RSS swayamsevaks reaching out first and working in and during natural and sometimes man-made disasters is well known. However, the Corona disaster is a very different kind of challenge. A highly infectious disease is around us; and people on the field are at the same risk as the medical and sanitation workers who are trying to mitigate the sufferings of the people. Only challenge of similar nature I recall is plague in Surat in 1993. Luckily it was localised crisis, but RSS swayamsevaks who worked in the area faced huge challenge. When asked, one swayamsevak said, “We are not afraid, we have taken inoculation from Dr. Hedgewar.” (The founder of RSS)

Apart from direct risk to health, second challenge is logistics - restricted movement due to lockdown and problem of procurement.  In this restriction, it is difficult to imagine how organisations like Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram with 800 of its workers reached out to 2507 villages across 15 states in Bharat, serving 31279 families as on 13^th April. VKA along with RSS supported 1000 North East students spread over India with every possible help they required.  Chief Minister of Arunachal Prema Khandu appreciated all these efforts in a tweet.

It is beauty of RSS training that the initial response from RSS swayamsevaks and workers of allied organisations were spontaneous and localised.  A swayamsevak running a very small shop in the chawls of Ghatkopar called me up to tell that he had made a list of 21 homes where daily wage earners did not have any ration. In Mumbai there are many people from outside, who don’t have local ration card, so they have no access to economic grains and government support. We collected some funds and transferred to his account.  A trustee of a college opened up his college for community kitchen within two days. Within a few days, he was looking after cooking and distribution of 25000 food packets every day.  As days passed by, mutual co-operation, information sharing, organising teams saw about 100,000 food packets being distributed every day to the needy.  In two weeks 1.1 million food packets were distributed. Dry ration was also provided to 28000 families in first two weeks and 205 bottles of blood collected. Besides providing food, RSS distributed 12000 gloves to medical workers, transported patients, arranged accommodation for doctors and employees of major hospitals since they could not go home and disinfected around 1500 premises.

In Delhi RSS reached out to aged people living alone. RSS women associates distributed food grain and essential items to sex workers. Young Swayamsevaks, swept and cleaned quarantine facilities and helped in setting up temporary hospitals in Kerala. In UP, RSS handed over an entire school building for quarantine. Several RSS related schools served as temporary shelter houses for people in trouble.

RSS and its associate organisations do not have enough resources to provide relief supplies to all the needy. RSS approached local temple trusts, various Jain groups, trade bodies, caste- based organisations, regional organisations and private philanthropist trusts for help. All of the, responded promptly to RSS’s call. Of the 30 kitchens set up in Mumbai, some large kitchens are supported by private trusts. RSS members voluntarily contributed towards these efforts.

RSS swayamsevaks acted with extreme alacrity in response to the chaos that loomed along the Delhi-UP borders when thousands of UP migrant labourers descended near bus depots. Swamyamsevaks not only helped in controlling the swelling crowds but rallied information quickly to the RSS units along the highways right up to Bihar who set up temporary relief camps for poor on the move. These camps acted as resting places and cadres guided them to their destinations. RSS units also provided masks, sanitisers and PPE suits to medical workers. During the entire exercise nobody was discriminated along caste, creed or religion lines.

There is a general perception that youth are not serious about national issues. But it is gratifying to find 30,000 colleges students working under the guidance of ABVP supporting the fight against Corona. They set up a call centre and worked in 1558 locations in 796 districts serving 635,000 citizens. Vishwa Hindu Parishad, whose strong stand on Hindu issues overshadows its work in sewa, has done great work across Bharat. It is working in 2500 locations with 15,000 workers on the field. They have served 150,000 families so far with food packets and dry rations. It also set up Call centres for prompt reach. Sewa Bharati too has set up call centres at state level.

It has been effort a concerted effort of the society and RSS has mostly acted as a co-ordinating agency, providing logistics and man power support. RSS and its associates are working in all the states of India.  204,000 RSS volunteers working at 25,924 places have so far served 2.56 million citizens.  (I have attached state wise details in the attachment. As per RSS organisational structure, it has 44 states)^1.

There is a word that carries more significance in RSS than in normal conversation.  The word is ‘sampark’, that is ‘contact’ or ‘connect’.  We are in touch with each other, not just in touch but there is warmth and informality about it. I redirected atleast 10 cases where people in distress through RSS ‘sampark’ received support within hours, sometimes in less than two hours. A friend in Powai was worried about his father in Vile Parle (12 km distance) who refused to move out of his home. Within two hours RSS volunteers reached him. The beauty of our social warmth is that his neighbours told the volunteers that they need not come, they would take care! The case of an old couple in Vile Parle, Mumbai receiving help within hours of a message seeking support was flashed in Houston, USA. We reached the contact through two international and two domestic links. This warmth and informality of ‘sampark’ and confidence that the response will be prompt is one of the secrets of RSS strength.

We all know, it is a long battle. RSS and its associates are aware of this and preparing for the long haul. It is a pity that the so-called national media, which is a euphemism for English has completely ignored the work of RSS. Except a short mention by Anand Narasimhan in Network18 on 16^th April in the evening bulletin, it is totally missing.  Largest circulated Hindi and regional newspapers, portals and TV channels have given decent coverage. Except PGurus with carried an exclusive interview with me, even large English portals have neglected this huge humanitarian effort. Such news is important to raise the morale of the society and create positivity among the people on the field.  I hope writers in various newspapers will try to fill this gap.

I have many videos, photographs and newspaper reports. In case, any friend needs it, please feel free to contact me. I will WhatsApp such information.

1. https://www.newsbharati.com/Encyc/2020/4/24/rss-covid-sewa-karya.html