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January     Last updated:January 20 : 7:00 p.m.

Bhide: An ideal Pracharak

Dr S.V. Tatwawadi

Mananeeya Laksh-man Shrikrishna Bhide, a veteran pracharak for the last about 60 years, popularly known as Bhideji breathed his last 11.45 p.m. on Sunday, January 7, 2001 at the ripe age of 82. The end came at Dr Ajit Phadke's nursing home in Sion, Mumbai due to motor neuron illness. With him ends the great and long era of dedication and devotion to the Hindu cause. At the time of death he was Patron of the Deendayal Research Institute of Delhi but his name was always associated with the Vishwa Vibhag of RSS of which he was the pioneer pracharak. He held several responsibilities in the RSS circle but essentially he was a true swayamsevak all through his life. Barely a week ago he was fortunate enough to be able to visit the Keshav Srishti at Bhayander, Mumbai where the third Vishwa Sangh Shibir was being held and he was able to meet and see- not talk-to hundreds of his beloved swayamsevaks, sevikas and their families whom he had known personally for several decades. He was not able to utter a single word but his serene look and gaze were eloquent enough to express his deep love and affection for all of them. He was the grand old Bheeshmacharya of the Vishwa Vibhag and like that indomitable veteran had held up his breath for this singular moment. Swayamsevaks and sevikas, old and young, from all the five continents stood in a line to touch his feet.

Tears rolled down their faces and many knew that they may not be able to see Ma Bhideji again. It must have been a great emotional stress for Bhideji as well. His temperature rose and came down only after complete rest for hours when he was straightaway taken to the nursing home. He was cheerful and his condition was normal for the next 3-4 days but the frail body could no longer bear the strain. The doctors had already operated upon him and attached a feeding tube to his stomach. Now he had to undergo another operation for a hole in his wind pipe for easy breathing but this was not to last long and the end came on the night of January 7. Ma Bhideji's was always a very frail frame. He was tall, frequently suffered lean and thin and some stomach disorders. During the last few years he also was operated upon for prostrate and hernia but he never allowed it to pose any problems in his busy routine.

He was a person of few tastes, shunned heavy meals and would always feel comfortable with a cup of hot tea. Walking was to his liking and during his early years he used to traverse miles in new places. He never missed his morning shakha at Jhandewalan while he was in Delhi. He used to come walking from the Deendayal Research Institute and take his usual stroll near Doctrojee's statue. Friends have seen him exactly the same as they had seen him years ago. He gradually grew weaker and weaker during the last one year. His voice was always low and feeble but he totally lost it in March 2000. He was not able to speak and communciate and started using a slate and pencil. He had planned to attend this year's Diwali baithak of the senior Sangh adhikaris at Vishakhapatnam but had to cancel the same as he was not in a position to take up the long journey. He however continued writing on slate and paper. He was very keen to attend the third Vishwa Sangh Shibir for the full period and had actually formalised his travel plans to go to Mumbai. In early December his condition deteriorated and under the advice of the doctors, the senior Sangh adhikaris decided to shift him to Mumbai at Dr Phadke's nursing home. He was operated upon for a feeding passage. He always wished that the operation should follow only after the Vishwa Sangh Shibir lest his post-operative condition may not permit him to visit the shibir. The doctors however arranged for his visit to the shibir on the penultimate day and it must have been a great solace for him to see for himself all his old associates and friends from various countries of the Vishwa Vibhag.

Lakshmanrao was born on the Lakshmipoojan day of the year 1918 at Akola in Maharashtra. His was a big family of four brothers and five sisters. He was the third among the four brothers, Vinayak, Ghanashyam, Lakshman and Raghunath alias Tatya. All except the elder brother Ghanashyam, are still living. He passed his Matriculation examination from Chandrapur (Chanda) and graduated in 1939 with 1st class from the Morris College of Nagpur with Sanskrit and Philosophy as his subjects. During these very days he came in contact with the Sangh through his room-mates. He became a swayamsevak of the famous Tekdi Shakha of Nagpur and gave up his service to become a full-time pracharak in 1942. He was sent to Uttar Pradesh and was closely associated with Ma Bhaurao Deoras and Ma Deendayalji. He worked at several levels in UP from Nagar Pracharak to Vibhag Pracharak and later on was sent to Kenya in East Africa around 1958 to guide the working of the Bharatiya Swayamsevak Sangh which was founded in Kenya in January 1947.

While in Kenya he saw the consolidation of Sangh work in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and also motivated the workers to set up the Hindu Council of Kenya, an umbrella organisation of all the Hindu organisations. The Hindu Council has played a very unique and important role for the Hindus in that country and has even been recognized as the representative Hindu body by the Kenyan administration. During the exodus of Hindus to UK and other European countries from East Africa the Hindu Council had played a very helpful role during their passage to new countries. After his return to Bharat, Bhideji was asked to look after the work in Nepal in the name of Matrubhoomi Swayamsevak Sangh. He made close contacts with the high-ups in Nepal including the then Prime Minister of Nepal who was once a student in Kashi. Bhideji was known as "Lakshmanshastri" at the time. He then became the Prant Pracharak of Eastern UP and later on was also in change of Bihar.

Soon after this, there was a period of dictatorship and the Emergency in Bharat and Bhideji was specially sent to UK and USA to organise a pro-democracy struggle. A new organisation Friends of India Society was born and Bhideji had a big role to play in its formation. He also helped in organising the 1977 post-Emergency FISI conference in Delhi followed by the one in 1978 in New York. In 1980, he undertook the first round-the-world tour along with Ma Bhaurao Deoras and visited many countries to establish new contacts. His was a very important role in starting the VHP in USA and many other countries and organising their periodic conferences. He guided the 10th annual VHP conference in New York in 1984, the FISI conference in 1986 in London, the biggest ever rally of Hindus of over hundred thousand participants in Mitton Keynes in UK in 1989 and many similar events.

In 1995 he accompanied the Sarsanghchalak Prof Rajendra Singh on his first ever tour as Sarsanghchalak to UK and Netherlands and in 1997 accompanied him to Kenya on the completion of 50 years of Sangh work in East Africa. During the eighties, he became Kshetriya Pracharak of the Pashchim Kshetra consisting of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Vidarbha (including Nagpur) and in 1992 became Chairman of the Deendayal Research Institute where later on he became the Patron. Lately his travelling to far-off lands became somewhat more difficult but he was always in constant touch through correspondence with his friends in foreign countries. No other person apart from the second Sarsanghchalak Shri Guruji might have undertaken such a monumental correspondence. Bhideji's was a lovable and affectionate personality of an elder member of the family. He was a man of few words which spoke volumes. He had a tremendous capacity for making new contacts and reviving the old ones. His diary was always full of addresses of the far off places. he was a living encyclopaedia of Vishwa Vibhag of which he was asked to write the history.

He had lovingly undertaken the job and also wrote a number of pages. He wished to write more but then his condition incapacitated him and he apologised. Luckily for the benefit of he has handed over a well documented write-up on the Vishwa Vibhag history which will be very useful reference material. Ma Bhideji was a very dedicated and devoted worker and had great faith in the Sangh work as divine mission. He was well versed in ancient scriptures and referred to them copiously during his speeches. He picked up people, motivated them to take up Sangh work or any other Sangh related activity, guided and moulded them into good workers and while doing so never allowed others to feel burdened. He was a saintly person and never angered anybody. He was near and dear to all, youngsters and elders, from an ordinary swayamsevak to the seniormost worker. Lately he was also guiding the work of Grahak Panchayat and Ayurveda Parishad", but workers from other fields also used to approach him for advice. Rashtra Seva Samiti workers also felt quite comfortable with him and he used to informally guide them too.

He was one of the rare jewels, a godlike man, and will be missed badly in Sangh circles in general and in the Vishwa Vibhag in particular. He was happy with the achievements of his associates and was an epitome of the following Sanskrit verse. eufl opfl dk;s iq.;ih;w"kiw.kkZl~ f=kHkqoueqidkjJsf.kfHk% izh.k;Ur% ijxq.kijek.kwu~ ioZrhd`R; fuR;a futâfn fodlUr% lfUr lUrk% fd;Ur%A