A Remarkable Political Movement by V. Shanmuganathan

This concise book portrays the vignettes of what I call ‘A Remarkable Political Movement’. It draws upon my experiences in social and political activism. This remarkable movement, anchored to Indian view of nationalism, captivated my imagination. Subsequently, it became the preoccupation of my life.
While still young, I came across an extraordinary letter written by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay to his maternal uncle. The letter succinctly explains why the ideologue of Jana Sangh wanted to dedicate his life for the cause of the nation. Pt. Upadhyay says, “Any individual may achieve a very high degree of progress, but that has no significance unless his motherland too, registers corresponding progress…. We are nowadays interested only in reaping the harvest and have forgotten to provide the field with manure. Can we not forego a few worthless ambitions for the protection and benefit of our own people?” The letter turned a refreshing chapter in my life. It was an exposition that ‘giving’ makes one nobler than ‘taking’.
It was in 1951 that Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee launched the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. The BJP is continuing the work of the Jana Sangh with a missionary zeal to make Bharat the greatest country in the world. The book also contains some articles on India’s rich cultural, spiritual and literary life.