SHIMOGA: Tears swelled after hearing about the most untimely death of Rajiv Dixit on the morning of November 30. It was most appropriate of him to have concluded his life while speaking about 'swadeshi' at a village near Bhilai in Chhattisgarh.
Swadeshi was his lifetime mission. At 44, Rajiv Dixit was still in his youthful age. Born in Allahabad, he was an M.Tech by qualification and worked as a scientist only for a very brief time. Soon, he jumped into public life to oppose the onslaught of a hoard of MNCs in India, under the globalisation policy of the Government of India in 1991. He foresaw that the political and economic independence of the country would be at great risk on account of the free entry of the MNCs. To fight against this, Rajiv Dixit founded 'Azadi Bachao Andolan' Save Freedom Movement.
As a part of his national awakening mission, he came to Shivamogga several times and I was fortunate to enough to interact with him on several occasions.
Rajiv Dixit was a very effective orator who easily influenced his audience. His speech radiated his strong patriotic fervour. In a brief period Rajiv Bhayya, as he was fondly known, had effectively spread the spirit of 'swadeshi' throughout the country. He was also an ardent supporter of cow protection movement and participated in the Vishwa Gou Sammelan. Rajiv Dixit also wrote a number of booklets and produced audio cassettes, exposing the sinister designs of MNCs and the need for adopting 'swadeshi' life style.
Today, India needs thousands of youths all over the country to preserve, protect and propagate the spirit of 'Azadi Bachao Andolan' for which Rajiv Dixit dedicated his entire life.