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.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
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...
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