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.
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