Of the many influential swayamsevaks present at the shibir, there was one in particular that caught my eye. I hadn't had much interaction with him, none at all in fact but I will never forget the incident that I am about to narrate to you below. I'm referring to one of the first men who started shakha outside of Bharat on a boat (yes, a boat) to Kenya, Shri Jagdish Shastry ji. Jagdishji is like few of us on this planet, he is a pioneer. As a result of his action, shakhas have now sprung up around the world in their thousands. One could argue that even if he hadn't raised our sacred Bhagwa Dhwaj on the deck of that particular ship, the expansion of shakha overseas was inevitable. And I would probably agree with anyone who makes such a statement. However, saying is one thing doing is another. And the point that I'm trying to make is that we should all strive to be pioneers. We need to remove the self made cap on our minds and broaden our horizons. In one of his many books, Swami Vivekananda uses the example of Newton. He narrates, "We say Newton discovered gravitation. Was it sitting anywhere in a corner waiting for him? It was in his own mind; the time came and he found it." I think that says it all, no need to dwell further.
Jagdishji is now wheel chair bound and like most of our seniors despite the inherent will he possesses to be active, his physical body is unable to match his strong willed determination. It was at the start of one of the first shakhas at the shibir. Jagdish ji was sat a few rows in front of me. The exceptionally humid morning in Pune was proving a difficult challenge for most of us foreign NRIs. As soon as the order daksha was given the formalities kicked in and as per normal the Dhwaj parmukh made the short journey to the Dhwaj pole, Dhwaj in hand. Suddenly, Jagdishji began shuffling as if he wanted to stand up. At first I thought he may have just been in some discomfort but then to my amazement, he began pushing up even further on the handle bars of his wheelchair. At that moment, it was clear he wanted to stand and without a moments hesitation, the swayamsevaks around him helped him gingerly to his feet. He stood for the most part of ten seconds, conducted the pranaam, still supported by those around him and then was helped back into his chair.
Can we ever get to such an extent where the mere sight of the Bhagwa Dhwaj, the eptiomy of everything we stand for conjours up such emotion and passion that we can do the same if we were in Jagdishji's situation? What immense respect, love and understanding he must have for our cause! Do we share the same feelings? If we ever needed reminding that shakha is much more than just one hour of exercises and games, that it is much more than kabaddi and kho kho, then that reminder is here, right in front of us. Therefore, the understanding of our work is key. Why do we hold shakhas? What is or aim? What are we trying to do? Why do so many people devote so much of their time to this cause? Such questions should be at the forefront of our minds as young karyakartas. It is only once we have full conviction and dedication to our work, that we can do our work selflessley. The same can be said about any task we take on. If the understanding is there, then the conviction will also naturally be there.
