Carrying Forward the Tradition

Whenever I think about Deendayalji and his role is the past. Independent India, it reminds me of Lord Ram. Especially after seeing today’s politics. I remember people like Deendayalji who have played a major role in building an idealist Indian society after the Independence. The philosophy presented by him before we world based on integral humanism will always keep alive his relevance.

His contribution to journalism through his writing in the Panchjanya and Rastra Dharma and his ideals will the remembered by the generations to come. I have seen him as a writer from close quarters but as I a journalist I must admit, I have not much experience.

I have heard a lot about his humance qualities as a journalist and many of them have direct or indirect influence on me as well, as my journalistic life. For me, journalism was not a profession for me bur a means for social service and a source of satisfaction.

I understand that journalism has contribution and sharpened his skill and intellect to the extend that he became the president of the most nationalistic organization in those times. His basic character draw inspiration from spiritually and the cultural values. And when he came into politics following widespread demand and persuation, there also he touched new height and acquired a unique image of a great politician.
He was an idealist even his thinking and political strategies. I remember an instance. It was when Smt. Indira Gandhi was leading the congress government at the center. With eminent leaders like Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiain the house, there was a move to create better co-ordination and unity among opposition to oust Indira Gandhi from power.

Thanks to some flawed policies of Indira Gandhi Governmen, it could not effectively counter the offensive of the opposition parties in the house. This has resulted in the demoralization in the congress Needless to say that the mood in opposition camp was upbeat.

During this time, I got an opportunity to meet Deendayalji. I asked him about the possibility of removing Indira Gandhi from power. As a true idealist leader he said: If we unitedly launch an effort we could oust the Government. But due to inherent contradictious the opposition parties could not provide a stable alternative. Then the country’s situation would be even worse. At this time, it would be in the interest of the nation not to destabilize the Government. I was impressed by his reply.

This incident happened in September 1963. The Parliament passed National Language Act making English the second national Language for an indefinite period. Practically it means English enjoys the national Language status. My young mind was sad. I through, is the nation’s history such an anti-national conspiracy should not go unopposed. Therefore, with a meagre resource I organized a grand Rastra Bhashi Sammelan in Lucknow under the banner of my publication Gyan Bharti. Sant Govind Das was invited to inaugurate the conference.

Besides him my Guru Swami Naradanand Saraswati, Ambika Prasad Vajpayee, editor of the Saraswati Pandit Sri Narayan Chaturvedi, Kishori Das Vajpayee, Pandit Sohan Lal Dwivedi, Pandit Padamkant Malviya, Dr. Deendayal Gupta, Yash Pal, Pandit Laxmi Narayan Mishra, Bhagvati Charan Verma, Amrit Lal Nayar and so on. According to Pandit Sohanlal Dwivedi the national language conference was similar to the conference being organized at the time of Gandhiji. I met Deendayalji and invited him for the sammelan and he came on the second day. He sat till the and of the conference when I requested him to present his views he told me : “Today I have come only to list new to the scholars” In fact, even the Hindu scholars were keen to hear him but he insisted that he would remain a list new only. Such moderly and luck of egoism can only be found is great men only.

After the chimese invasion in October 1962, we brought out a special “Deshrakshak” issue of Gyan Bharti in which perhaps for the first time people from various field wrote patristic articles. Pandit Deendayalji and Bhaorao Deoras oblised me with sending articles for politician.

Behind his scholasrism and beneath greatness in personality land the greatest human quality spirituality. I reminder of an incident in this context. First non-congress government was formed in Uttar Pradesh and my childhood friend Shri Krishna Bahadur Mishra made a deputy minister in the cabinet. One day he made a sadden decision of visit Badrinath and requested me to accompany him. My mother also told me to go and take him along.

When we were heading form Badrinath in a jeep, we saw Deendayalji and Nanaji coming is the opposite in a jeep. Both the jeep stopped and exchanged pleasantries with each other. I saw Nanaji, who was instrumental in forming the coalition Government talking to the minister. Deendayalji came to me and said: “Vyasji, it is a matter of great pleasure that I have been thinking about you and you’re before me. His sincerity touched my heart.”

I, with extreme humility told him: “Deendayalji my privilege that a great man like you think about me is this anspecing place. Please tell me, what I should do. ”Deendayalji said: Lallan ji, One University wants to open a Department or establish a chair on South East Asian Culture and they approached me and I told them that for this work Lallan Ji is the most appropriate parson.”
On these days I used to undertake tours to South East Asian Countries and used to write and speak on their common cultural links with India in publications and Akashwani by which I was largely identified with South East Asia.

By coincidence, when we returned from Badrinath, we were forced to stay at Rudraprayag. There I was told that Deendayalji was staying in one of the guest houses. He had returned from Kedarnath. He asked me: “Are you not going to have the daeshan of Kedarnath?” I told him that due to certain problems I am not taking a trip to Kedarnath. With his natural smile he said: You’re a scholarly writer and you should definitely go to Kedarnath.

Figure out my fate, even after three decades I coned not visit Kedarnath due to some reason or the other. When I think about this failure, I am reminded of Deendayalji’s question, hi spirituality and integrity and his greatness.

(Published and Printed by Dr. Mahesh Chandra Sharma for Research and Development Foundation for Integral Humanism).

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