A few weeks back before I embarked on the next leg of my journey to New Zealand, I came across a man who happened to be at one of the mandirs I was visiting. Niceties over, I explained that I had taken a year out of my life to do vistaar. As is the case with many people, such terminology is somewhat alien to one’s vocabulary, so some explanation as to what I was doing with my life ensued. In the last three months, I’ve given largely the same explanation to many different persons and the reaction is predictable to say the least. A nod of the head, a smile and the words “very good” being muttered has been the general norm so far but this was soon to change...
Without going into too much detail the common reoccurrence of one word in particular summed up our conversation perfectly – impossible. Supposedly, what I was trying to achieve together with our organisation was in a nutshell completely and utterly inconceivable. Now, I’ll be the first one to admit that organising the society for the better is no easy job! I mean look around us. How can we a group of individuals, organise the society to such an extent that we are not constantly at logger heads with each other? Soldiers in Afghanistan losing their lives, innocent civilians caught up in warfare in the middle east and the constant reminder of children dying from disease and hunger. This is just today. On the surface that one word answer is quite fitting but if our mentality is such then we might as well stamp that answer on our foreheads and create a fuss over nothing.
If you told me that Lance Armstrong would win the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times after having survived testicular cancer, I would have said impossible. If, twenty years ago, you would have told me that Apple computers would begin to surpass Windows, I would have said impossible. If someone had told me that a single man going by the name Mohandas Karmachand Gandhi would lead India away from despair, I would have said impossible. Yet impossible is possible. David Blaine, the high profile American endurance artist once said that ‘in truth, the only restriction on our capacity to astonish ourselves and eachother are imposed by our minds.’ This coming from a man who many of us deem crazy but what we fail to realise is that through his actions and his stunts he makes a mockery of the word impossible.
Let this be a lesson to us all. Our lives have impossible written all over them in every sphere, in every dimension. The world will tell us we can’t do what we want to do, we can’t become what we want to become but the defining moments boil down to you, no one else...
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Parents, Grandparents - Thank you
Nannubhai is 89 years old, despite looking a shade under 70. He has lived through some of the most troubled times of the British rule in India during which he himself served three years in prison for simply being in a protest march. He narrated to me the day he was arrested, something I won’t forget in a hurry. On the morning of the arrest his sister had come running into the house shouting frantically that they had to leave as all the men were being taken away. Turning to his mother, he asked what he should do. She gave him a bucket and told him to go to the lake (around 2/3 miles away) and pretend he was on his way to the toilet. Little did she know that was to be the last time she would see her son in three years.
He went onto narrate the harrowing experiences of prison life itself. The stories of innocent men being beaten, having their food deliberately dropped onto the floor in front of their eyes and the hard labour that each one was forced to endure. This for being a nation lover at most - something which today we applaud. I could go on but I think you get the picture.
Nannubhai is just one of many. Many of his generation and even our parents have endured sacrifices that we cannot even begin to imagine. Yet I sometimes get the distinct impression that we’re too welled up in this notion of ‘careerism’ for us to really, truly understand what they went through for us. I mean imagine where would we be if our parents or grandparents hadn’t made the jump from Kenya/India or wherever to this country? And more importantly, would we have been able to do what they did for us? Imagine coming over to a foreign country, with a foreign language, a foreign culture, little in the shape of money and wealth and trying to make ends meet for your family. Incredible.
Very rarely do we sit down and interact with someone first hand on their struggles in life, particularly our seniors. The vivid difference between reading a story out of a book is that when you speak to someone about such issues, you not only hear the stories in words, you feel the emotion, the heartache and pain. At one stage during our conversation, Nannubhai himself had to take a moment to shed a tear. It is only then in that moment, that we can say that we know what it was like - beyond that we just don’t know.
Our seniors have served us well, they have striven for a better life for us and so the question we should ask now is just what difference are we willing to make for our children? What change will they see in the future which we will have contributed towards. This is our moment, this is our time to stamp our impact on this earth.
So today, let us take a moment to immerse ourselves in this spirit of “matru devo bhavah, pitru devo bhavah” (treat mother with respect, treat father with respect). Because without the actions of our parents and grandparents we wouldn't be in the fortunate surroundings we find ourselves in today.
He went onto narrate the harrowing experiences of prison life itself. The stories of innocent men being beaten, having their food deliberately dropped onto the floor in front of their eyes and the hard labour that each one was forced to endure. This for being a nation lover at most - something which today we applaud. I could go on but I think you get the picture.
Nannubhai is just one of many. Many of his generation and even our parents have endured sacrifices that we cannot even begin to imagine. Yet I sometimes get the distinct impression that we’re too welled up in this notion of ‘careerism’ for us to really, truly understand what they went through for us. I mean imagine where would we be if our parents or grandparents hadn’t made the jump from Kenya/India or wherever to this country? And more importantly, would we have been able to do what they did for us? Imagine coming over to a foreign country, with a foreign language, a foreign culture, little in the shape of money and wealth and trying to make ends meet for your family. Incredible.
Very rarely do we sit down and interact with someone first hand on their struggles in life, particularly our seniors. The vivid difference between reading a story out of a book is that when you speak to someone about such issues, you not only hear the stories in words, you feel the emotion, the heartache and pain. At one stage during our conversation, Nannubhai himself had to take a moment to shed a tear. It is only then in that moment, that we can say that we know what it was like - beyond that we just don’t know.
Our seniors have served us well, they have striven for a better life for us and so the question we should ask now is just what difference are we willing to make for our children? What change will they see in the future which we will have contributed towards. This is our moment, this is our time to stamp our impact on this earth.
So today, let us take a moment to immerse ourselves in this spirit of “matru devo bhavah, pitru devo bhavah” (treat mother with respect, treat father with respect). Because without the actions of our parents and grandparents we wouldn't be in the fortunate surroundings we find ourselves in today.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” The whole world is one family?
Mandirs have forever been the epicentre of much that is Dharmic in our communities. Here in Northampton, there is no such venue and therefore much of the Hindu community have rallied together to build a new Mandir and community centre. I was speaking to one of the persons behind the project and he informed me that the plans were in the final stages from approval but for some opposition. To my surprise, he revealed to me that the opposition was not from the local community, nor from any other religious groups but from some within our own Hindu samaj!
How tragic that such disunity arises even in the building of a place of worship for use of all! What we fail to realise is that there is no difference between you, me and everyone else that identifies themselves as a follower of Dharma. We have the same ideals, the same principles, we worship the same great souls and so what are we fighting each other for? Swami Vivekananda, Guru Gobind Singhji, Shivaji and others didn’t lay down their lives so that all of us as individuals could subject ourselves to such petty and nonchalant in-fighting. They worked tirelessly, day and night, sometimes in unimaginable conditions to put forward our Dharma in its entirety, as ONE.
And what message are we to send out to our youth? The same youth that in a mere ten to twenty years time will be flying the flag of Dharma in this country and the world over. What do they take from this when they see predominantly our seniors squabbling over name, game and fame? We complain that our youth are going off the rails and straying away from the path of Dharma but what example are we ourselves setting them! If the neighbour across the street parks a brand new shiny Mercedes on his drive, we can’t just go on living our lives and be happy for him, we have to go out and buy a new Mercedes ourselves just to prove the point. ‘Whatever you can do, I can do better’ is the name of the game. It is this attitude of competitiveness in our samaj that has led to our inability to come together when it matters, when our Dharma is obliterated to pieces. Our Deities have been printed on toilet seats, they have been drawn in what can only be described as disgusting positions, they have been depicted as monsters, they are used to hold alcoholic drinks - the same Deities we WORSHIP day in day out, the same Deities by whose principles and values we wish to live our lives by. At some stage we have to stop and ask the question why is this happening? What are these people trying to say about us as a Hindu samaj?
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, let us not just simply say it, let us immerse ourselves in it, let us breathe it, let us live every single aspect of our life by this very shloka. Disagreement and arguments will occur, we are human after all but when we do disagree let us listen to each other more than ever in a spirit of “the whole world is one family”. Such shlokas should never ever become mere marketing rhetoric used to please our consciences, they should be imbedded in our lives to such an extent that we don’t need to use them as marketing tools, people will simply look at the way we live, our actions and adapt accordingly. After all, how can we as a Hindu samaj talk of living as one big family to the rest of the world if we ourselves do not live as one big family? PP Guruji has said:
There is no use merely saying “Oh! We have a great culture.” What do we know of it? How do we practise it? Do we look at our individual life as an offering to society? Do we feel that we should not merely run after pelf and power but should hold aloft virtues in life? Let us introspect on these lines and gradually assimilate all those distinctive Hindu traits so that we can stand before the world as positive, dynamic Hindus. Let us live up to our philosophy, our dharma, and all those great qualities which have moulded our lives for countless generations.
In all that we do, in our dress, in our behaviour and in all walks of life, that stamp of positive conviction should be vividly manifest. This is the prime responsibility that rests upon us.
How tragic that such disunity arises even in the building of a place of worship for use of all! What we fail to realise is that there is no difference between you, me and everyone else that identifies themselves as a follower of Dharma. We have the same ideals, the same principles, we worship the same great souls and so what are we fighting each other for? Swami Vivekananda, Guru Gobind Singhji, Shivaji and others didn’t lay down their lives so that all of us as individuals could subject ourselves to such petty and nonchalant in-fighting. They worked tirelessly, day and night, sometimes in unimaginable conditions to put forward our Dharma in its entirety, as ONE.
And what message are we to send out to our youth? The same youth that in a mere ten to twenty years time will be flying the flag of Dharma in this country and the world over. What do they take from this when they see predominantly our seniors squabbling over name, game and fame? We complain that our youth are going off the rails and straying away from the path of Dharma but what example are we ourselves setting them! If the neighbour across the street parks a brand new shiny Mercedes on his drive, we can’t just go on living our lives and be happy for him, we have to go out and buy a new Mercedes ourselves just to prove the point. ‘Whatever you can do, I can do better’ is the name of the game. It is this attitude of competitiveness in our samaj that has led to our inability to come together when it matters, when our Dharma is obliterated to pieces. Our Deities have been printed on toilet seats, they have been drawn in what can only be described as disgusting positions, they have been depicted as monsters, they are used to hold alcoholic drinks - the same Deities we WORSHIP day in day out, the same Deities by whose principles and values we wish to live our lives by. At some stage we have to stop and ask the question why is this happening? What are these people trying to say about us as a Hindu samaj?
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, let us not just simply say it, let us immerse ourselves in it, let us breathe it, let us live every single aspect of our life by this very shloka. Disagreement and arguments will occur, we are human after all but when we do disagree let us listen to each other more than ever in a spirit of “the whole world is one family”. Such shlokas should never ever become mere marketing rhetoric used to please our consciences, they should be imbedded in our lives to such an extent that we don’t need to use them as marketing tools, people will simply look at the way we live, our actions and adapt accordingly. After all, how can we as a Hindu samaj talk of living as one big family to the rest of the world if we ourselves do not live as one big family? PP Guruji has said:
There is no use merely saying “Oh! We have a great culture.” What do we know of it? How do we practise it? Do we look at our individual life as an offering to society? Do we feel that we should not merely run after pelf and power but should hold aloft virtues in life? Let us introspect on these lines and gradually assimilate all those distinctive Hindu traits so that we can stand before the world as positive, dynamic Hindus. Let us live up to our philosophy, our dharma, and all those great qualities which have moulded our lives for countless generations.
In all that we do, in our dress, in our behaviour and in all walks of life, that stamp of positive conviction should be vividly manifest. This is the prime responsibility that rests upon us.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Lead a purposeful life
Recently, I visited a man in Northampton who despite being relatively old still possessed an inherent desire to be active and to engage in activities most of us would associate with youthful professionals. Quite unusual I know, but it was pleasantly surprising to see one of our elders playing football, badminton, trekking and so on! When I asked him why he continued to put his body through the paces he replied “I want to keep fit and healthy!”
This small incident can teach us several important points that we should aim to implement in our lives. After all, life is a continuous learning curve and quite frankly we can never stop learning, can we?
Every one of us young and old, strong and weak must always strive for something. We must possess a desire to excel in life, a want to do and achieve. Until that desire is present in abundance, we cannot say we have lead a fulfilling life. If the river flows from east to west and it is necessary to go east, we must go against the current. Our life should not be like that of the stray cattle in the cities of India, moving here and there, we should aim to have a purpose in everything we do.
The road ahead will be riddled with potholes, we will face obstacle after obstacle but it is our inherent ability to deal with these obstacles that ultimately defines who we are as individuals. The biggest challenge in this mans life is the people around him, the circumstances in which he operates. People will tell us “no you cannot” but whenever we are faced with such remarks our response should be one of complete optimism. Rather than being creatures of the circumstances around us, let us be the creator of those circumstances instead. Rivers, wherever they may have their origin and in whatever direction they may flow, with whatever obstacles in the way, have to reach the ocean and so we have to achieve our goal whatever it may be.
Our lives should be like an arrow hitting the target directly and not going off the mark. Our man in Northampton had his eyes set firmly on the target regardless of everything around him. This is living with a purpose, with a goal and an unwavering desire. Life is also like the game of kabaddi. We can show skill and play a fruitful game only as long as our breath lasts. Otherwise, one who moves about here and there, shouts, dances and returns empty handed. Futile is his play. One must have the full satisfaction of having accomplished one’s goal when one breathes one’s last.
It’s your life, but are you really living it?
This small incident can teach us several important points that we should aim to implement in our lives. After all, life is a continuous learning curve and quite frankly we can never stop learning, can we?
Every one of us young and old, strong and weak must always strive for something. We must possess a desire to excel in life, a want to do and achieve. Until that desire is present in abundance, we cannot say we have lead a fulfilling life. If the river flows from east to west and it is necessary to go east, we must go against the current. Our life should not be like that of the stray cattle in the cities of India, moving here and there, we should aim to have a purpose in everything we do.
The road ahead will be riddled with potholes, we will face obstacle after obstacle but it is our inherent ability to deal with these obstacles that ultimately defines who we are as individuals. The biggest challenge in this mans life is the people around him, the circumstances in which he operates. People will tell us “no you cannot” but whenever we are faced with such remarks our response should be one of complete optimism. Rather than being creatures of the circumstances around us, let us be the creator of those circumstances instead. Rivers, wherever they may have their origin and in whatever direction they may flow, with whatever obstacles in the way, have to reach the ocean and so we have to achieve our goal whatever it may be.
Our lives should be like an arrow hitting the target directly and not going off the mark. Our man in Northampton had his eyes set firmly on the target regardless of everything around him. This is living with a purpose, with a goal and an unwavering desire. Life is also like the game of kabaddi. We can show skill and play a fruitful game only as long as our breath lasts. Otherwise, one who moves about here and there, shouts, dances and returns empty handed. Futile is his play. One must have the full satisfaction of having accomplished one’s goal when one breathes one’s last.
It’s your life, but are you really living it?
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Why Vistaar?
One of the most common questions I am faced with as I travel across the country, in pretty much every home is why vistaar? Its one of those questions that I can’t really give a straight forward answer to, despite it being a straight forward question but hopefully I’ll make some of you understand the mindset behind such a decision.
Over the last few years, a lot of people have sensed a change in myself in terms of attitude and behaviour. This transformation is without doubt down to a number of external factors but amongst those factors is the rock that is Sangh Shakha. Therefore, this year is for Shakha, the organisation that has moulded me into the man that I am today, the organisation that has taken me through both the good and the bad times, the organisation that has made me what I am – a swayamsevak.
Recently, we’ve seen the terrible situation in Pakistan and closer to home there is a constant reminder of how people are struggling to deal with the lack of jobs and other opportunities. Yesterday, I spoke to a guy who had been unemployed for more than a year. He was a clever, well qualified man who now suffered from depression. Yet its amazing how devoting some time and spreading some warmth to others can have an instant effect on some. I suppose the message is we can make a change only if we are willing to do so.
Finally, how often do we really get a chance to take a step out of this phenomenon we term the rat race? As I sit in the cafe writing this post, there is talk of business deals, mortgages, bills and all the usual financial issues. This is an opportunity for me to look at life from a different perspective, to look at the way people live, work and play. I sometimes get the impression that we live our lives as sophisticatedly programmed robots trained and engineered to do our jobs well. Let’s not forget that there is a lot more substance to this life, there is a lot more to it than simply making as much money as possible. Yes, we need money to survive in some senses but what is the real purpose of our existence? What is the meaning of our life? What is the goal?
After all, we are people not programmed devices...
Over the last few years, a lot of people have sensed a change in myself in terms of attitude and behaviour. This transformation is without doubt down to a number of external factors but amongst those factors is the rock that is Sangh Shakha. Therefore, this year is for Shakha, the organisation that has moulded me into the man that I am today, the organisation that has taken me through both the good and the bad times, the organisation that has made me what I am – a swayamsevak.
Recently, we’ve seen the terrible situation in Pakistan and closer to home there is a constant reminder of how people are struggling to deal with the lack of jobs and other opportunities. Yesterday, I spoke to a guy who had been unemployed for more than a year. He was a clever, well qualified man who now suffered from depression. Yet its amazing how devoting some time and spreading some warmth to others can have an instant effect on some. I suppose the message is we can make a change only if we are willing to do so.
Finally, how often do we really get a chance to take a step out of this phenomenon we term the rat race? As I sit in the cafe writing this post, there is talk of business deals, mortgages, bills and all the usual financial issues. This is an opportunity for me to look at life from a different perspective, to look at the way people live, work and play. I sometimes get the impression that we live our lives as sophisticatedly programmed robots trained and engineered to do our jobs well. Let’s not forget that there is a lot more substance to this life, there is a lot more to it than simply making as much money as possible. Yes, we need money to survive in some senses but what is the real purpose of our existence? What is the meaning of our life? What is the goal?
After all, we are people not programmed devices...
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
SSV - Men From Boys
If I'm quite frank and honest, I've heard and observed several criticisms of our Sangh Shiksha Vargs* in the past few years. These usually revolve around the lack of discipline together with the lack of general quality surrounding the varg. In some cases there is genuine good reason to show frustration and anger, particularly when it concerns something as close to our hearts as Sangh. But are we missing the point?
The fact that almost a hundred shiksharthis are ready to sacrifice ten entire days of their summer holidays stuck within the four walls of a school, having to sleep on a hard classroom floor, be awake by 6am, endure gruelling physical sessions and participate in mentally draining bauddhiks is incredible in itself isnt it? Lets not forget that some of our shiksharthis are as young as thirteen! - How many thirteen year olds do we see doing the same thing as those at our SSV?
Shikshaks, Prabhandhaks and Adhikaris that despite the pressure of work and family are prepared to give up ten days to impart knowledge, sanskaars and wisdom. But the biggest fact that we should take away from this is that out of SSV spring out men who share the ideals of Gandhiji, who have the determination and courage of the likes of Bhagat Singh and the charisma of a Krishna and a Rama. This is what we are working towards, the empowerment of our youth.
Where else do we such such bonds of affection that because they are sown so deep they lead to the shedding of tears during the time of departure. This is the prem bhau that we develop in our youth, this is the spirit of brother hood that we spread, this is what we do in Sangh, this is what our Shakha is...
*Sangh Shiksha Varg or SSV as it is more commonly known, is a ten day residential youth leadership camp. The main aim is to mould and inculcate good values and sanskaars in our youth.
The fact that almost a hundred shiksharthis are ready to sacrifice ten entire days of their summer holidays stuck within the four walls of a school, having to sleep on a hard classroom floor, be awake by 6am, endure gruelling physical sessions and participate in mentally draining bauddhiks is incredible in itself isnt it? Lets not forget that some of our shiksharthis are as young as thirteen! - How many thirteen year olds do we see doing the same thing as those at our SSV?
Shikshaks, Prabhandhaks and Adhikaris that despite the pressure of work and family are prepared to give up ten days to impart knowledge, sanskaars and wisdom. But the biggest fact that we should take away from this is that out of SSV spring out men who share the ideals of Gandhiji, who have the determination and courage of the likes of Bhagat Singh and the charisma of a Krishna and a Rama. This is what we are working towards, the empowerment of our youth.
Where else do we such such bonds of affection that because they are sown so deep they lead to the shedding of tears during the time of departure. This is the prem bhau that we develop in our youth, this is the spirit of brother hood that we spread, this is what we do in Sangh, this is what our Shakha is...
*Sangh Shiksha Varg or SSV as it is more commonly known, is a ten day residential youth leadership camp. The main aim is to mould and inculcate good values and sanskaars in our youth.
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
And so the journey begins...
One of the most amazing things about vistaar is that you can take a step back from your normal, conventional life and analyze the lives of others and the society at large. I mean how often do we really think about others, other than our immediate family and friends? What about the person who lives opposite? Or the person that you always see at the Mandir handing out prashad?
Amongst my interactions over the last few days, I met a group of senior karyakartas (workers) in Derby at the local Mandir. We had come together to discuss several problematic issues that the community had faced in the light of recent events. I was the youngest person present but I was pleasantly surprised at the Shraddha shown by the Derby seniors. Despite being old aged, despite not possessing the physical strength of their younger days, despite suffering from illnesses and other ailments, these karyakartas had made the journey to the Mandir to meet with us. Why? I mean most seventy something year olds would be sat at home with their feet up or at the park walking their dogs! The reason is simple and lies with the fact that this is not just a community, this is our community and we are very much a part of it. Their reasoning for doing community work also revolves around their ideals, around their principles - the principle of "Mein Nahi, Tuhi" (translates to "not me, you.") They know that if they don’t strive to make a difference, then who will?
Let this be a lesson to us all and particularly to the young amongst us. Our lifetimes shall bear witness to change after change but our ideals, our principles and values, our Dharm should always stand the test of time, regardless of our age.
Amongst my interactions over the last few days, I met a group of senior karyakartas (workers) in Derby at the local Mandir. We had come together to discuss several problematic issues that the community had faced in the light of recent events. I was the youngest person present but I was pleasantly surprised at the Shraddha shown by the Derby seniors. Despite being old aged, despite not possessing the physical strength of their younger days, despite suffering from illnesses and other ailments, these karyakartas had made the journey to the Mandir to meet with us. Why? I mean most seventy something year olds would be sat at home with their feet up or at the park walking their dogs! The reason is simple and lies with the fact that this is not just a community, this is our community and we are very much a part of it. Their reasoning for doing community work also revolves around their ideals, around their principles - the principle of "Mein Nahi, Tuhi" (translates to "not me, you.") They know that if they don’t strive to make a difference, then who will?
Let this be a lesson to us all and particularly to the young amongst us. Our lifetimes shall bear witness to change after change but our ideals, our principles and values, our Dharm should always stand the test of time, regardless of our age.
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