In the light of recent comments by the RSS chief
Mohan Bhagwat about the work of Mother Teresa, there has been wide spread
criticism by the so called “liberal and secular” people. It is the result of
ignorance among people about their own religion. They sing songs of praise for
Christian missionaries but have they ever tried to know what great work is done
by Hindu Organisations?
Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh is
a charitable, educational and volunteer nationalist organization. At the time
of partition of India when millions of Hindus and Sikhs fled Pakistan to find
refuge in India, the RSS arranged for food, medicines, shelter, tents etc. The
RSS organised over 3,000 relief camps.
Role at the time of India-China war of
1962:
During the Sino-Indian War
in 1962, Swayamsevaks from the whole India assembled in the northeast to
help the army. Due to their contribution Jawaharlal Nehru invited the RSS to
take part in the Republic Day parade of 1963.
1984 Anti Sikh riots:
At the time of Anti Sikh
riots in Delhi, the RSS helped Sikhs when murderers went on rampage to kill
them. The RSS was the only organisation that came to help Sikhs when in Rajiv
Gandhi’s words “A big tree fell and the ground had shaken”.
Sewa activities:
The RSS has helped people
in natural disasters like Tsunami, earthquakes, floods, the Bhopal gas tragedy
and Assam riots. The disaster relief provided by the Sangh in Jammu and Kashmir
floods was enormous. Around 2,000 kg of cattle feed was distributed among
villagers for their livestock.
Work in education sector:
Samvedana Rehabilitation Centre
has been set up at Latur for handicapped
children. The RSS has started many hostels for students to provide them
free accommodation. Various Bal Sanskar Kendras, primary schools, secondary
schools and libraries are run all across India. The RSS runs 27,000 Ekal
Vidyalayas in tribal areas.
Role
in Health sector:
The Arogya Rakshaks are rendering primary health
services in remote villages of the nation. They provide people free basic
health care facilities and essential medicines.
Employment
generation:
The Hindu organisations are running self-employment
training centres especially for women to train them in occupations like
farming, bee-keeping, agriculture, etc.
Many orphanages and hospitals are
run all across India. Hundreds of Drinking Water Centres have been set up in
India. Free food is provided to people taking part in pilgrimages. The RSS has
adopted thousands of children from militancy affected areas of Jammu and
Kashmir.
Cow
protection:
All across India, goshalas are run to save cows. The
Hindus donate generously to Goshalas.
Every year trucks full of cows being sent to butchers are saved by the Hindu
activists.
Now, let us see the work done by Missionaries
of Charity
Missionaries of Charity was
established in 1950 by Mother Teresa. Missionaries work for ex-prostitutes,
mentally ill, sick children, lepers, and people with AIDS.
They run schools for street
children. They have 19 homes in Kolkata for women, orphans, and for dying
people. They have a leper colony.
Several clinics provide medication and food to people suffering from
leprosy.
Quality
of care provided:
The quality of care offered to
terminally ill patients is a subject of controversy. Many international
observers raised questions about the standard of care available to the ill. Dr.
Robin Fox commented about the lack of full-time medically-trained personnel and
the absence of pain killers. A British volunteer objected that syringes were
rinsed in cold water and reused and inmates were given cold baths. Another
objection was that aspirin was administered to people with terminal cancer. The
enormous funds that the charity received were majorly spent on nuns and
brothers.
After reading the article we can
conclude that if Christians are doing good work, the Hindus are not behind in
any way. It is just that the Hindus do not sing songs of self praise. The need
is to highlight the work done by them that goes unnoticed.
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