Rediscovering  Bharat’s Bravehearts

In our daily rigmarole, we forget to observe and appreciate the good work done by noble souls around us. Even the mainstream media, which happens to be the prime source of information about the developments around us, doles out only the gory details, giving us the feel of living in Kaliyuga. But all is not lost and gloomy as vested interests would like us to believe. There is a glimmering ray of hope in the form of a dedicated battalion of Bharatvasis who contribute to the betterment of our Motherland in their own unique, subtle way, away from the material trappings of glitz, glory and glamour. Against this backdrop, this book is a collection of such bravehearts and their way of saying ‘Maa tujhe Salaam’ through their noteworthy work. Put together by a veteran journalist, Shri M.G. Vaidya, known for his incisive mind, sharp wit and insightful understanding of Bharatiya way of life, Mera Bharat Mahan is a tribute to all such unknown and unsung heroes, who make true Bharat.

Each article of the book is unique in its message of greatness, the message of self-less and inborn inspiration to serve others. It contains brief description of how a poor Kishabhau Patvardhan created an institution called ‘Swaroop Vardhani’ to look after children of neglected habitation; how a Bhaiya ji Kane joined Manipur with Maharashtra; how a Girish Prabhune worked to ameliorate the lot of the nomadic tribes; how selflessly a Thakre Mahajan awakened society through Varakari Kirtan; how R.S.S pracharaks like Brahma Deva and Chamanalal renounced careerism for the sake of service to the North-East; how Hindus of Maraad set right the distorted mentality of a few fundamentalist Muslims; how selflessly Dr. Vasant Rao Tare served society; how Dr. Paralkar earned the title of friend of the sick; how a financially poor and illiterate Shankar Papalkar created a center of education for the hearing and speech-impaired children of a primitive locality; how a self-less Ram Krishna Goswami tried to reform the life of prisoners through the Gita.

The book contains sagas of inborn and courageous initiative marshalled by Mangala, a Dalit woman village-head; an adamant bureaucrat named Rajnish Dube; a prodigy called Subramanian Chandrashekhara; an editor named Prakash Pohare; an Army officer named Lieutenant General Arjun Rai; the village women who raised a bank for woman; the Sewa Bharti which has been exerting silently to ensure social harmony through Sewa and Sanskar; Surendra Singh Chauhan, who created an ideal village; an MLA named Mahendra Mashru; a social worker named Frikshon Lingdoh; the heroic and silent services done by the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in primitive areas.

A very important point about this book is that it is a small glimpse of a part of the past; about life and activities of great characters as described by M.G Vaidya in the year 2002-03. So, it is natural for readers to be inquisitive about the present progress of the great men and woman in question and their works. What were the factors that motivated their uniquely selfless social services, must be an interesting subject for study

By Ashok Kumar