Swadeshi P AT RIKA VoI-9, No. 11, Ashwin~Kartik 2061, Nov. 2004 SHRADHANJALI An Efficient Organisation Builder 18 Shok-Sabha in New York 19 Our Guiding Light 2 A Great void difficult to fill 4 A Supreme Karma Yogi 7 Bhishmacharya of THOUGHTS Labour Movement 9 The Goal 21 An Ideologue Par Excellence 12 Marx and Deendayai 23 An Idealist Karma Yogi 15 Dharma-Kshetre 28 An image of Love 16 Environment Protection 30 An irreparable loss to Labour Movement 17 Golden Age to Globalization 32 This issue is dedicated to thei eterm iave he editor : Dr. Kuideep Ratnoo Printed and Published by : Ishwardas Mahajan on behalf of Swadeshi viagaran Samftl, 'Dharmakshetra', Sector-8, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-22, Editorial Office: 'Dharmakshetra' Sector-8, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-22, E*MaiL: [email protected] SHRADHANJAU Our Guiding Light Thengadiji at the second National Convention of SJM SHRI DATTOPANT Thengadi is no habit of remaining in touch with the more with us. His loss is felt not only grass-root level workers and situations. by those individuals who were nurtured Due to this harmonious blending of by him but everyone who is really con­ a superior level, he occupies a very cerned about the welfare of humanity and high position among the galaxy of wants all kinds of exploitation to be great nationalist leaders. In the RSS stopped immediately, considers his sudden chain of leaders Guruji, Deendayalji departure both social and a personal loss. and Thengadiji form a triumvirate for Thengadiji was an inspiration to all such their ideological strength, organiza­ individuals. He was a living example of tional efficiency, very simple nature an ideal social activist. People like me and a spiritual bent of mind. These who were fortunate enough to interact three great personalities had much and work with him for a long, period more in common other than the of time can always cherish the memories characteristics mentioned here. This stored and lessons learnt while working RSS triumvirate will always be re­ with him. For others who were not so membered for their soul-stirring per­ fortunate, his words would always res­ sonalities, sharp intellect and lucid onate in their minds to guide them to articulation of ideology. keep moving ahead on their path without He was a true Rishi. Intellectual ever bothering about the outcome. honesty and total transparency in be­ Dattopantji was one of the very few haviour accorded him a status which post-independence social activists who was available to only a few. He was could influence the polity through non- a staunch critic of communism but electoral methods. He had a deep grasp won many friends among commu­ over development of events, whether nists. He would always tell- fight the national or international, and a deeper sin, not the sinner. He never accepted understanding of dynamics of those events. the Left and Right division in the Combination of superior intellectual abil­ Indian context. He would say, ‘cap­ ity and energetic physical activism made italist and communist divide is not him a force in himself. This powerful relevant in India*. According to him, force stored in his strong body and even nationalist paradigm should always be stronger mind was strengthened by his there and welfare of all should be 2 SWADESHI PATRIKA NOVEMBER 2004 SHRAPHANJAU the core of every movement. He could have opposed the imperialistic or hegemonistic glo­ balisation by resorting to negativist movements of anti-globalisation or anti-imperialisation but he articu­ lated the positive alternative in the form of Swadeshi from the core of our national consciousness. It was a true response of a true nationalist that has global impact now. He gave form to a powerful movement and called it second Thengadiji addressing a rally organised by SJM freedom movement in the national perspective and third World War in the global more than six decades he was continuously on perspective. He strongly believed in the ‘Third the move for the service of the nation and Way’, much beyond the narrow confines of worked as RSS Pracharak in almost all parts capitalism and communism and gave it an of India, from Kerala to Assam. Very few people ideological shape on the basis of Integral can match his vast experience in organizational Humanism and Swadeshi. It is becoming evident work. He had a very simple formula for judging now that this will be the core of all future success and failure of a movement, ‘if you movements in different countries and the whole want to destroy the movement, develop comfort- world .will accept the ‘Third Way’ as the most loving cadre and status-conscious leaders’. For humane way of sustainable socio-economic de­ all workers of ideology-based organisations, his velopment in the coming years. mantra was, ‘it is better to be irresponsible His range was unlimited. He spoke, written and right then responsible and wrong’. and worked on almost all the relevant issues He leaves behind a heritage that we have like economics, society, politics, literature, en­ to sustain and enhance. It is not easy to fit vironment, human rights, religion, spiritualism into the shoes of such great personalities but etc. Many people have written about Dr. his deeds and words will always guide us. He Ambedkar, either derogatory or trivializing his would always tell his fellow workers that role in freedom movement and reconstruction ideological commitment should remain supreme of nation. Thengadiji used to feel extreme pain and one should never compromise with it. He due to this. For him, Dr. Ambedkar was a would tell us, ‘of what avail, if in the process hardcore nationalist, a harmonious internation­ of winning the kingdom of earth, you lose alist and a true social reformer. Before he left the kingdom of heaven?’ all of us, Thengadiji completed an exhaustive Greatness of a person is generally recog­ book on Dr Ambedkar to truly project his nized only after the departure of such holy life and work. souls. I hope a sincere effort for true evaluation He was the only one to transform the of Thengadiji’s personality would be made now, trade union movement into a nationalist unfortunately when he is no more with us. movement. More importantly, he accomplished this difficult task while working amidst the P. MURALIDHAR RAO big names of trade union leaders who were National Convenor associated with the leftist organizations. For Swadeshi Jagaran Manch SWADESHI PATRIKA NOVEMBER 2004 3 A Great void difficult to fill HE BUILT the largest trade union in any city to stand still. His unions never India, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. indulged in violence. He never made Formed in 195$ it over took IN- his unions the wing of any political TUC, the largest trade union, in just party. three decades. In 1989, strength of Though a trade union leader, he BMS was 31 lacs plus. That was more was not an urbanite like most trade than the combined strength of CITU unionists. He also built the largest and AITUC, the monopolists of trade union of agriculturists in India, the union movement. Today its member­ Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. Still he was ship is over 83 lacs, more than the not a village versus town man, or collective of most other trade unions. agriculture versus industry man. For Yes, he built the most powerful trade him nationalism was the melting pot union. Yet, he was not a communist. of all sectional views and interests. He He actually opposed the communists, never believed in the distinction be­ stormed their citadel and captured it. tween classes, between the rich and the Never a Socialist, but he defeated them poor, but actually stood for collective in their own territory. He waged an national interests. Thus he carried na­ open war, an ideological war, against tionalism to territories monopolised them, and defeated them in a straight by class hatred and class war and war, not in guerrilla warfare. Also he rendered class idea almost irrelevant. never used his strength, never called When globalisation challenged India in for a bandh, the normal weapon of early nineties and every one helplessly large trade unions, and never brought just opposed it or blindly welcomed SWADESHI PATRIKA NOVEMBER 2004 SHRADHANJALI it, he recalled the spirit of the freedom move­ books in all, 27 in Hindi, 12 in English and ment, the Swadeshi idea. He formed the 10 in Marathi. He has presented innumerable Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), which articu­ papers on profound subjects in national and lated an alternative indigenous economic model, international conferences. He learnt five lan­ not just opposition to globalisation. It emerged guages apart from Marathi and English. He as the bulwark against mindless globalisation founded, inspired, managed and advised over a and succeeded in creating a vision for India as hundred organisations! And found time for all a global power. His creations, the BMS, the activities, yet time to talk and chit chat with Kisan Sangh, and the SJM, are known and thousands of ordinary workers! He could dis­ powerful in thought and action, but he, the cover the 25 th hour in the day and the thirteenth creator himself, is not much known. month in the year. Who is he? Dattopant Thengadi, unknown What inspired him to such unbelievable to most, founded institutions known and pow­ mental, physical and intellectual activity beyond erful but himself not known. He passed away all known reserves of human energy? What at 84, with energies that drove him to attempt and one would see in a man accomplish the un-at- of 48. He was of course tempted impossible? The a resounding success as a RSS.