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Passing away
of a karmayogi
Seshadri Chari
A FEW days before Mananeeya Bhideji was to leave for Mumbai
recently, I had an opportunity to meet him at Deendaayal Research
Institute (DRI), Delhi. There was no specific agenda to discuss. He
was down with fever and unable to speak. He had a slate and chalk
stick to write if he wanted to communicate. He wrote down a question
for me and I promptly went to pick up the slate to write down my reply.
He smiled and wrote back : "I cannot speak but I can hear." I could
not help laughing at my stupidity as he gently patted me on the my
back. Behind the facade of a thin, frail, serious-looking Lakshman
Srikrishna Bhide was a jovial friendly Bhideji ever ready to lend
an ear for any suggestion or even a long list of complaints about
almost anything. Once during the early eighties, when he had returned
after tour of UK and USA, I had arranged a get-together of college
students and expected him to speak on the virtues of not going away
abroad after completing one's education. I was then a pracharak in
Mumbai. He spoke on many things but did not elaborate on the suggestion
I had given. Later he told me that the need of the hour was to strengthen
the shakha on campuses, IIT, UDCT, JNU and such other areas.
In the coming days more students would go over to distant
lands and by time we might need more swayamsevaks in many parts of
the world to carry on our activities, he had prophesied. The Vishwa
Sangh Shibir (VSS) held recently in Mumbai is testimony to how true
his prophecy was when workers from any country asked for additional
workforce from Bharat to consolidate the ever growing influence of
Hindu ideas and Sangh works in their adopted country. Bhideji laid
the foundation of the Vishwa Vibhag, silently, steadfastly but with
stern determination. Reaping the fruit of the hard labour this karmayogi
put in, we must concentrate on making untiring efforts to enhance
the value of our activities abroad and move towards our mission. Organiser
pays its humble homage to this sanyasin in white.
Homage by Sarsanghchalak
Lakshmanraoji is no more. Of the few surviving workers
who attained unparallelled skill and spirit of dedication because
of their association with the founder of the RSS, Dr Hedgewar and
his successor Shri Guruji, one by one is passing into history but
only after fulfilling his life's mission. Every one of them is the
author of a new Hindu creation evolved out of a void that diagnosed
the root cause of the problems of his field of work and solved them,
again, on the basis of Hindutva. But Lakshmanraoji infused with life
energy Hindus spread all over the globe, leading them all towards
the goal of human life which is the purpose of the Hindu's birth on
this planet. And what a happy co-incident that he could spend a day
at the Vishwa Sangh Shivir in Keshav Srishti near Mumbai and could
experience satisfaction and fulfilment, witnessing the ever-growing
edifice of what he had so painstakingly created. Since the last two
months he had lost his faculty of speech. He could convey his feelings
only by reducing them to writing. He was however fortunate to meet
the old and new workers gathered from various countries of the world
and experience their sincere love and friendship. May be he had stopped
his vital breath from passing out for the very purpose. Naturally,
the job done he took his exit. Lakshmanrao never had anyone entertaining
ill feeling about him. Hardly any harsh words would have slipped from
his tongue. He was an expert judge of men and matters. He had a unique
ability to gauge everybody's assets and entrusted jobs accordingly.
Thanks to this special knack he succeeded in moulding worthwhile workers
for whatever he undertook. And now he has left us behind. Who can
forget his benign visage always adorned with a winning smile. For
his past he has reached His abode. Let us pray to the Almighty to
grant his countless brother swayamsevaks loving, blessing, and the
strength to bear the agony of this loss. May He also grant all of
us the same passionate fervour with which the late Lakshmanrao led
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