NaMo THE PERFECT ‘KARYAKARTA’ FOR MAA BHARATI’S ‘KARYA’!

This karyakarta from Gujarat shares with us how Narendra bhai is the perfect karyakarta and how he lives by his ideals. Narendra bhai has been the guiding light for her when it came to ways of accomplishing work at the ground level with precision. What stands out about Narendra bhai is his humility and sense of gratitude for every single person who has touched his life in a positive way. Once an Akhil Bhartiya Sammelan had to be organized in Karnavati. Narendra bhai was working with us, I would say in the capacity of an advisor and he would guide as about the fundamentals of organizing such an event. At that time, I was a total newbie, a novice in such work. I had no idea how to proceed in this regard and had not taken up a lot of responsibility. Soon it was time for the baithak to commence. We would get information and guidelines about all the work that had to be completed and we would accomplish all of that at the ground level. Now Narendra bhai used to be present in the meetings and we were all answerable for our tasks and of course, to the questions that Narendra bhai would put up to us. So it happened, Narendra bhai asked me, “Saroj ji, so what about the mahila baithak (meeting of women)? Was it convened?” I replied in the affirmative. Next question, “So Saroji ji, how many behene (sisters) attended the meeting?” “About 20-22”, I answered cheerfully. Suddenly he asked me, “Were there 20 or 22?” Now I was confounded. I did not have the exact answer for this question. In my notes I had jotted down 20-22 women attended the meet. But I just did not remember exactly if they were 20 or 22. So this is the first lessons he taught me. Always be prepared with an exact answer. Narendra bhai is not someone who will take terminological inexactitude or imprecision in work lightly. If you are not prepared, you are sure to flounder.

I am happy that I got a lot of guidance and support from him. It was Narendra bhai from whom I learnt how to take down meeting notes, how to take down numbers with accuracy in the meeting register and how to meet work expectations. If I have been allotted some work, then how I am supposed to accomplish with perfection, this is something I learnt from him. Narendra bhai was never satisfied with work done at a superficial level. He expected us to dive deep down in our allotted tasks, understand the specifics and come up with details that were exact and precise. I can never forget the way he guided us with the minutest details possible for the sammelan. Often, we would be scratching our heads, wondering how we missed out on some minute but vital aspects that Narendra bhai would point out to us with such simplicity and in a matter-of-fact tone! I remember in 1980s there was an event in Aurangabad and Narendra bhai was one of the speakers in that event. The subject for discussion was “Karyakarta” – what are the qualities of a good karyakarta, the duties and responsibilities of a karyakarta, who actually is a karyakarta, what is the difference between a swayamsevak and a karyakarta- and the way Narendra bhai dealt with each of these minor aspects was stupendous. His talk was remarkable for not just rhetorical finesse but for the way in which he explained and defined the concept of karyakarta. And you know what, Narendra bhai’s speech is never something that would appeal to you at just the intellectual level. It will stir your soul, in fact your entire being will be captivated to the point of numbness when you listen to him. This happens because when he speaks, he speaks from his soul. Narendra bhai, during this talk, became so full of emotion himself, it was as if someone had immersed fully in the waters of duty, service and responsibilities of a karyakarta that every word of his talk was coming straight from the depth of Narendra bhai’s core. He had become the spirit incarnate of karyakarta!

It is indeed rare to someone as eloquent, spontaneous and deep like Narendra bhai. Also, this speech by Narendra bhai about karyakarta was so impressive because every drop of his blood is steeped in the selfless duties and devotion of a karyakarta. These quintessential qualities of a karyakarta that Narendra bhai enumerated in his speech that day have served as the lighthouse for him, irrespective of his stature in politics. Whether as CM or as PM, he has always served the country as the perfect karyakarta. When Narendra bhai says that a karyakarta behaves with equanimity with only his goal in sight, irrespective of whether he is praised or censured, we know he has lived by this quality practically every day of his life. There is a saying in Marathi which translates to “Go and serve Brahmgyaan to people. But within your own being you are as blank as a rock.” We use this often to refer to people who do not practice what they preach. But Narendra bhai stands apart from everyone as the lone stalwart who will never utter a word that is untrue to his own persona, his thoughts, his ideas and his actions.

Last but not least, with great fondness I recollect the lunch at CM house for which he had invited all the prominent women karyakartas. No prominent dignitary had ever invited us to their residence in the past, not even the Mayor, who had eventually become my friend. So after presenting a bouquet to Narendra bhai, we shared with him our happiness and our sense of disbelief that a CM should invite us. Do you know what his response was to this? My eyes filled with tears when I heard him say, “When I was a pracharak, every one of you has served me food at your home. And from each one of those interactions, I gained one valuable thought. This lunch today is my way of expressing my gratitude to each one of you for helping me develop mentally, physically and spiritually.” I only pray that Narendra bhai continues to serve our country with his selfless sense of devotion and may he be blessed with success in all his endeavours!

TO BE CONTINUED...

COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA AND SHWETA SHARMA