Lakhs of karyakaryas saddened by Madan ji's demise

PM Modi pens touching tribute to veteran RSS ideologue Madan Das Devi

NARENDRA MODI

A few days ago, when we lost Shri Madan Das Devi Ji, lakhs of Karyakartas, including myself, were saddened beyond words. It's a challenging reality to grapple with - the idea that a personality as impactful as Madan Das Ji is no longer among us. Yet, we are consoled by the knowledge that his influence will live on. His teachings and principles will continue to serve as a beacon of inspiration and guidance in the journey ahead.

I had the privilege of working closely with Madan Das Ji over the years. I saw, at very close quarters, his simplicity and soft-spoken nature. He was the quintessential organizational man, and I, too, spent a substantial time working in the organization. So, it is natural that aspects relating to organizational development and growth of Karyakartas featured regularly in our conversations. During one such conversation, I asked him where he originally belonged. He told me that while he is from a village near Solapur, Maharashtra, his ancestors were from Gujarat. But he was not aware of the exact place they were from. I told him that I had a teacher with the surname Devi and that teacher belonged to Visnagar. Later on, he even visited Visnagar and Vadnagar. Our conversations also took place in Gujarati.

Among the many specialities of Madan Das Ji, one of them was his ability to go beyond words and understand the emotions behind those words. Soft-spoken and always smiling, he could also summarize hours-long discussions in just a few sentences.