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It is normal for a Sangh Pracharak to work like saints. All
Pracharaks were habituated of this type of work. They washed their
clothes themselves, but Deshmukh suffered from soap allergy. He
suffered from rashes all over the hand as soon as he touched soap,
which caused him much pain, yet he continued to bear with it for
years and did his work himself. When the situation turned
unbearable and the doctors insisted, only then did he get ready to
get his clothes washed by others.
Due to the breach of the Machchu dam, Morbi and the areas
surrounding it were completely destroyed. The Sangh’s
Swayamsevaks took lead in undertaking immediate relief work,
health service, cleanliness campaign, removing and performing
final rites for the dead bodies of men and animals, and the like.
And then they engaged themselves in the reconstruction of
Morbi for about three years after this incidence. Not only in
Gujarat but in the entire country, the spirit of service displayed
at Morbi went on to be institutionalized as the Sangh’s culture.
Even today, the Sangh’s volunteers are the first to reach a site of
natural calamity in any corner of the country. In a way, working
in the capacity of the Prant Pracharak, Deshmukh’s foresight
has evolved into one of the important attitudes and tendencies
in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The entire fabric of the Sangh work is systematic and
planned. Broadly, the calendar for the year comprises different
types of programmes, tours of small and big officers and the
like. A characteristic of Deshmukh was that he always infused
novelty into the continuously undergoing projects – how to
make them lively, how to create an invigorated and energetic
atmosphere for them. Deshmukh was an organizer as well as
planner. When we were talking to him in January in connection
with some contemporary errands, he would be thinking of the
programmes to be held around Diwali later that year. He
planned and organized things well in advance, sometimes as
early as eight to ten months, in order to keep his comrades
motivated and energetic.
If a man cultivates even a single quality to its zenith, he
assumes greatness; while Deshmukh had cultivated a number
of qualities in his dedicated life and devoted them to the Sangh