Varsha Pratipada Festival: A Day of Resolve

 

 

 

Dear Swayamsevak brothers,

New year (5122 Yugabd) best wishes to all of you. The beginning of this year coincides with a huge crisis which the whole world is grappling with. Along with the entire world, Bharat is also taking part in this battle. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of swayamsevaks too. This festival is a day of resolve, in our tradition, it’s considered to be the day of resolve. Taking a pledge to make the nationwide efforts to curb the Coronavirus a success, we have to do our work and, while doing so, we must rightly fulfil the social responsibilities too.

Our work- Flexibility, Uniqueness of our System, irrespective of circumstances:

We know our work and system is of a special kind. Programmes can be of different types. Dr Hedgewar used to say: Swayamsevaks congregating at a place in the night with bedrolls to sleep and getting up in the next morning and leaving the place, can also be a Sangh work. This saying has been experimented at one or two occasions in Sangh’s history. Our Shakhas remained closed for two years each time but our work went on.

 

Adhering to the nationwide lockdown for 21 days that announced yesterday night 12 O’clock, our work can be taken forward in a smooth way. We can perform ‘Prarthana’ in a small group of 5-7 persons inside our house or building, even along with our family members , we can offer Prarthana.Our unique system and unique programmes are all for the Shakhas conducted under ordinary circumstances. However, under extraordinary circumstances, we’ve to adopt these types of new and extraordinary styles and conduct the Shakhas hitherto with the essential things such as coming together, performing Prarthana and reiterating the social pledge in minds.

Begin from ourselves: For inculcating sense of discipline in society:

Mananiya Sarkaryavah Ji has already given certain directions in this regard. His directions will be reaching you, whenever it’s required in the future too. Obviously, all such directives shall be in compliance with the policies taken by the government and administration in the ongoing fight against this deadly virus. We must fully obey it and educate the entire society to obey the restrictions and follow the directions in a disciplined way. We’ve to set a model by doing so. Even much before the directives of Sarkaryavah Ji, the Swayamsevaks had started implementing it at their level as it came to them.

 

With all sort of cooperation with the government and administration, the Swayamsevaks have started doing all these works like conducting social awareness programmes and organising relief activities with the permission and the advice of the government - administration. We have to do it nationwide. Wherever it’s necessary, taking the society along with, we’ve to do it by adhering to all rules and instructions. We shall defeat this menace together.

The main feature in this struggle is to follow all this discipline by the society. Rest, medicines and other essential services and facilities will be helpful. However, the basic fact is that the spread of the disease is through contact; and this contact has to be avoided. This is being called Social Distancing in English – make it popular. The idea of collective responsibility of the society is of paramount importance in this battle, and the concept of Social Distancing will be popularised on the basis of their collective discipline. The practice followed by the Sangh to always maintain this social discipline and to uphold national character keeping in view the national interest, and setting aside its minor selfish interests, will definitely come in handy in this battle. We are used to it and therefore if we undertake this work then it will have a positive impact (value) on the society and we will also benefit from this exercise.Sometimes it is felt how long this will last and without meeting people how our work will proceed? Our work is Man-Making and building values, creating an atmosphere of values in society. In this fight against virus , by following various restrictions, the task of thwarting it, while doing that work, we can do for ourselves and society as well.

The power of resolve is itself a great power. We should keep this resolve in mind, under these circumstances, we should move ahead by performing our duty and keeping alive our Swayamsevakatva. The New Year is the birthday of the Sangh-builder PP Adya Sarsanghchalak, Dr. Hedgewar, to whom we have paid our Adya Sarsanghchalak pranam. As we pay our pranams, when we remember his life we realise that we have to move on keeping our principles intact and adapting ourselves to the situations and turning ourselves as examples before the society. This is the basic purpose of the Sangh and wherever a Swayamsevak goes or whatever he does he won’t depart from his ideals. Continuing this working style, we are confident that we would be able to present an example to pave a way to achieve success in the on-going battle against the virus in the entire country. This is the time to realise this belief. Let us take this resolve. This is my appeal to you all in this context.