Nature guided even his sleeping habits 

Swamiji and I had a long association of almost 40 years. Over the years, I noticed certain unique qualities within him that made him stand out from his contemporaries and other activists waging a crusade for the Ganga. Nobody understood nature better than he did. At least not anyone I know of.

He had the talent of making science and other technicalities of nature accessible to the common man. He had the gift of simplifying science down so that even the lesser literates could understand its intricacies.

As the vice-president of our outfit Tarun Bharat Sangh, he contributed immensely to the cause of water conservation and management in India. His cheerful dispensation and knowledgeable temperament used to inspire and lift the spirits of our volunteers and workers. Not only did he impart knowledge to his juniors, he also believed in taking our volunteers out on the field to make them understand the practicalities of many activities with which we are involved. It was out of his humility that he used to state that he always learnt something from his juniors. That is how he inherently was.

I first got in touch with him because of the work we were involved in. He had written a letter to me expressing his intentions to get involved with Tarun Bharat. At the time, he was a well-renowned professor of environmental technology, one of the pioneers in the field in India. He was really interested in our concept of devising a swadeshi way to gauge pollution levels in the air and water.

I replied to him and invited him over to Rajasthan. I had stated just one precondition: that he must leave his engineering in Delhi should he want to join our movement. To my surprise, he agreed. I still recall him having said that he wanted to pick up the engineering we had been specialising in - to create new lakes, check dams and other water conservation practises. “I will leave behind my engineering, but I will learn the engineering you are doing at the ground level” is what he had told me.What followed really made me believe that this man was special. Despite being highly-educated and having a flourishing career, he not only joined our movement on our conditions, but also used to take the overnight bus from Delhi whenever he used to visit us. Back then, the highway was yet to constructed. The bus used to travel to Jaipur via Alwar and reach our place at approximately four in the morning. Not once during our association did he demand a car or a taxi, always taking the bus. Whenever I offered that he rent a cab, he used to quip, “Why should I bother anyone else, when I can take the bus”. This simplicity of his, despite having scaled academic and professional heights, was what made him really endearing.

I also recall him as having really frugal and fixed lifestyle habits. For instance, despite making the bus journey, he never used to rest once he used to reach our village. He never made use of the bed during the day time. Even when he used to be drowsy in the day, he preferred taking a nap on the chair rather than the bed. He always wanted to make good use of the day, never wanting to waste even a minute. Sleeping in the day, he reckoned, was against the principle of nature. And a naturalist he was, he never did anything that went against nature. His affection towards the nature, which the world came to know about much later in his life, was always a guiding light of his life.

I will always be grateful to him for being with us, motivating us and speaking for the cause of nature. Through the Sadbhavna Yatra that we have planned in cities along the banks of the Ganga, we are just striving to take his legacy forward. To spread his philosophy among the common folk. To make them aware of the importance of the Ganga. We will make him immortal!

(The writer is a water conservationist and a Magsaysay Awardee)