Chris Tomlinson
The Associated Press
Posted on
TitlRSS mobilizes for quake relief Author: Chris Tomlinson Publication: The Associated Press DatFeb 2, 2001 Bhuj, India (AP) - Saffron scarves flung around their necks and pickaxes and shovels slung over their shoulders, the Hindu nationalist volunteers walk the streets of Bhuj, collecting the dead. They belong to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or Association of National Volunteers, known for its discipline and efficiency. The group has emerged as one of the leaders of the relief effort in this devastated corner of western India, where more than 10,500 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds of thousands have been left homeless. Officials had earlier said the death toll was around 14,000. Within hours of the Jan. 26 quake, the group -- known as RSS -- mobilized its followers, loading trucks with food and relief supplies and dispatching them to Gujarat state, where the epicenter was located. Men rode in with the trucks to offer their help, while women stayed home and prepared food for the survivors, said Chetan Sompura, an RSS member in charge of aid distribution. The effort has burnished the image of the RSS, the ideological forefather of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's right-wing Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party has distanced itself from some of the more extreme positions of the RSS, founded in 1925 to promote Hindu nationalism. Sompura emphasized the RSS has distributed its aid efforts equally among Hindus, Muslims and Christians, adding that "all of this comes from volunteers and RSS members. We've had no help from the government." But one function it considers its sacred duty is collecting the Hindu dead and carrying the bodies to crematoriums. "We make sure that everyone gets a proper funeral," said Sompura, who normally works as a civil engineer. The grim task is becoming more important seven days after the quake, with heavy equipment uncovering hundreds of badly decomposed bodies. The RSS has delivered 141 truckloads of supplies to the Bhuj area, including spices, candles, clothing and blankets, Sompura said. He said about 500 RSS members are working in Bhuj, where their local headquarters is among the few buildings still standing. Volunteers fan out daily to assess what help is needed, then return to RSS headquarters, where volunteers assemble packages filled with flour, tea, beans and homemade snacks to distribute to the homeless. The volunteers begin and end the day amid the rubble with twice-daily prayers, said in unison, followed by shouted slogans and hand-across-the-chest salutes. Carrying bamboo staves and dressed in white shirts, khaki shorts and black caps to pledge allegiance to "Mother India," RSS members look like paramilitary troops. Despite the controversy surrounding the group, the aid is appreciated. More than 45,000 food packages had been distributed by Wednesday night to 25,400 families in 28 neighborhoods, Sompura said, reading the figures from a ledger. Similar operations are underway in 78 villages, he added. "Everyone here is a volunteer and we do not receive any pay," Sompura said. "We take India as our mother, not just a nation, and this is our duty." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ofbjp.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A worldwide community of BJP's friends, supporters and activists: Friends of the BJP - Worldwid http://www.ofbjp.org/fob ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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