A long awaited evening of unalloyed joy and inspiration. Ever since my early twenties, when in the northeast, I have had the privilege of coming in touch with Pracharaks, from various parts of India, who have dedicated their lives for Sangh work in the region, completely integrating, assimilating and absorbing the rich cultural, geographical, spiritual tapestry of India’s northeast. They remained there for over 6 decades, spoke the various languages, lived their lives in the manner and ways of the people of this fascinating region. Shri Shashikant Chauthaiwalaji, who started off as a Pracharak in 1961 in Assam and never left the region continues to epitomise that RSS spirit and ethos at 88. Now in Silchar as a senior Pracharak he exudes youthful energy and is full of ideas and the various works still to be done. An evening with him and one is immersed in his memoirs of Sri Guruji, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya ji, Sangh Shiksha Varg, Jana Sangh and more. We were privileged to receive his memoirs – “My Journey as a Pracharak” from his own hands, presented to us in a pure Bengali conversation. This symbolises the unifying ethos of the Sangh – a Marathi from Nagpur, spends 64 years in India’s northeast, speaks most of the language of the region and has completely internalised the essence of Bharat! Thank you Vijay Chauthaiwalaji for the invitation! @highlight