DIVINE INDIA

BY
NARENDRA MODI

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 DUTY,
NOT PITY FOR THE HANDICAPPED

Many people feel like helping the handicapped. I have

observed that the handicapped resent pity because of their innate
handicaps don’t like the pitiable help from anybody because of their
disposition and God-given willpower. They refuse to take help from
others, and believe in not burdening others and still living life in the
best possible manner. I think that such willpower is missing in
normal people like us.
Most people in society think that they should pity the
handicapped. I think there cannot be a greater insult than this. Pity is
not the correct mindset for a healthy mind and a healthy society;
instead we should feel a sense of duty towards them. The
responsibility of any handicapped person in any family should be
shared by the entire society, state and nation, not just the immediate
family. Such a healthy environment existed in our society in olden
times, but we must now work actively to recreate it. If this does not
happen, society as a whole becomes handicapped. An ideal society
is one which considers the handicapped as their assets.
We have carried out the first such experiment across India, which
should be noticed and discussed if there is any sensitivity left in
society. It is unfortunate that there is an extreme lack of sensitivity
to the extent that no one notices even the most inspiring events. Our
state has a dedicated commission working for the handicapped.
Earlier, being placed at this commission was considered akin to a
punishment; only the good-for-nothing persons were sent there.
Even someone working there willingly was seen with suspicion
about his abilities. For the first time, we appointed a blind person as
the Director of the Commission. I requested him to leave his
position of a professor at a college in order to take up this post. This
has led to the entire approach changing. A person who has
undergone pain is bound to understand the pain of others.
There is another major decision taken by our government. Earlier,
even a handicapped child needed thirty-five marks to pass an
examination. We need to understand that a normal child can lift a
book faster than a handicapped child. Therefore, for the first time in
India, this State Government has ruled that a handicapped child can
pass an examination with twenty marks. This change is not large in
itself; but if we can empathize with the problems of the common
man, God will inspire us to take good decisions.

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 I have several private sector industrialists who insist on employing
handicapped persons for special tasks. They earn a special sense of
fulfilment by enabling such persons to earn their living. Most of
them do not even apply for any award to the government. Such tasks
cannot be carried out by the government alone. The State
Government tries to felicitate those who serve the handicapped
through awards. We are not declaring the tasks done by us; only
asking society to notice the good things which have been done.

IN THE SERVICE OF LEPROSY

PATIENTS
In order to realize the government’s goal of a healthy society and
to take proper care of the health of every citizen of the state, the
State Government has created specialized health plans and has been
successful in completely eradicating diseases such as polio and
leprosy from the state.
Along with the unparalleled services provided by social
organizations that believe in the humane approach advocated by
Mahatma Gandhi for the treatment and care of leprosy patients, the
health department of the state has adopted a holistic approach that
has yielded dramatic results. The occurrence of leprosy which was
21.1 per 10,000 in 1985 has now reduced to 7.86 per 10,000 at the
end of January 2007. Timely and regular treatment has resulted into
5639 patients being completely cured. In order to encourage patients
to come forward unhesitatingly for such treatment, which in itself is
extremely expensive, the State Government has adopted the
approach of free and multi-pronged treatment for all leprosy
patients. The government also provides reconstructive surgery and
MRC shoes free of cost to patients who have lost their limbs.
During the May 2005 annual meeting of the Hindu Leprosy
Eradication Union, then President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam praised
the steps taken by the Gujarat Government’s health department in
the treatment and eradication of leprosy and appealed to other states
to follow its exemplar model. This proves that Gujarat has been at
the forefront of leprosy eradication. These efforts of the state have
also been appreciated at the international level. The Gujarat
Government was felicitated by the Sasakawa Memorial Health
Foundation, Japan and the International Leprosy Union, Pune at a
function on January 30, 2007.
q

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 EMPATHY,
NOT SYMPATHY
(On the occasion of the silver jubilee celebrations of the Shram
Mandir Trust, Singhrot district, Vadodara. January 17, 2004)

The greatest problem with leprosy is that it is highly

misunderstood. Unfortunately, in spite of the spate of advertising
through media, we have not achieved any satisfactory success. Even
if we cannot do anything else, any attempt to remove the
misunderstanding surrounding leprosy as a part of society would be
a service to the affected people, who have to undergo great trauma.
It is not that family members stop loving an affected family
member, but the media can play a positive role if it wishes to.
Noble activities are society-driven rather than state-driven. The
government may support noble causes but it should not be
dependent on the government. Organizations can function better in
absence of interference from the State Government. Our forefathers
had established a system which was created by the capability of
society and awarded by the government. Maintaining this tradition
can develop our potential.
Any unit which works with the support of the entire society will
always be stable and capable. These values flow naturally and create
a long-lasting approach towards society. Our scriptures describe the
responsibilities of a king as under:

“Neither do I desire to rule the state, nor do I heaven or rebirth.

My only desire is to wipe the tears of unhappy people.”
This is the role of a king as defined in our country. Swami
Vivekanand has described the role of a saint –
“Put your God aside for some time, whether the Lord Shiva,
Goddess Parvati, Lord Krishna or Lord Ganpati. We should have
only one God – Daridra Narayan (a poor person). Once you serve
him, God Himself will come to you. Serving the poor is the best
form of religion. A society deeply embedded with values and morals
will come forward to help the suffering and care for them, which is
its greatest strength. This strength needs to be acknowledged from
time-to-time.”
q

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 TO SERVE IS THE GRACE OF
GOD
(On the occasion of distribution of tricycles to the handicapped at
the behest of the Bankim Pathak Association, Ahmedabad.
October 12, 2003)

Governments all over the country allot budgetary funds for the
welfare of the handicapped and make plans for them. Gujarat leads
in these activities, and yet, we have many more things to do.
We do not believe that those who have been less blessed are
pitiable. It may be that this feeling has risen in our hearts so that we
can understand the sensibilities of others. All these physical
difficulties should be accepted as God’s grace. Only when we see
this with a sense of devotion, can we ascertain its true value.
The desire of doing something for the society is very important.
Our country has been plagued by two words since freedom. These
words have made us irresponsible and have taken over our lives,
transforming themselves into an epidemic. We have accepted them
so casually in our lives that we do not even realize their severity.
These words are “Mare shu” (How am I concerned) and “Maru shu”
(What is in it for me). If I see a rock on the road, how am I
concerned? If someone is handicapped, the show will go on without
him, it is none of my business. Coming out of the trap of these
words will require a huge battle with yourself, family, friends, your
status and position. It is almost similar to the Chakravyuh that
Abhimanyu found himself in and you must come out of it
confidently.
When I was working in Morbi, a devastating flood in the Machhu
River caused huge destruction and killed numerous people. It was a
heart-wrenching tragedy. We, the volunteers of RSS, went there in
groups and worked for five-seven days cleaning the debris,
removing dead bodies, organizing cremations and providing food
for the flood-stricken people. Some perverted people would allege
that RSS workers were only there to lay their hands on the jewellery
and other valuables found on the dead bodies. Our country is full of
such perverts – I come across almost a dozen of them daily. I often
wonder where they concoct such allegations from – maybe we
should make a dictionary of such allegations.
I will not take names, but a very well-known person once stopped
our volunteers who were carrying the dead body of a child and

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asked them why they were doing this job when the military, police,
members of Lok Rakshak Dal, villagers or even his family members
were not doing it. The young RSS volunteers stared at him and
asked him that if they did not do it, who would? Whether we are
from Amreli, Surat or Valsad, this calamity has stricken our society.
If we don’t help our suffering brethren, who will? Such a feeling of
unity inspires human beings to serve others.
Most people serve with an underlying sense of pity. All of us may
have written essays on, “I helped a blind person to cross the road,”
when we are asked to write about some service rendered. Is
everybody in the village blind that 300 children need to help them
cross the road? But we write because we have to write. Empathy
cannot be created by mere writing, one must feel the pain. We must
visualize ourselves in their situation and feel that they are our own,
instead of feeling pity for them. The feeling of pity only satisfies our
ego. We have to realize that they are a part of our society and
develop a feeling of belonging instead of pity. This is a collective
social responsibility. If one house is burning in a village, the whole
village will rush to extinguish the fire, even if they do not have good
relations with the victims, because there is a feeling of social
responsibility. Likewise, everybody is a part of the society and
helping them overcome their troubles is our social responsibility.
The suffering should not feel dissatisfied, they should not have to
wait for the obligation of the society, but they should look upon
society as an extension of themselves. This would greatly boost
their confidence and they would be able to participate in the
progress of our nation.
q

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 EXPERIENCING THE EMOTIONS
(At the inauguration of Dr. P.V. Doshi School for the Deaf and
Dumb, Rajkot)

What should be the approach towards the handicapped inour

society? If some person is handicapped in one family, his
responsibility should be taken up by the entire society instead of that
family alone. If the entire society helps that family, the burden will
be removed. Such an exercise should be carried out with a feeling of
responsibility rather than pity or mercy, without which it will not be
service in the true sense. When God inspires us to do such noble
work, we must empathize and feel the same pain that he feels. If we
are unable to experience this, we are emotionally handicapped. All
of us should do a self-introspection to make sure that we are not
emotionally handicapped. If one feels kindness for society, one sees
every person as a brother. Only the immediate family of a
handicapped person can imagine the trauma and stress associated
with taking care of him. Any institute working for this objective is
accomplishing a great achievement. I don’t think there can be a
greater benevolence than this.
One such rare combination of duty and kindness was seen in the
life of Pappaji (Late Shri Pranlal Vrajlal Doshi, RSS Coordinator,
Gujarat). The school for the deaf and dumb at Rajkot is noteworthy.
Pappaji’s own daughter was handicapped. He merged his family’s
defect with the entire society and resolved to provide to every
handicapped child everything that he would give his own daughter.
The school for the deaf and dumb at Rajkot is a living monument of
kindness. To Pappaji’s highly enlightened mind, this school was
more important than a temple. The impact of his personality reflects
in his school.
Pappaji’s genuine feelings and love for this school and its
activities were immense. It would even seem that his attachment for
the school was even more than that for his family. His approach
towards the handicapped was enshrined in the practical form of the
RSS values. If the entire society takes the responsibility of a
handicapped person, it would be a great relief to his family. There
should be feeling of empathy rather than sympathy for the
handicapped and society should feel their pain.
q
 

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CREATING A HEALTHY SOCIETY
(Aarogyaraksha Havan Arpanvidhi, Anti-tobacco Day, Balwant Rai
Mehta Hall, Kankaria, Ahmedabad.May 31, 2003)

We are facing so many problems only because we are looking for

answers away from the original philosophies of our country. We
have forgotten Lord Rama as a symbol of reverence, we do not
follow his example and thus we invite AIDS. We then have to plan
campaigns to avoid AIDS. Our ancient philosophy says that God is
present in everything, in the entire world and in every living being.
Because we have wandered from this philosophy and stopped seeing
life in trees, we chop down trees mercilessly. For thousands of
years, we had no environment-related problems. Now, by leaving
the natural life behind us, we have spoiled the delicate balance.
Once upon a time, our ancestors used to eat at home and go out for
nature’s call. Today we go out to eat and use the house only for
answering nature’s call. We have turned our life upside down –
Ganesh Bidi, Vivekanand Maternity Home – could this be imagined
earlier? The main underlying reason is that we have forgotten the
true objective of life. When the objective is lost, delusions appear.
By welcoming delusions, we are welcoming destruction. Forgetting
our values is at the root of all our problems.
The news media is very effective in this day and age. One of my
friends works for a TV channel in Delhi. I always find him chewing
tobacco. I often tell him that in spite of working as a journalist and
an anchor on TV, he has missed the messages shown on it. We see
ads on TV telling us that tobacco is injurious to health, we read in
newspapers that cigarette smoking is injurious to health, but we are
not affected. Even when celebrities preach this, people do not pay
heed to it. We now need to undertake a self-analysis.
Cancer is a terrible way to lose a family member. Alcohol, drugs
and tobacco are terrorists that destroy our youth. The enemies of our
country push our youth towards such intoxicants.
When the bread-winner of a family gets addicted to smoking or
alcohol, it destroys the whole family. Therefore, awareness and
commitment to change is essential. I do not have the right to preach,
but this is an effort to save our coming generation. Let us awaken
the hidden potential in society, which will lead to good morals and
create a healthy society which will benefit the future generations.
q

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 OUR ELDERS:
OUR SOCIAL STRENGTH

(Inauguration of special ambulance by Sargam Club, Rajkot.

October 7, 2003)

Volunteer groups have been active in our country for a longtime,

mostly in the form of Mahajans, which served society in various
ways such as helping build schools, cow-sheds, rest houses or even
ponds. This system led to some very good activities. Unfortunately,
recent times have seen the rise of a group of hypocrites, for whom
the term, “Five star activists,” is appropriate.
Five star activists are supposedly engaged in social service, but
they are more interested in their own enjoyment. They loiter around
wearing long kurtas at day and go to five star hotels at night. With
their limited knowledge of computers and English, they put up the
security of the nation for auction. These perverted people are part of
a large organization, and we are trying hard to save our country
from their grip.
The thought that this is my society and its problems are my own
will spur us to use our God-given gifts for the betterment of people
and give us great satisfaction.
The elderly have the wealth of experience. All over the world,
especially in Western countries, they are feted as the strength of
society. In our country, they are the heads of families and our social
strength. Earlier, grandparents used to mould the new generation
with their values and morals and five brothers would live together in
one house. Today five brothers are living in five separate bungalows
but cannot accommodate their father. Hence, we must make some
arrangements for the aged. Old-age homes are not in line with our
culture. Old people wish to be helpful to society till their last breath.
We should engage them in the journey of progress to reap the
benefits of their skills and experience.
All over the world you will find senior citizens working for three
to five hours, ready to serve and handle the various activities of
society. We should also take their services where needed. We can
take help of fifteen senior citizens for managing parking
arrangement. If 2000 senior citizens work for two hours each, we
can get 4000 man-hours. What can’t you do with the help of 4000
man-hours? No school or temple would be dirty. The mere presence
of our seniors would be sufficient for this. There should be social
programs handled by senior citizens and the members of these

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programs should be increased gradually. I am very sure that it would
set an example for the entire state. I am ready to convey the message
all over Gujarat that the senior citizens have changed the face of
society. Monthly tours should be organized for them. Even the
Railways has arranged for their comforts.
Families build morals and lullabies are an important component.
But unfortunately lullabies are disappearing. We should work on
this. We should organize competitions for lullabies where only
ladies should be allowed to participate. Lullabies are not only songs
used by mothers to make their children fall asleep – they represent
the journey of moulding children. They are a great asset to awaken
the strength of motherhood in Gujarat.
q

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 SERVICE:
A PROCESS OF OUR CULTURE

(Inauguration of the Annapurna Annkshetra Manav Sewa Mandir,

Lions Club of Digvijaynagar, Digvijaynagar Lions Foundation,
Opposite Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. October 17, 2004)

We have the concept of “Vanprasth-ashram,” in our country. This

name is given to the age between fifty and seventy-five when a
person has completed most worldly commitments and has the time
and willingness to serve the society. Our ancestors had created this
system in a natural manner, which ensured that people experienced
the desire of doing something for society after a lifetime of efforts
behind earning money and taking care of their own family. This
system which once flowed naturally now needs to be brought in
with a lot of efforts.
The number of old-age homes is increasing in our society. As a
matter of policy, I refuse to inaugurate any old-age home because it
is not the sign of a healthy society. The insensitivities in Western
countries led to establishment of old-age homes because children
were not willing to take care of their parents. It is an irony that a son
having five bungalows is not willing to have his father under the
same roof. The father of a poor man may be found living in his hut
for his entire life and sharing the best of what the family has to offer.
This is the basic nature of our society, which is what can save our
society.
Sometimes we study our economy according to the American
economy. But at present American economists are worried about the
impending loss to the American economy. Huge funds are currently
needed for the care of senior citizens of America. However, in India,
elders are very much a part of the family, so the society does not
have to bear the burden of their responsibility. We have to apply
thought to make this structure more powerful and respectable.
Serving others is part of our basic nature. Have you ever seen a
dedicated place for giving grains and water to birds, except in our
civilization? We have this facility in every village and street. We
have always believed that man has to take care of the smallest living
being also. Leaving wheat flour for feeding ants at ant-holes reflects
our kindness to all living beings as well as our inherent nature,
which is a result of our cultural heritage. There is a vast difference
in the lives of dogs. Some privileged dogs have access to air-
conditioned rooms and cars whereas some are kicked when they are

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hungry. Our country has always had arrangements for a food corner
for dogs. After every family meal, dogs are given food. Serving
others is part of our nature and we should think about conveying this
even to the last person of the society.
Myths have been spread that nothing is good in our country. The
blot of slavery has been attached to us because we have been slaves
for a long time. Our age-old suppressed mentality does not give us
the courage to believe in our own positive qualities. We have several
superlative things to present to the world, but we are afraid of doing
so. For example, we believe that we did not serve needy people till
the missionaries entered our country. On the contrary, you will not
be able to travel twenty kilometres without coming across a food
centre which distributes food to the poor. This shows our tradition of
service.
There is a food centre near a hospital in Chennai or Coimbatore,
which has been started by a South Indian saint currently living in
Malaysia. His restaurant, which is better than a five star hotel,
serves food at nominal rates to patients and their relatives.
Respected citizens like judges and doctors provide service here –
they serve food and even pick up the dirty plates, working till the
end of the lunch or dinner session. There is usually a long waiting
period to get the honour of this service, and usually a person gets his
turn for an hour, once in every two years. This is a fabulous social
partnership. If you visit Chennai or Coimbatore, you should see this
tradition and culture.
We often discuss our poor tourism infrastructure. A hotel having
thirty-two hundred rooms would feature in newspapers across the
world, but there are many monasteries in this country with more
than this number of rooms. If you go to, Kali Kamliwala, Hardwar
or Hrishikesh, you will witness the conveniences created by our
ancestors for pilgrims. This signifies that creating social
infrastructure was part of our social activity. Many of these noble
activities vanished under the influence of our slavery. We have to
start them again and plan the program of service. Gradually, it will
be possible to resurrect our original nature, which is essential to
serve the society.
qqq

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