A saintly personality who implemented the idea of a self-sufficient village.
With the core philosophy that man’s complete development is possible
through Indian culture and values, Nanaji Deshmukh undertook and
successfully completed many constructive projects all over India. He was
born in Kadoli village, Parbhani district. Nanaji initially started his
work through the medium of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh).
Later, for some years he played a prominent role in the politics of
India. Realising the limits of politics he finally chose to work through
the medium of social service, which is the medium of perpetual
development. He achieved outstanding success in this field. Nanaji
compelted his schooling through odd jobs such as selling vegetables.
From the moment he came in contact with the RSS founder Dr. Hedgewar, he
became associated for life with the RSS.
Initially a Swayamsevak (volunteer) he was then a full-time
activist of the RSS. Nanaji successfully attempted to establish a new
political party based on the nationalistic ideologies of the RSS under
the guidance and inspiration from Shri Golwalkar Guruji, the then RSS head (SarSanghaChalak).
From these efforts emerged the Janasansha political party. Nanaji,
along with Deendayal Upadhyay, Sunderlal Bhandari, Atal Bihari Vajapayee
and Lal Krishna Advani were active through the medium of the Janasangh. Later he was politically active through the Janata Party too. He also managed the periodicals Panjnya, RashtraDharma, and Swades
for a while. He was closely associated with leaders with different
ideologies like Rammanohar Lohia, Jaiprakash Narayan, Charansingh, etc.
He participated in the BhooDaan (Donate Land) Movement
initiated by Acharya Vinoba Bhave. He travelled for almost two months
with Vinoba Bhave for the movement.
But after that, Deendayal Upadhyay’s philosophy of Integral Humanism
for personal and social development had a deep impact on him. Influenced
by this philosophy, he put his heart into developmental and
constructive work and even refused a ministerial post in the Janata
Party’s government. In those times he was well known in political
circles in Delhi as a strategic advisor. Many important political
positions were being offered to him, but he refused to get tempted and
continued working for developmental causes.
In coming years, he established the Deendayal Research Organization,
and his first project under this organization was the implementation of a
water harvesting system using 40000 capillary tubes, to make the
farmers in the Gond district in Uttar Pradesh self sustaining. Later on,
he concentrated on making the people there self-sufficient and industry
oriented by implementing various projects in eighty hilly and remote
villages in the Chitrakut district. Many projects like water harvesting
and irrigation, preservation of cows (GovanshSavardhan), reviving and preserving traditional agriculture practices, the Gurukul schooling and trade system, priority to self-employment through the medium of industrial universities, research in Ayurveda through the medium of Arogyadham and many other such projects have been implemented in the Chitrakut district. He also established Chitrakoot Gramoday Vishvavidyalata,
India’s first rural University, in Chitrakoot. For suitably running
these projects, he developed couples inclined towards social service
into SamajShilpis (sculptors of society). These SamajShilpis
are devotedly handling the projects and executing them correctly and in
good speed. One can see the ideal of the socially, economically and
industrially self-sufficient village coming into reality here.
With the intent of giving a religious value to the social work and to
uphold an ideal before everyone, a permanent, unique tableau display
based on the life of Lord Ram has been created in Chitrakut. The display
has many episodes from the Ramayana, along with life like animal world
display.
A very significant effect of Nanaji’s work is that 60% court cases in
around eighty villages around the Chitrakut area have been withdrawn by
the villagers and have been sorted out by having an out-of-court
agreement. Along with Chitrakut, the work of the Deendayal Research Institute is in progress in some of the most deprived and poor districts in India. Projects like the Sondara Gurukul,
agricultural development, health education, yoga studies, arts and
crafts education and industrial training are being implemented in the
Homari village in Maharashtra’s Beed district.
After the Emergency period (1977), Nanaji was a member of the house
of people for a while. He was also elected a member to the parliament
house in 1999. The Government of India bestowed on him the PadmaVibhushan for his outstanding lifetime work in social service.
This seed of the Deendayal Research Institution which was sown on
20th October 1972 is now a widely spread tree and is still growing. A
salute to Nanaji who understood the importance of our ancient cultural
values and is still tirelessly active in his work!
Source: http://www.manase.org/en/maharashtra.php?mid=68&smid=23&pmid=5&id=821
No comments:
Post a Comment