RSS- Ready for SelfLess Service

As per Hindu dharma before you can analyze  any knowledge & before accepting it as 100% true, there are four types of "pramanams (proof)" required to be fulfilled. Below are the four different types. 

• Shastram pramanam  ( given in scriptures etc)
• Aapta vakyam pramaman ( opinions, observations given by great scholars) 
• Pratyaksham pramanam (Seeing is believing, first hand knowledge)
• Anumanam pramanam (experience + guessing+estimating + analyzing)

Take/collect  as much information as possible, convert that information into knowledge , convert that knowledge into wisdom and finally convert the wisdom into Experience.The totality of these experience's is known as LIFE.

If you apply the same analogy for understanding Sangh and it's goal of SelfLess Service, I would say I have been through the first two pramanams many times (shastram - books, Aapta vakyam - meeting with karyakartas/pracharaks).

However IMO the 3rd and 4th pramanam's (pratyaksham and anumanam) are the one's which always provides the greatest confidence.

Two days before I was scheduled to leave for India, a massive fire had broke out on Dec7th in Damu nagar slum in Kandivali area (in Mumbai city) engulfing around 2000 shanties. 

Before leaving for Bharat, I had got connected to Devendra Pai (a.k.a the Toofani guy) via Facebook and with the help of our National Sah-Karyavaha.

As I arrived at my mumbai home at 3:30 AM on Friday (Dec 11th) morning, I  came across latest post by Devendra  where he had posted photo's of volunteers (from RSS and  other organization /colleges as well) helping to prepare relief kit for the fire victims. 

RSS JanKalyan samiti organized relief camp 

Relief material being packed and inspected

After checking with Devendra regarding the relief activity,  I accompanied him to the relief camp at around 2:30 PM Friday.The relief camp was set up in the big play ground area near Damu nagar. In the middle of the area, there was a huge tent which consisted of all the different materials to be assembled in the Kit.

Swayamsevak explaining the plan to everyone while others are involved in packing relief material

A typical relief kit consisted of approximately 7-8 items which included Flour (atta) bag, Soap, Oil, Masala, Chatai (small carpet), Water etc. There were also plastic buckets with small stoves in them to be given to the impacted folks.

Swayamsevaks and other volunteers being given instructions regarding the distribution plan

We sat down inside the tent area and each one of us were assigned to help pack one material into a big plastic bag. I along with few of other swayamsevaks, got assigned the flour bag section. 

Ready to put flour bag in the relief bag

It was  heartwarming to see that everyone had came together in this hour of need. 

 The relief effort was led by RSS JanKalyan samiti but there were also volunteers from various other organizations like Rotary club, nearby society's, mandals (clubs) etc. 

This was another live example for me of the Sangh where it plays the role of that vital thread which helps to bring together all different flowers (sections of society) together so as to create a beautiful garland !!.

Everyone, from young kids to adults to  senior citizens, from purush to mahila, were helping in this mammoth effort of preparing the relief kit. Most of them had background of sangh either via RSS, Sevika samiti, ABVP or other sister organizations.

There were also students from many nearby colleges like Dalmia, NSS and other colleges who were actively involved in helping, putting into practice the proverb that  "Youth are not Useless but  are Used less" :-). 

Being involved with Bala vishay back in USA, I could not help but take this photo with one of the youngest swayamsevak , "Yuvraj" who was actively helping to pack water bottles in the relief kit. 

Me and the real "YuvRaj" !!

It was also a humbling experience to meet swayamsevak "Ram bachan" who drives auto rickshaw for a living. He was out there helping pack the relief material, knowing well that he would be losing out on his one day of earnings. 

When I enquired what makes him do this, apart from the sangh bhaavna, he mentioned that after going up (i.e after dying), when god will ask me what I did for helping the society, I can proudly say that I helped in these kind of Sewa activities. 

He also added the losing one day earning is nothing as compared to the satisfaction one gets helping personally in such times. 
And this comes from a guy who probably depends on his day to day earning for feeding his family and who might not have a big bank balance. Respect !!

Ram bachan - A man from you can learn many things !!

At around 5 PM, the gates of the ground were opened and 10 families were called one at a time. They were given identification cards and were requested to go at the numbered booth. Each one of them were given the relief kit and other materials. 

Ten families allowed each to take the relief material

Very long queue to pick up the relief materials

I left around 6:30 PM while the countless sangh volunteers continued to work tirelessly with  selfless service goal in mind !!