Shri BN Murthy
Shri BN Murthy was my maternal uncle. My mothers eldest brother. Born in 1944 and he passed way in 2024. He worked at HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) for almost 25 years till he took voluntary retirement in his early 50s. Murthyji dedicated his life to the growth and preservation of Sanatana Dharma by serving for many organisations in the Sangha Parivar. He was the General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for Dakshina Vibhaag consisting of all the southern states of Bharat for more than a decade. He played an active role in the Rama Janmabhoomi movement - and was personally present during on the auspicious day of December 6th when the Babri Masjib was torn down. Muthyji possibly knew every significant Hindu saint/pontiff in our country and travelled continuously throughout his life. He was the trustee of many temple associations and continuously organized religious functions all through his life including the many Ganeshotsavas, Ekatmata yatra, Kanaka Jayanti at Kaginele and hundreds of similar ones. He was jailed by Indira Gandhi during Emergency in 1976. He worked for the Hindu cause during the most difficult political times without ever seeking any personal gain or position. To restore Bharat Mata and Sanatana Dharma to their highest glory was the only guiding motto of his life. "Dharma-shri" the VHP office in Bangalore was his second home. He never married and remained bachelor through his life.
"Dodda mava"
How do you describe a mountain to a person who may have never seen one? Writing about Sri BN Murthyji (my dodda mava) is one such exercise.
We are surrounded by people all the time in our lives – but few of them are giants. Karma yogi’s who become giants by the virtue of their deeds. My dodda mava was one such giant. I did not realize it till I was much older in life. But now I tell my kids – that in our family once lived a giant. Giant in what sense they ask… Giant of an organizer… Giant of an institution builder… Giant in piety towards Sanatana Dharma… Giant for the nirmal hriday and mann he maintained all through his life. Dodda means big or giant in Kannada. We kids started to call him dodda mava because he was the eldest of the five brothers. But slowly the meaning of that dodda changed for me – he was not dodda because he was elder in age… he was forever a dodda mava and not just a mava because he was a walking giant for me – a mountain that I will forever look up to.
My earliest memory of dodda mava is traveling with him. In bus, as a young kid of 3-4 years age. To get to my beloved grandfather’s house. I remember him taking me to some temple… to a chariot festival (theru) with hundreds of people… Of him being scared about losing me in the melee and asking me to climb the god’s chariot and sit in a corner!
The next set of memories are dodda mava visiting us during the Rama Janmabhoomi movement times in Delhi. Many-many visits. As part of his responsibilities in VHP. Of long discussions with my parents and other karyakartas of VHP and RSS. Listening to their discussions on the political situation of our country, history, bhakti of Lord Rama and Bharata Mata shaped me for the rest of my life.
And then there was the most enjoyable chaar-dhaam yatra with my parents, sister and dodda mava. The very fact that he was coming with us, I clearly remember, got my sister and me excited. Why one may ask… He was not someone who cracked jokes or told interesting stories… We were both past our teen ages and wise enough to be excited because we knew that we were headed to the dev-bhoomi in the company of a man no less than a sage. And what a trip it was! I try to re-create the same bhakti that I felt in that trip in my many travels after that one – but it is impossible – because the sanidhya of my dodda mava was not there again in any of those trips.
The next memory is during my engineering times. I remember asking him if I could accompany him for a visit to a famous Mutt the next day. Both of us boarding a Govt bus and getting there. And him being ushered into the Mutt with such respect – and though I never once wondered why he was being given so much respect – the pontiff of the Mutt himself saying to me that it was just a matter of clothing choice that dodda mava was not wearing the saffron in his work for Dharma and otherwise there no reason why he was not a monk!
Later when I got married and my mind was stuck in indecision on an important matter, I had the good fortune of going to the giri-pradakshina at Devarayana Durga (one of his many projects). The pradakshina happens overnight and dodda mava was busy even during the walk. Yet, somehow by god’s grace I found walking alone with him at some point. There was no way I could describe my predicament in life to a man like him. But maybe he could spot that I was worried. After walking a long distance without saying anything he said to me something that melted my indecision in a flash – he simply recited the beautiful sholka from DVG’s kagga -
ಓರ್ವನೇ ನಿಲುವೇ ನೀನುತ್ಕಟಕ್ಷಣಗಳಲಿ, ಧರ್ಮಸಂಕಟಗಳಲಿ, ಜೀವಸಮರದಲಿ, ನಿರ್ವಾಣದೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲಿ, ನಿರ್ಯಾಣಘಟ್ಟದಲಿ, ನಿರ್ಮಿತ್ರನಿರಲು ಕಲಿ – ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮ.
He simply said it and it needed no translation. His slow diction and sandhi-viccheda meant I grasped the shloka straightaway. I often think what made him say that. Why exactly this shloka when he could have told me so many others. They say god works in mysterious ways. Maybe divine people are also similar. What he said that day became the light that decided the next important course of action in my life. I did not thank him then. I was too engulfed in thoughts and he walked away. But not a day goes past in my life when I don’t think about what he said on that day.