Madandas Devi, Dreamer of Empowered India..!?
madan Das's life journey illustrates the wonders that can be achieved when selfishness is put aside and collectivism is given importance. Trained as a Chartered Accountant, he could have made a comfortable living. But he aimed to shape the young minds of this country. It was to work for the development of India. When we lost madan Das Devi a few days ago, millions of activists including myself were deeply saddened. The fact that an influential personality like madan Das is no longer with us is challenging. Yet, we take comfort in the knowledge that his influence lives on forever. His teachings and principles are a beacon of inspiration and guidance on the journey ahead.
I had the privilege of working closely with madan Das for many years. I saw their simplicity and gentle nature very closely. He was a supreme organizer. I also spent a lot of time in their organization. It was therefore natural that aspects of organizational development and activist development would feature regularly in our discussions. During one such conversation, I asked him where he originally belonged. He said, I am from a village near Solapur in maharashtra and our ancestors are from Gujarat. But they didn't know exactly where they came from. I told them that I had a teacher surnamed Devi and that she belonged to Visnagar. Later he visited Visnagar and Vadnagar. Our talks were also in Gujarati.
Among madan Das's many specialties was the ability to understand the emotions behind words. Soft-spoken and always cheerful, he could condense hours-long discussions into just a few sentences.
madan Das had unwavering faith in the youth of India. He was able to connect with youth across India. He was engrossed in strengthening the All india Student Council. Yashwantrao Kelkar was one of the main people who influenced him in this journey. He was greatly inspired by them and often spoke about them. madan Das always emphasized on empowering women students by providing them a platform to engage in the work of ABVP and contribute to social welfare. She often said that when female students are involved in any collective effort, that effort is always more sensitive. madan Das's love for his students was above all else. He was always among the students, but, like the lotus in the water, he never involved himself in university politics.
Nowadays, the concepts of people management, talent management and skill management are very popular. madan Das was adept at understanding people and focusing their talents on organizational goals. He was special because he realized people's strengths and assigned work based on that. He never agreed with the theory that people should be molded according to their needs. That is why madan Das was a clear voice for any young activist of new thought. Because of that many people who worked with him were recognized on their own merits. Hence, organizations grew massively under his leadership. Although they are large in scale and scope, they are well organized and effective.
click and follow Indiaherald WhatsApp channel