By Rajesh Pathak
Once, it was extremely challenging to work for the RSS. Ironically, the organisation faced its stiffest resistance from the very Hindu community for whose welfare it had chosen to work. Today, the situation has undergone a remarkable transformation and the environment has become far more favourable. It is in this context that RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has cautioned that favourable times demand even greater vigilance and humility. Circumstances may change, but the organisation’s core values must remain unaltered.
These values can certainly be found in books and heard in discourses. However, they can be said to have been truly understood and internalised only when they become an inseparable part of one’s life. A Sangh worker is one who actively serves the organisation, but mere activity is not the highest virtue. More important is living the Sangh life and embodying its ideals in one’s conduct.
A recent example illustrates this spirit of selfless service. Only last month, Baghannara village in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, predominantly inhabited by the Scheduled Tribe Bega community, was illuminated with electric lights after decades of waiting. If darkness finally disappeared from the village so many years after Independence, much of the credit goes to the relentless efforts of the villagers themselves, led by Sarpanch Shrimati Gendtibai, her husband Chhotelal Bega, and social activist and Supreme Court advocate Vikrant Kumre of the Janjati Suraksha Manch (Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram).
Kumre made repeated visits to the village, organised meetings with local residents in small groups, and tirelessly prepared and pursued proposals with the authorities. His persistent efforts proved instrumental in overcoming the hurdles created by stringent Forest Department regulations that had long delayed the laying of electricity infrastructure.
The great exponents of the Ramayana remind us that Ram Rajya is not created by a righteous ruler alone; it is equally shaped by virtuous citizens. Just as the Ramayana celebrates the virtues of Lord Rama, it also praises the character of the people living under his rule: “Sab nar karahin paraspar preeti”—all people live in mutual love and harmony.
If we truly wish to witness even a glimpse of Ram Rajya in our lifetime, each one of us must become socially active in our own sphere, wherever we live and whatever work we do. Social transformation is not the responsibility of leaders alone; it is the collective duty of every citizen.
Swami Vivekananda aptly observed, “Everyone can play the role of a master, but it is very difficult to be a servant.” True service requires one to overcome the temptations of comfort and, above all, the obstacle of ego. Vikrant Kumre’s dedicated work among the deprived stands as a living example of this ideal. His life demonstrates that genuine leadership begins with selfless service.
