Dr. Suraj Prakash was the founder Secretary
General and Architect of Bharat Vikas Parishad. He lit
one lamp that lit many more lamps and handed it over to
posterity, so that we go on lighting lamp after lamp until
the whole country and the world are brightened by their
ever-shining light.
This great man
was born in village Chhamal of Gurdaspur District of
Punjab, as the eldest son of Sh. Ram Saran Mahajan and Smt.
Mela Devi, on 27th June 1920. His father was working in
an Insurance Company. It was a devoted and religious Arya
Samajist family. From childhood itself he was a brilliant
student and a pleasant and cooperative person. He passed
his Matriculation examination topping the list.
He joined medical
stream course and passed F.Sc. (Medical), standing first
in Delhi. He was awarded a scholarship and was sent by
Delhi along with one more student for M.B.B.S., to King
Edward Medical College Lahore, which he passed with
distinction in 1943.
After
passing his M.B.B.S., he worked as House Surgeon in Sir
Ganga Ram Hospital and later as teacher in Sir Balak Ram
Medical College Lahore.
Country was
partitioned in 1947 and Dr. Suraj Prakash took up the
important work of providing relief and rehabilitation to
the people coming in large numbers from Western Punjab and
other surrounding areas. His main center was Jammu. He
tackled the gigantic task with efficiency and
resourcefulness. It was here that he received experience
of doing social work, organizing relief and managing scare
funds. He plunged himself so much into this work that his
family rarely knew his whereabouts at any particular
time. With qualities of patriotism, discipline,
fearlessness and sacrifice, he never cared for danger to
his life. During partition days in Lahore, he was
virtually carrying reward on his head along with certain
other co-workers and every evening a stock needed to be
taken of who were with them in the morning but had failed
to return. He had exemplary capacity to keep his calm in
difficult times.
In 1948, after
completing his work in Jammu, Dr. Suraj Prakash shifted to
Delhi and started his own Private Medical Practice. For
some time he established his clinic along with his class
fellow and friend Dr. Roshan Lal Behl on Sadar Thana Road
but later on he started his independent clinic in Pahar
Ganj. His residence was in the nearby locality of Choona
Mandi.
In 1950, at the
age of 30, he was married to Smt. Ayodhia Gupta, the
talented, educated and highly accomplished daughter of Sh.
Ram Lal Gupta, the then Accountant General of Jammu &
Kashmir. She was a great personality in her own right.
She was double M.A. in Music and Dance and was Honorary
Magistrate. She was a great moral and physical strength
for Dr. Saheb. Their eldest child, a daughter, Manju, was
born in 1951 followed by their only son, Rakesh, in 1954
and two more daughters in 1960 and 1961. Thus, in all,
they had 3 daughters and one son.
In 1958, when Dr.
Suraj Prakash was only 38, he suffered a severe jolt when
his respected father who had sacrificed a lot for
country’s independence, breathed his last, leaving the
responsibility of looking after his mother, 2 sisters and
3 brothers on Dr. Saheb. Till then, except the elder
sister, who had been married in the life time of father,
all others were yet to be married and settled. Dr. Saheb
discharged this responsibility with love, courage and
affection. The 3 brothers, Sh. Anand Prakash, Sh.
Devendra Prakash and Sh. Surendra Prakash as well as the
younger sister were all settled in life and their
marriages were also performed by Dr. Ji, like those of his
own children.
In 1958, when his
father died, Dr.Ji felt the necessity to accommodate his
brothers and sister with him. So, he built a small house
of his own in West Patel Nagar, New Delhi.
1963 was the year
of founding of Bharat Vikas Parishad, his biggest
contribution to the regeneration of the nation for which
he will always be remembered. This was his own
initiative. He had been observing that the elite of the
society and the prosperous persons, were, day by day,
getting selfish, self-centered and alienated from
society. He was very perturbed with this dismal situation
and used to discuss, with his like minded friends, how to
find a remedy for this malady. Ultimately, in 1963, he
unfolded his scheme of starting Bharat Vikas Parishad as a
body of the elite, committed to the service of the
country, before a select band of 28-30 in West Patel Nagar.
The group agreed with his suggestion and Bharat Vikas
Parishad came into being. This group constituted the
nucleus of the organization. Later, they used to meet at
Hotel Marina, once a month under the Presidentship of late
Lala Hans Raj Gupta, the then Mayor of Delhi. At that time
none of the participants had any idea as to the shape
Bharat Vikas Parished would take in the years to come,
but the man of vision like Dr. Suraj Prakash could see
into the future. He had a very clear notion about the
future of the organization. He nurtured this organization
with tireless efforts, and dynamism for nearly 3 decades
and made it grow into a vast
organization.
After
establishing Bharat Vikas Parishad, the first Project
taken up by Suraj Prakash was the installation of a grand
statue of Shivaji in Delhi. Those days Bharat had recently
suffered a defeat at the hands of China and nation’s
morale was rather low. Shiva, in his time, had proved
himself to be a savior, an inspirer and a doughty fighter
who had converted many a defeat into victory. Installation
of an elegant statue of Shivaji astride a horse was meant
to boost the sagging morale of the nation. It was
installed near the then Minto Bridge, New Delhi and was
unveiled by the then Vive President Shri V.V.Giri.
Shri Y.B. Chavan
lauded the project greatly. Only after this, the Bridge
was named as Shivaji Bridge and nearby Railway Station as
Shivaji Railway Station. This is a permanent monuments to
the dedication, indomitable spirit, and organizational
skill of Dr. Suraj Prakash.
The constant hard
work, the traveling and long hours of work for the
Parishad and in looking after his numerous patients, took
their toll. His health could not keep pace with the tempo
of his activities. When only 51, he under went stone
operation and suffered his first heart attack, when only
55.
Within two months
of marriage of his eldest daughter, Dr. Suraj Prakash
suffered the shocking death of his wife in 1980. This was
an unbearable loss. It is then, that he got his second
heart attack that kept him in bed for nearly two months.
Despite his failing health and shocking events around him,
he kept on working merrily-travelling, attending meetings,
holdings, discussions, writing letters and attending to
long telephone calls.
In 1985, untimely
death of his eldest daughter occurred when she was only
34. The very next year, Dr. Saheb had to undergo surgery
for removal of Gall Bladder Stones. In 1988, he
discharged the last of his obligations by solemnizing the
marriage of his youngest daughter. The tale of his woes
kept on chasing him. In January 1991, he had to suffer
yet another tragedy in the shape of the of his respected
mother. Only 20 days after this, while he was very much
in the thick of making fool-proof arrangements for smooth
conduct of All India Conference of Bharat Vikas Parishad,
scheduled to be held at Udaipur on 6th
February, 1991, just 4 days before the Conference, Dr.
Saheb suffered his last heart attack that proved fatal.
He could not find time to undergo heart surgery, which he
badly needed, in order to survive. How ironical it is
that he had finally agreed to go in for surgery after the
conclusion of Udaipur conference, but his physique gave
way and he died of a massive heart attack on 2nd
February,1991. Cruel hands of death snatched him from
us. It was not the death of a man. It was the end of an
era.
Dr. Suraj Prakash
was a noble and patriotic son of the motherland, a social
reformer, an original thinker and a dedicated servant of
the people, who, in setting up Bharat Vikas Parishad has
rendered everlasting service to the country and the people
of India. The true measure of his greatness, his services
and sacrifice can be gauged from the tremendous love and
reverence in which he was held by his friends, colleagues,
admirers, followers and patients.
Miscellaneous
