Salem Nanjundaiah Subba Rao or SN Subba Rao’s passing away has left behind an indelible impact on lakhs of people all over the world. Most of the young boys and girls who first came in contact with Bhai Jee, a few decades back are now in their early 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. But such an advanced age is no deterrent to having reminiscences of the moments they spent with the revered soul.
Krishna Itnal, a septuagenarian Gandhian settled in Pune and an ardent follower of the late messiah of peace has suddenly become dumb of emotions. He retired as an Administrative Officer of the public sector Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) but never behaved like a typical Sarkari Baboo while in service. He came in touch with Bhai Jee in Dharwad when the latter visited the local Gandhi Peace Foundation (GPF) centre along with two former dacoits of the dreaded Chambal valley, Tehashildar Singh and Lokman Dikshit known as Lukka in 1977.
Non-stop association for 44 years: Once, the session of rendering devotional, patriotic and nationalist songs got over and SN Subba Rao began interacting with the youth audience, Krishna Itnal posed his doubt. He was wondering as to whether a government employee could get associated with the Gandhian activities. That was the beginning and since then he continued unhindered non-stop for 44 years. During this journey, not just Krishna Itnal alone but all his family members comprising of wife, daughter and son also became close to Bhai Jee.
Itnals’ become ardent followers of Bhai Jee: The contact became so intimate that Bhai Jee became more than a family member to the Itnals’. Whenever he travelled over the places Krishna Itnal resided, he made it a point to visit them and stay back if his itinerary permitted. Apart from attending several youth camps of the National Youth Project (NYP), personal interactions transformed the Itnals into Bhai Jee’s ardent followers. He switched over to Khadi costumes for a lifetime.
Never went behind power politics, wealth creation, publicity…: It’s not that the Itnal family members were blind followers of Bhai Jee. They made it a practice to come up with their viewpoints on several issues during their frequent discussions.
Krishna Itnal remarks: “Bhai Jee knew closely late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, K Kamaraj, Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, PV Narasimha Rao, Dr Manmohan Singh, among many others. But he never went after power politics, wealth creation, publicity and even went to the extent of rejecting the coveted Padma Vibhushan recognition”.
Left house at 20 to return at the age of 90!: He adds: “He wore an ordinary Khadi shirt, half pants, ordinary slippers and hung a khadi bag around his shoulders. With such attire, he travelled far and wide globetrotting for almost 77 years! After leaving the house at an age of 20, he returned back only when he had become 90. The miracle like events leading to the surrender of 654 hardcore criminal dacoits was his greatest achievements. Till the end, he remained a true Gandhian”.
Uniting youths was close to his heart: Bhaijee took pride in uniting youths of different regions and inherited a rare quality of conversing in all Indian languages. Probably there was no one who never got inspired by his impressive voice. If he stood to sing national integration songs, patriotism oozed out instantly to the listener taking him to altogether a different world of its own. If you peep back, perhaps he sang much more than he spoke…, recollects Krishna Itnal.
No count on the number of camps: He adds-“Perhaps it’s difficult to keep a track of his national integration youth camps. They varied from a mere 20 people to 2,000 participants. By bringing lakhs of South Indian and North Indian youngsters together, he ensured that emotionally all of them are one and the same. He also introduced thousands of North Eastern youths to others in the mainland to erase the alienated mindset”.
The whole country was his home: “SN Subba Rao was a bachelor, had no home of his own. But his extended family spread nook and corner of the country while the whole country was his home. I and my family members never imagined that our bond with Sri Bhaijee would come to an end so soon. His blessings have enriched us for over Forty-four years. We are leading a contented life because he guided us through exemplary activities…
…Mahatma Gandhi believed that a social transformation is possible through the media of children and youths. In fact, Bhaijee did the same through his camps. It was through these camps our vision got widened to such an extent that we were convinced of no alternative other than becoming a true follower of the Jai Jagat concept”, exclaims Krishna Itnal.
Mesmerizing evening prayers: He is also reminded of “Like Gandhi, he read the pulse of people to unite them through the media of music. His prayer meetings with melodious devotional and emotional patriotic songs were mesmerizing. His advice to have evening prayer in each home has a direct bearing on our personal lives in my family also…
…The character building was the main essence of his activities which in turn made us strong physically, spiritually and mentally. His stress on personal ethics has guided me to a contented economic activity personally…
…His frequent stay with us broadened our views on human relations. Whether it is Mangelembi of Manipur to become our second daughter or Ramswaroop Sharmajee’s family of Guthela village in UP become our second family home, it’s because of Bhaijee’s vision and activities, recollects Krishna Itnal.
When men were scared to enter the Chambal valley: He is also reminded of the fact: “There was a time when even men were scared to enter the Chambal valley. Baidehi Panda, cousin sister of late former Odisha Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy, was the first lady to enter the valley to assist Bhaijee at the grassroots level and remained there for 18 years. Later she became a mother in law in true sense to my wife, I a son and our children, her grandchildren. This was made possible because of Bhaijee’s visionary thinking. In reality, Bhaijee might have left us physically. But in our minds, he lives through his melodious songs and reminiscences’. My prayer to God is long live Bhaijee through his concept of Jai Jagat.
Two years time to heal the wound: “Our family association with him for 44 years has come to a physical end. Pl join me for the departed soul and ensure him through social, secular activities as a tribute to the great social worker. It takes a minimum of two years time for me to heal this wound. Long live Sri Bhaijee”, sighs of Krishna Itnal.
-Manohar Yadavatti
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