Nanaji Deshmukh has become part of history. But, you won’t find him among the who’s who of India. This man, who dedicated his entire life for social service for the downtrodden and less privileged didn’t find it worthwhile to enter the executive arm of the government even though it was offered to him in a platter. Instead, when he thought the time has come, he retired from active politics and went back to a stretch of forest in northern India and stayed there till the end of his days constantly working for the upliftment of the forest dwellers. His service doesn’t end in death, as his body will be donated to the All India Institute of Medical Research for study.Ambadas Amritrao Deshmukh (Oct 11, 1916 – Feb 27, 2010) was born in Maharashtra in a poor family. His desire for education prompted him to work as a verndor and sell vegetables to raise enough money. He lived in temples and received higher education at BITS, Pilani. He joined RSS and was one of the founding fathers of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) in 1951. He worked along with Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Jaiprakash Narayan (JP). By his fearless crusade against corruption which was the fertilizer for Indira Gandhi’s rule, JP alienated the power caucus at Delhi. The police baton-charged a procession held by JP with the clear intention of getting at the leader and injuring him. Nanaji intervened and covered the leader, getting the full complement of the brutal torture by the policemen eager to please their overlords. Emergency was soon declared and Mrs Gandhi put all opposition leaders behind bars and suspended civil rights for a 2-year period from 1975 to 77. But she had badly misjudged the mood of India. No wonder that a person who was totally cut off from the popular emotions by the coterie around her lost badly in the elections conducted immediately after lifting the emergency. Morarji Desai assumed prime ministership and offered Nanaji the post of the Cabinet minister for industry which he promptly turned down. In 1980, when he turned 64, he retired from active politics and went to Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh where he performed social service till the end. He was a bachelor who had given all he had for the movement. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1999 and honoured with Padma Vibhushan.
An unusual leader, who stood apart among India’s ‘netas’ and deserved the title of a true pioneer in social life. Einstein’s remark about Mahatma Gandhi is equally applicable to any selfless leader and more so to Nanaji. “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”.
