Inspiration
Profile of Late Lakshmanrao Bhide
He guided the 10th annual VHP conference in New York in 1984, the FISI conference in 1986 in London, the biggest ever rally of Hindus of over hundred thousand participants in Milton Keynes in UK in 1989 and many similar events.
During Emergency years Bhideji was specially sent to UK and USA to organise a pro-democracy struggle. A new organisation Friends of India Society was born and Bhideji had a big role to play in its formation.
He also helped in organising the 1977 post-Emergency FISI conference in Delhi followed by the one in 1978 in New York.
In 1980, he undertook the first round-the-world tour along with Mananeeya Bhaurao Deoras and visited many countries to establish new contacts. He was instrumental role in establishing VHP in USA and many other countries.
He guided the 10th annual VHP conference in New York in 1984, the FISI conference in 1986 in London, the biggest ever rally of Hindus of over hundred thousand participants in Milton Keynes in UK in 1989 and many similar events.
During the eighties, he became Kshetriya Pracharak of the Pashchim Kshetra consisting of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Vidarbha (including Nagpur).
In 1992 he became Chairman of the Deendayal Research Institute where later on he became the Patron.
In 1995 he accompanied the Sarsanghchalak Prof Rajendra Singh on his first ever tour as Sarsanghchalak to UK and Netherlands and in 1997 accompanied him to Mauritius, South Africa and Kenya on the completion of 50 years of Sangh work in East Africa.
He also guided the work of Grahak Panchayat and Ayurveda Parishad but workers from other fields also used to approach him for advice. Rashtra Seva Samiti workers also felt quite comfortable with him and he used to informally guide them too.
He passed away on 7th January 2001 in Mumbai just as if he were alive to attend the VSS 2000, though just for a couple of hours, and to meet each of the 568 delegate who had arrived from over 38 countries.