NEW DELHI, JUNE 24: Want to start your married life with a purpose - like Lord Rama? Well, Deendayal Research Institute (DRI), an outfit of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is desperately seeking such young couples. The mission total Ram Rajya read between the lines. It's also to stop conversions and push the Swadeshi agenda.The timing is apt. The Ram temple and the accompanying vision of Ram Rajya today lie in a state of suspended animation.The Institute inserted a detailed print advertisement two days ago inviting young graduates to start their married life in Chitrakoot, the place where Lord Rama took vanvas. In its detailed plan for the Ram Rajya concept, the DRI has adopted 500 villages in Chitrakoot which lie distributed between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The incentive for a young couple for a five-year project is the receipt of a joint stipend of Rs 2,500 per month during their six months of probation which could be further raised to Rs 3,000 on confirmation. Besides, on completion of five years, each couple would get a lumpsum payment of Rs 25,000 to kickstart their future plans, in case they want to discontinue the exercise. But this is simply the economics part of a project that envisages the achievement of various goals ranging from stopping the flow of tribals to Christianity and preaching tolerance as the essence of Hinduism.The DRI officials take pride in describing it as a first large-scale experiment in creating Ram Rajya models in the country. The same, they believe, would be replicated as a long-term strategy in the coming years by a large workforce of dedicated couples created in this fashion.``There is no doubt that the Christian missionaries in the tribal belts are indulging in massiveconversions. But ours is not a reactive step. We want to treat the root-cause of this disease,'' says Yavadrao Deshmukh, General Secretary of the Institute. In order to counter the religious conversions, the DRI intends to tackle the missionaries in their own way.``The missionaries are luring away the innocent tribals to Christianity by offering them education and health-care facilities. Once we provide them all this, why should the tribals convert? So we are looking at the total elimination of this disease,'' says Deshmukh.Interestingly, the task of the torch-bearing couples, each of whom would coordinate development work in five villages, varies from educating villagers and their children, providing them with employment to imparting moral values, organising Ram-Katha and even maintenance of village temples.``We will initiate reconstruction of India in modern perspective. So by Ram Rajya, we do not mean we will shun all that is new. The latest technology and the best of science will be incorporated in this model experiment, which in the coming years, will be transformed into a nationwide movement,'' said Deshmukh. ``The concept of Swadeshi will be naturally brought in when we focus on self-employment of the villagers.''``The RSS is also working on the same agenda, but it is targeting the current situation and we have taken up the task for future,'' Deshmukh added. ``Actually, this movement should have started right since 1947, but all our political parties and their leaders failed in their duty. Now today's youth is our hope for the future and hence we are involving them in this process,'' he said further.So the hunt is on at the DRI headquarters. For young couples - graduate, under-30 and willing to serve the cause of Ram Rajya. At present, 14 young couples are already working in some villages in Chitrakoot. The Institute is now looking for another 25 to join in other villages. After selection, the first batch will receive its week-long training in the capital next month and then spread out in fields of Chitrakoot as missionaries of Ram Rajya.
