where Muslims are in a 
minority. They cannot convert the whole of India to Islam. After all, 
they have to live here.  So they have to recognise this fact. And today 
it has become a matter of grave concern and deep thinking in the Muslim 
countries.  Because Quran offers no guidance in this regard.  It only 
talks of killing kafirs or converting them to Islam.  But they cannot do 
it always and everywhere.  How can they do it where they are in a 
minority?  If they try to do it, a major clash will take place and only 
the members of the minority will be killed. But  Muslims themselves have 
to change this state of affairs. We cannot change it for them.

Congress has not correctly understood the Muslim problem. They continue 
to carry on their policy of appeasement. But to what effect? The Muslims 
of this country can be treated in three ways. One is 'tiraskar' which 
means if they will not themselves change leave them alone, reject them as 
out compatriots. Second is 'puruskar' which is appeasement, i.e., bribe 
them to behave, which is being done by the Congress and others of their 
ilk. The third way is 'parishkar' meaning to change them, that is, 
restore them to the mainstream by providing them samskaras. We want to 
change them by offering them the right samskaras. Their religion will not 
be changed. They can follow their own religion.  Mecca can continue to be 
holy for the Muslims but India should be holier than the holy for them.  
You can go to a mosque and offer namaz, you can keep the roza. We have no 
problem. But if you have to choose between Mecca or Islam and India you 
must choose India.  All the muslims should have this feeling: we will 
live and die only for this country.

I wrote "Hindu Tan-man Hindu Jeevan" when I was studying in the tenth 
class. I had then said, "koi batlaye Kabul mein jaakar kitni masjiden 
todin."  I still stand by my words.  But we (Hindus) did pull down the 
structure in Ayodhya. In fact it was a reaction to the Muslim vote-bank.  
We wanted to solve this problem through negotiation and legislation. But 
there was no puraskar for burai (evil act). We change burai also with 
parishkar. Now I think, the Hindu society has been regenerated which was 
the prime task of the RSS.  Earlier Hindus used to bend before an 
invasion but not now.  This change in Hindu society is worthy of 
welcome.  So much change must have come with the new-found 
self-assertion. This is a question of self-preservation.  If the Hindu 
society does not expand itself it will face the crisis of survival.  We 
have to expand ourselves.  We have to take others along with. Now the 
Yadavs and the so-called Harijans are going with us. After all we have to 
live as Hindus.  Once a Yadav leader came to me and said: "Don't condemn 
all Yadavs. All Yadavs are not with Mulayam Singh and Laloo Prasad. A 
'samskrit' (cultured) Yadav does not like them.  There can be sections of 
Rajput, Kurmi and Gujjar Muslims but you cannot find any Yadav Muslim 
anywhere. The Yadavs never accepted Islam. This talk of "Yadav-Muslim" 
Unity - MY card - is nothing more than an empty slogan for votes."

The simple reason for my long association with the RSS is that I like the 
Sangh. I like its ideology, and above all I like the RSS attitude towards 
people, towards one another which is found only in the RSS. I remember an 
incident, when I was in Lucknow.  The Socialist movement was its peak.  
Suddenly a senior socialist activist fell ill.  He was lying alone in his 
house, and nobody went to enquire after his well-being. Then Acharya 
Narendra Deo came to know and he went to his house to see him. The 
Acharya then said, "What fraternity is this in the Socialist Party? 
Nobody has come to see you. It can never happen in the RSS. If a 
swayamsevak does not go to the shakha only for one day the same day 
friends will promptly reach his house to enquire about his well-being."

When I was ill during the Emergency, my family members did not turn up to 
see me. They were afraid of being arrested for any such action.  Only the 
RSS workers helped me. See, how much living contact and fraternal feeling 
is in the RSS.  Actually the Sangh is our family. We are all one.

In the beginning we could not spread our work in all sections of the 
society because we did not have enough workers. "Man-making" is the prime 
job of the RSS. As we now have more workers, we are covering all sections 
of the society in all fields of life. Changes are taking place in all 
spheres. But the work of man-making will not be discontinued, it will go 
on. It must go on. That is what the RSS movement is.

{Unquote}

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Organiser, "RSS: Vision and Action Special", May 7, 1995. p. 61-63.


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