Panchaamritam 259

PANCHAAMRITAM 259

Amavaasya / Kali yugabda 5116 / Jaya Aippasi 6 (October 23, 2014)

ONE

There was an air of festivity on October 5, 2014 in village Nimbal in Aland taluk of Gulbarga district (Karnataka, Bharat).  Particularly overjoyed were the women of the village. It marked the first anniversary of their efforts to wean the men off alcohol and impose total prohibition in the village. The guiding force of the change, Sri Jadya Shantalingeshwar Swami of Shantalingeshwar Math, visited every house and enquired through gestures about the well-being of the members. (The Swami maintains silence throughout the year and speaks only on Ugadi). The Swami acknowledged the important role played by the women and Dalits of the village in imposing total prohibition. He sought their active involvement in ending the practice of open defecation as well as other vices to make Nimbal a ‘model’ village. The Swami’s threat that he would not visit the village till its inhabitants gave up alcohol acted as the catalyst for women in the village to join hands and force men to give up drinking. They ensured the closure of three liquor outlets in the village and formed a committee to enforce total prohibition by imposing a fine on those who drank elsewhere and came to the village. Shri Popat Pawar, chairman of the Maharashtra Gram Vikas Samiti, who was instrumental in turning Hirve Bazaar village in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra into a ‘model’ village by eradicating open defecation and imposing total prohibition, was the star attraction at the celebrations on that day. The residents of Nimbal took a vow during the celebrations to end the practice of open defecation this year by constructing individual toilets in all houses. (Based on a report by Shri T.V. Sivanandan in THE HINDU, October 7, 2014).

TWO

After a brief spell in Madras, D V Gundappa (March 17, 1887 – October 7, 1975), doyen of Kannada journalism, settled in Bangalore. His articles brought him to the notice of Sir M. Visveshvariah, then the Dewan or Chief Minister of Mysore State. DVG’s forthright views expressed in his own English bi-weekly, the ‘Karnataka’, displeased even his friend, Visveshvariah.  Gundappa used to say: “As the policeman keeps awake the whole night in order that citizens might sleep in peace, as the soldier stands firm on the battlefield that his countrymen might live in security, the journalist has to shed all thought of comfort and has to toil so that all people may live happily.” DVG’s work brought him into contact with powerful Dewans of Mysore State like Sir MV and Sir Mirza Ismail. He won their friendship and regard. But he was never affluent. Yet he declined all offers of Government employment. He often assisted Sir M V; and Visvesvaraiah was not a man to accept free service. He sent cheques; DVG protested. Sir MV insisted; so DVG accepted the cheques–but never encashed them. Indeed, it was not in his nature to encash any service he had rendered. From those who knew him intimately, we have it on record that for years his wife would not visit neighbours because she did not have a decent saree to wear! (From ‘Dr. D. V. Gundappa, His life and Achievements’ By Prof. L. S. SESHAGIRI RAO).

THREE

Lead the Change, Youth Alliance's leadership programme, really changed Shashank Kalra’s thought process. Service-based leadership and enterprise are the two values it instilled in him. Now listen to Shashank, a third-year commerce student at Hindu College, University of Delhi: “As part of the Post Gramya Manthan programme started in June 2012, I decided to work to create alternative livelihood opportunities for women in Ganga Din Nevada village, near Kanpur. We began with two women in the village, where the indigenous skill is stitching and tailoring and set up a Swaraj Livelihood Centre there”. Shashank conducts collection drives in his college and urges students to donate old denims which are then used by these women to manufacture bags. His efforts got a boost recently as these women artisans bagged an order from Tata Consultancy Services to manufacture 100 bags. (Based on a report by Smt Gauri Kohli in HINDUSTHAN TIMES, January 22, 2013)

FOUR

Having achieved the world record feat of becoming the first woman amputee to conquer Mt. Everest, Arunima Sinha, 26, said her journey from the railway tracks to the highest peak (29,000 feet) in the world was full of struggle. An ex-volleyball player at the national level, Arunima was thrown off a moving train nearly two years ago. To save her life, the doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee. She reached the top of Mt Everest on May 21, 2013. With an aim to climb Mt. Everest, Arunima had joined the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation-run training camp in Uttarkashi. She had continuously been training under Bachendri Pal. "I never wanted myself to be seen as a handicap or a helpless person, so I decided to conquer Mt Everest while I was still in the hospital," recollected Arunima.  She is running a sports academy named after Chandra Shekar Azad, for poor and physically challenged children. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), world biggest student organisation has announced that it would honour Arunima with ‘Porf. Yashwant Rao Kelkar Yuva Puraskar’ for 2014 at Amritsar in November 2014 at its 60^th All India conference (Based on a report in THE ECONOMIC TIMES, May 30, 2013 and Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Bharat).

FIVE

Indian police inspector Shakti Devi who is with the Jammu and Kashmir police, has won the International Female Peacekeeper Award 2014 of the United Nation's police division for her outstanding achievements with the UN mission in Afghanistan including her efforts in helping the victims of gender-based and sexual violence. Shakti Devi is currently deployed in the UN Assistance Mission in Afghan-istan (UNAMA). She has contributed to the improvement of the status of female police in Afghanistan and motivated them to move towards achieving their goals of fully adopting democratic principles of policing. She was awarded during the Inter-national Association of Women Police (IAWP) conference held earlier this month in Winnipeg, Canada. India is the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, having contributed more than 170,000 troops in 43 out of 69 peacekeeping missions mandated by the UN Security Council so far. (Based on a report in dnaindia.com, October 14, 2014).

PANCHAAMRITAM 258

PANCHAAMRITAM 258

Poornima / Kali yugabda 5116 / Jaya Purattasi 22 (October 8, 2014)

ONE

Yoga got a strong leg up on the world stage when Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for observing an International Yoga Day, describing the ancient science as "India's gift to the world." Modi's unexpected reference to yoga during in his UN General Assembly speech came when he was talking about climate change and going back to basics. Yoga is not just about fitness or exercise, it is about changing one's lifestyle, Modi said, plugging for ancient practice that was introduced to the west by Modi's spiritual inspiration, Swami Vivekananda. Yoga is enjoying rising popularity in the United States and has now become a multi-billion dollar business, but its link to India is often understated. Modi's public reference on the world stage to India's gift is possibly meant to remind international audience of this link. In previous interviews, Modi has said he is fortunate to have been introduced to the world of yoga and pranayama at a young age and it helps him synchronize the heart, mind, and body. India's Prime Minister has been keeping a nine-day Navratri fast during which time he subsists only on a liquid diet, mostly lemon juice, but he showed no sign of fatigue during his 30-minute speech that was delivered in a strong voice, without once pausing to even sip water. New York City itself is something of a yoga capital in the US, with enthusiasts promoting the science in public places such as Times Square and Central Park. (From a report by Shri Chidanand Rajghatta in THE TIMES OF INDIA, September 28, 2014).

TWO

Well-known religious preacher Morari Bapu has financed the Haj pilgrimage of a kulfi seller in Talgajarda village in Bhavnagar (Gujarat, Bharat). On the other hand, a Muslim spiritual leader, Saiyed Mehndi Bapu, of the nearby Ratol village, gave 5.5 bighas (about 2 acres) of his ancestral land for a Shiva temple. enues across the state. Morari Bapu has known 79-year-old Yunusbhai Malek as “Nathabhai” since childhood. Malek earns his livelihood by selling kulfi in the village. One day, as he was returning home, Morari Bapu asked if Malek had performed Haj. “I told him that I was a poor man and could not afford Haj,” Malek said. “But Morari Bapu asked me not to worry about money and asked me to begin preparations. He promised that he will arrange money for my Haj,” said Malek. “Morari Bapu paid Rs 6.20 lakh to help me and my wife go for Haj,” said Malek.  When contacted, Morari Bapu said, “His Haj is more significant than the money I arranged for it.” In the Muslim-dominated Ratol village in Bhavnagar, a kilometre from Talgajarda, Muslim spiritual leader Saiyed Mehndi Bapu, the village’s biggest landlord, donated 5.5 bighas of his ancestral land for a Shiva temple. “I donated it for the expansion of Shiva temple to accommodate the increasing number of devotees,” said Mehndi Bapu. (Based on a report by Shri Syed Khalique Ahmed in INDIAN EXPRESS, September 28, 2014).

THREE

There are many stories about the origin of Golu (Kolu), the lovely festival of dolls celebrated during Navaratri. One of them has a significant connection with agriculture. It is said that in order to encourage de-silting of irrigation canals, Golu was celebrated to create demand for clay materials. Another mythological story behind this festival is that when Durga wanted to kill an evil demon Mahishasur but didn’t have enough strength to do it by herself, she asked all Gods and Goddesses to transfer their strength to her. They all did that and stood still as statues. This festival is celebrated to acknowledge their sacrifice “In earlier times, women wouldn’t go out much. So this festival would give them an opportunity to meet others and go out of the house for some time,” says Bangalore-based Namratha, who gives her personal touch to the festival every year. What makes her Golu special is the unique theme that she follows every year. She started celebrating this festival three years ago when her daughter Stuti was born. Having started with a village theme when Stuti was born, Namratha followed with a ‘school’ theme when Stuti turned 2 and started going to school. In the third year, when her daughter started going to music classes, the theme was set accordingly. This year, they felt she was old enough to learn about nature and all the five elements. The idea was to show what an integral part nature plays in everyone’s life. So, Namratha thought to depict the five elements of nature – earth, water, fire, air and sky in her Golu. She depicted Earth through various hills, plains, fields, animals and people made of clay. Water was depicted through chart paper and wax. Fire was depicted to teach that if there was no fire, we would all be having uncooked food. Air was presented through various models of windmills and was depicted to show that we need air to live; it is all around us. Namratha’s unique Golu has attracted many young guests. They wonder and discuss as they see the amazing models. Stuti proudly invites everyone to her house and explains in detail what each element mean. (http://www.thebetterindia.com).

FOUR

Smt Gokula of Puzhuthivakkam, Chennai (Tamilnadu Bharat), is a flower seller. She also works as a domestic help. She manages to give her son engineering education out of her meagre income. One day in January 2014, she bought vegetables at the Koyembedu wholesale market. Back home, when she emptied her bag full of vegetables, she found to her horror bundles of currency totting up to Rs 5 lakhs. She had brought someone else’s look alike bag by mistake. Quickly, she handed over to the police, what was not her property. Meanwhile, police had received a complaint from Muniyammal, 57, an agriculturist, that she had lost Rs 5 lakhs at the Koyembedu vegetable market, close to the mofussil bus terminus, the same day. Within hours, the cash went back to its rightful owner. Muniyammal, on her way back to her village, carrying the cash that she required for house construction, had eaten the Prasad that Ayyappa devotees distributed at Koyambedu, just before she bought vegetables. The amount involved being so big, others were astounded how she could keep her cool, after lodging the complaint. Muniyammal’s reply was: “I just had Ayyappan’s prasadam; I am sure Ayyappan himself will see to it that my money comes back to me”. It did come back. (Newspapers carried this story on January 1, 2014; reproduced by MANGAIYAR MALAR, January 16-31, 2014).

FIVE

Satyakam, a house in Ganganagar locality of Meerut ( ttar Pradesh, Bharat) is special. 12 children live in the house, all of them HIV-positive and blessed to have found parents in Ajay Sharma, 41, a former teacher at the Government Inter College in nearby Phalwada, and his wife Babita, who teaches at the Ismail Degree College. The children:from Balwant, the oldest at 17, to Samrat, the youngest aged a delicate 5. Their rooms are painted a bright blue, and adorned with stuffed toys, colourful cards by the children, and posters of goddess Saraswati and Swami Vivekananda that read, ‘Strength is life, weakness is death’. His 12 sons address the bespectacled Ajay as ‘pitaji’. Ten years ago, he had a brain haemorrhage and slipped into a coma for 15 days. This close encounter with death helped him “understand the importance of being alive”, says Ajay, dictating his decision to quit his full-time job and dedicate the rest of his life to the cause of underprivileged children. Wife Babita has been a pillar of support. It is her salary that Satyakam runs on. Their motto is very clear. “I want these 12 children to reach out and help a hundred like them,” says Ajay. The couple has two biological children of their own. “I’m fortunate to be a mother to these kids. My two children consider them as their own brothers; we are all part of the same family,” she says. Friends and neighbours help them in both cash and kind if there is a crisis; well-wishers have don¬ated all the toys and clothes. Their Facebook page and website (www.satyakamindia.org) has even got them help from abroad. Money, however, has never been a problem, says Babita, it doesn’t take much to bring up 12 children if done simply and wisely. (Based on a report by Smt Sakshi Virmani in OUTLOOK, September 15, 2014).

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