65 years ago, a 23-year-old man achieved a gold medal in Mechanical Engineering. Despite being offered a promising career with a golden carpet laid out before him, this young man harbored different aspirations. His ambition was to dedicate himself to serving society. Born in the Gundivandeyawar district of Karnataka to Shri Bhrmhasuraiyya, a government officer, and mother Puttatayamma, he charted an unconventional path. Instead of opting for a lucrative corporate job, he chose to become a full-time Pracharak for the RSS in 1957. We are referring to Shri Ajit ji Kumar, a highly influential pracharak of the RSS.
Ajit ji established a unique model of service in Bengaluru called the “Hindu Sewa Pratishthan.” Here, volunteers underwent training to become Sewa workers, with women also actively participating in dedicating their lives to this noble cause. To put this concept into action, he selected 23 young volunteers in 1980 and provided them with 40 days of training. Subsequently, these trained volunteers were instrumental in running various projects such as Nele, Arun, Prasanna Counseling Center, Sewamitra, and Supraja. Over the last 42 years, until 2022, this idea has evolved into a substantial program, with more than 4000 volunteers trained, including 3500 women. Some of these volunteers devoted 3 years, while others dedicated a decade or even their entire lives to this act of Sewa.
Ajit ji pursued his engineering studies in Bengaluru, where he was introduced to the RSS during his first year of college. This introduction transformed his life completely. After becoming a pracharak in 1957, he engaged in various projects at different levels until the Emergency period, during which he spent two years in prison. True to his nature as a Sewa warrior, he even taught Yoga to fellow inmates. Ajit ji is credited with incorporating Yoga into the Sangha education curriculum, a feat he accomplished by learning Yoga from renowned Yoga gurus Shri Pattabhi and Shri Iyengar.
According to Sarkaryavah Shri Dattatreya Hasboleji, who played a significant role in shaping the syllabus of training at Hindu Sewa Pratishthan, Ajit ji was perpetually concerned about the ratio between those in need of Sewa and the Sewa warriors available. The number of individuals requiring assistance far exceeded the number of those capable of providing it. Ajit ji also lamented the limited participation of women, who naturally inclined toward Sewa work. This concern inspired him to establish training programs to groom Sewa warriors, encompassing lessons on ethics, the richness of Indian culture, the biographies of great individuals, and the importance of Sewa and Yoga. After completing their training, these Sewa warriors would spend three years working in their chosen Sewa sector. Most of these individuals, after these initial years of service, chose to dedicate their entire lives to helping those in need.
Ms. Vanita Hegde, who received training in 1989, recalls, “Ajit ji was only with us for nine years after the institution’s establishment, but he poured all his energy into making this project successful.” Vanita ji now serves as the coordinator and recounts how Ajit ji personally participated in the training sessions. He formed close bonds with the trainees and could discern who was best suited for specific areas of service. He also spent time with Sewa warriors in the field. Impressed by his natural warmth and visionary thinking, many young men and women were inspired to take the lifelong service pledge. He believed that individuals with high morale should be nurtured first to effectively serve society. As the first director of Hindu Seva Pratishthan, Ajit ji conveyed this sentiment to his colleagues as well.
Everything was progressing smoothly until the nation was shocked by Ajit ji’s sudden demise in a car accident on December 3, 1990, during his early morning visit from Keshav Krupa, Bengaluru, to Tumkuru. While paying tribute to Ajit ji, Nanaji Deshmukh remarked that it was once inconceivable that a 16-year-old girl could become a Sewa warrior simply by filling out a form. However, Ajit ji turned this seemingly impossible idea into a successful project.
