There have been many life-altering moments in the life of Swaminatha Sarma, now known as Sarma Sastrigal. But one that he cherishes most is his meeting with Anna Hazare, anti-graft crusader who is making headlines these days. Writer, social activist and a practising priest, Sastrigal's calm face suddenly lights up and his excitement is palpable as he recalls in minute detail the three days he spent with Hazare at Ralegan Siddhi, way back in 1989.
Sastrigal used to spearhead VIGIL, a public opinion forum, during the 1980s. He had heard about Hazare and his splendid work in turning around an arid and unsafe village in Maharashtra into a model one. “I wanted him to come to Chennai to present the Swami Chidbhavananda Memorial lecture, which was an annual feature of VIGIL.”
That is what led Sastrigal to Ralegan Siddhi and its most famous resident. “I still remember the first time I set eyes on him. Frail-looking, humble and soft spoken, Hazare believed in letting his work speak for him,” remembers Sastrigal, sitting in his modest dwelling in West Mambalam, Chennai. “That trip made a deep impact on my outlook to life.”
Ideal village
Sastrigal gushes, “My impression of Ralegan will remain in memory for ever. Green fields, water bodies everywhere, smiling and courteous people and a sense of peace… it was magical. To think that this little hamlet was once arid, poverty-stricken, hit by drought and plagued by illicit liquor trade. In fact, any theft in the neighbouring villages, and the culprits would invariably be caught in Ralegan. Such was its reputation!”
He goes on… “Actually, you have to see the place to believe it! The houses do not have locks, and shops do not sell cigarettes or beedis. Agriculture, education, religion and philosophy… every aspect is tackled with dogged determination and the people seem content.”
Sastrigal managed to convince Anna Hazare to visit Chennai. The activist stayed for three days during September 1989, and gave a lecture on the importance of service to mankind and social responsibility. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan chaired the event. Hazare also spoke at other fora. He even visited a few villages nearby and met the residents. A press meet was organised, but hardly anybody was present.
“Nobody knew or cared those days. Well, see how the times have changed. Now just mention Hazare, and reporters scramble for a byte,” laughs Sastrigal.
Social cause
Hailing from a family of practising priests, Sastrigal is an RSS advocate. His pastime includes reading ‘Letters to The Editor' columns in newspapers.
“I got so involved that often I would get the addresses of the writers and cycle to their homes to meet them. I did so for nearly eight months. That was when I felt that it would be beneficial if these like-minded people met under one platform. VIGIL is the result of such meetings.”
But circumstances pushed him towards the path of religion and rituals.
“Being a full-time priest means less time for social work. But I hope to get back to it some day,” he says with a smile. Writing the book ‘The Great Hindu Tradition' is an extension of his profession, a “rewarding experience,” as he puts it.
Sastrigal cannot stop talking about Hazare, the visionary (though in recent times, Hazare's comments on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi have left Sastrigal a little disenchanted with him) and Ralegan Siddhi. He wonders why this model has not been adopted in other villages. “If Ralegan can do it, why not others?” he muses.
“Truly, this is the India we all want, don't we?” Indeed, a point to ponder!
(Sarma Sastrigal can be contacted at 24850599 or sarma.sastrigal@gmail.com)
