By Manohar Yadavatti
Bengaluru,27 October(HS): Salem Nanjundaiah Subba Rao bid adieu to the materialistic world this morning at the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital at Jaipur in Rajasthan. A revered personality among all those who came in contact with him with several accomplishments to his credit. In this respect, his passing away has culminated at the end of an era of glorious history.
Probably Bhai Ji, as he was fondly known among his lakhs of admirers spread across the country and many others around the globe was an unassumingly never-ending fountain of energy, enthusiasm and inspiration. Perhaps, he was the lone, non-political charismatic figure in independent India devoid of any political or party power but had an impassionate impact that swept away young minds of this diverse country.
There could be any number of instances to illustrate the significance of the towering being. For many a Politician, national integration, communal harmony and peace are popular issues to be dealt with during occasions like 15 August, 26 January and some days restricted to such celebrations. But SN Subba Rao literally dedicated his whole life striving for the same.
Thanks to Dr NS Hardikar, founder of Rashtriya Seva Dal of the undivided Indian National Congress and his handpicking of SN Subba Rao to continue the service mantle, there was no looking back.
I cannot divide my body into two: The INC split into two during 1969 at the All India Congress Committee plenary session in the historic glasshouse of Bengaluru. Likewise did many frontal units hitherto attached with the original party. However, SN Subba Rao, till then part and parcel of the Freedom struggle brand of Congress, refused to be aligned with either of the two breakaway factions. He declared: The INC might have split into two parts. But I cannot split my body in that fashion!
Even much before, he knew almost all stalwarts and all those at the helm of affairs within the ruling party for decades. But never ever it struck to him to make the best use of such contacts for personal benefit. He chose to remain apolitical to accomplish his goals towards serving the motherland.
Fluent in several languages: For official record's sake he was being born and brought up in Bengaluru. But once he joined the Seva Dal and made it his life mission, he hardly had time to keep visiting his native place every now and then. Once he actively plunged into public life, the whole country became his field of activities. There was no state he never visited nor didn't organise National integration Camps. By the virtue of his lifelong travelling, he developed mastery over several languages and was fluent enough in most of the Indian regional languages.
Moving spirit: The national integration camps of the National Youth Project(NYP) were a lifetime experience for all those who took part in. It used to be a spectacular sight of young boys and girls from different corners of the country coming together for such youth camps. Late SR Bommai, then Revenue minister during 1983 remarked at the inaugural function of the NYP camp at Vidyanagar, on the outskirts of Bengaluru: SN Subba Rao is a great moving spirit!
A great singer of national and patriotic songs: Mass prayers and singing of devotional, patriotic songs were very much part of the NYP youth camps schedule. There used to be prayers in the early morning and evening hours wherein devotional songs were sung in a melodious way by Bhai Ji while he made use of different segments to sing nationalist songs in an impressive, emotional way.
CK Jaffer Sharieff demands to have lunch to avail of student concession!: SN Subba Rao, apart from travelling extensively across the country had an equally busy routine in the nation's capital for ensuring smooth conduct of the youth camps in different parts of the country. The Railway Department's student concession facility for the campers was an important aspect of any camp. Krishna Itnal, a septuagenarian Gandhian and ardent disciple of Bhai Ji, settled in Pune recollect the type of personal relationship the latter enjoyed: CK Jaffer Shariff happened to be the union Railways Minister. Bhai Ji called on him to plead for student concession to a youth camp. The minister willingly agreed but put forth a condition to come to his house in Bengaluru to have lunch with his family!
No hotel and lodge to halt!: Everyone travelling for personal, official or business purposes to different places are compelled to halt in a lodging. But, you may never believe, not in the case of Bhai Ji. Irrespective of travelling within the country or elsewhere, he remained in the houses of known people only. In this way, he developed a personal bond with family members and thereby left an everlasting impression on the whole family. Perhaps imagining any other public personality with such peculiar practices earlier or now is nothing else but unthinkable.
None to succeed or takeover: The sorry state of affairs with all-mighty leaders is no different with SN Subba Rao as well. He was a persona exemplary, luxurious with every possible virtue. He set up the Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram at Jaura in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. It came up to look into the rehabilitation of surrendered dacoits of the Chambal valley. However, sadly there are no real successors in reality and spirit to take his mission forward!
Hindusthan Samachar/Manohar Yadavatti