Author: Publication
Publication: Asian Age
Date: Aug 28, 2000
It was a journey down
memory lane for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee when he visited the
Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh headquarters at Reshimbagh in Nagpur and met
his "guru," octogenarian Narayan Tarte, and received a bouquet from him.
The Prime Minister, who
was accompanied by Union home minister L.K. Advani, became nostalgic
recalling the time when he joined the RSS "shakha" in Gwalior in 1939 under
the influence of Mr Narayan Tarte. "I was among the few Hindi-speaking
youngsters who had joined the shakha for undergoing training at Gwalior,"
he said. "I had the privilege of undergoing training under RSS founder,
Dr Hedgewar, and former chief Golwalkar," Mr Vajpayee added.
Expressing his satisfaction
over whatever he had been able to deliver so far, Mr Vajpayee pledged to
his "guru" to continue doing his best for the nation. The 87-year-old
Tarte was all praise for Mr Vajpayee who, he said, wrote letters to him
enquiring about his health. A native of Akola district of Maharashtra,
Mr Tarte is suffering from a kidney ailment.
Mr Vajpayee also paid
tributes to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar at Deeksha Bhoomi, where the late dalit
leader and architect of the Indian Constitution embraced Buddhism in 1956.
Mr Vajpayee wrote in the visitors' book: "There is no liberty without social
justice," endorsing the views of Ambedkar. He was accompanied by
Mr L.K. Advani, who wrote: "In the history of India's social transformation,
this place, associated with the architect of India's Constitution, has
a special place."(PTI)
