PM Modi honours Ashok Singhal on birth centenary, calls him an organisational genius

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tribute to Ashok Singhal, the former international working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), on the occasion of his birth centenary, describing him as an "organisational genius" and recalling his "pivotal role" in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Writing in an OpEd, Mr. Modi reflected on his long association with Mr. Singhal, who was born on September 27, 1926, and died on November 17, 2015. The Prime Minister said he counted it a privilege to have had numerous opportunities to interact with him and to receive his affection, recalling that one of their earliest exchanges dated back to 1981, when he was a young Karyakarta and received a handwritten letter from Mr. Singhal.

Mr. Modi wrote of Mr. Singhal both as a person and as an organiser. Over several decades, he said, he watched him devote himself to projects that involved long and often difficult travel to the remotest areas. He recalled that Mr. Singhal's mind was constantly occupied with what more could be done for those on the margins of society, and that whenever a part of the country was struck by a natural disaster, Mr. Singhal was either among the first to reach the spot or among those guiding Karyakartas in relief efforts. The Prime Minister described his own experience with Mr. Singhal in the aftermath of the 2001 Kutch earthquake as unforgettable.

Noting that Mr. Singhal came from an illustrious and prosperous family, Mr. Modi said his father, Mahavir Ji, was a distinguished administrator, while one brother, B.P. Singhal, became a police officer and later a Member of Parliament, and another, V.P. Singhal, served as Chief Secretary of Tripura when the State was newly formed. Other family members, he added, found success in commerce and agriculture.

Yet Mr. Singhal, according to the Prime Minister, had a different calling: the revival of Bharat and bringing glory to the children of Maa Bharti. Growing up in Prayagraj, he would sit for hours on the banks of the Sangam, where his interest in the river was matched by his curiosity about the saints, seers and devotees who gathered there. That experience, Mr. Modi wrote, nurtured his understanding of India's cultural ethos and strengthened his resolve to work for society, drawing him eventually to the RSS, where he embraced every responsibility with enthusiasm, discipline and a sense of duty.

Mr. Modi cited two episodes that he said brought out Mr. Singhal's legendary persona. The first was a convention organised by the VHP in the United States in 1993 to mark 100 years since Swami Vivekananda's Chicago address, where the vision, planning and coordination of diverse stakeholders, he said, revealed Mr. Singhal's organisational genius. The second was the World Hindu Conference held in 2000 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where the Prime Minister recalled seeing Mr. Singhal's presence ignite enthusiasm among delegates, and described his words of appreciation after his own address as a deeply moving experience.

Highlighting Mr. Singhal's role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Mr. Modi recalled his address at the Boat Club Rally in 1991 and the defining image of an injured and bleeding Mr. Singhal at the peak of the movement. The Prime Minister said that if a grand Ram Mandir stands in Ayodhya today, it is because of stalwarts like him who selflessly immersed themselves in the effort, adding that Mr. Singhal would have been the happiest person to see the temple take shape.

Mr. Modi also pointed to Mr. Singhal's belief in a harmonious society and the need to reaffirm the message of brotherhood. It was his thought, the Prime Minister wrote, that the first brick of the Ram Mandir would be laid by Kameshwar Choupal, a grassroots VHP Karyakarta from Bihar who came from the marginalised sections of society. At a Dharm Sansad in Kashi, Mr. Singhal decided that the Dom Raja would be honoured and went on to work with him in various community efforts.

Expressing the hope that more young people would learn about Mr. Singhal on his birth centenary, Mr. Modi called for a renewed pledge to realise his dreams for the nation and its people.