Like Holi is a festival of colors, Life is a festival of emotions. Minus the emotions from life and life will be colorless, isn’t it!
The vibrant play of emotions- Happiness, Sadness, Gratefulness, Jealousy, Longing, Lust, Greed, Love, Hate, Fear…. continues all our lives, making life a festival like Holi.
Life sometimes spills colors of negative emotions on us and we feel dirtied. Based on the pronounced patterns of emotions in our lives we sometimes start labeling ourselves, “I am an angry person’ or “I am a lazy person” or “I am an anxious person” .. And we may forget who we really are. Just like on the day of Holi, we spill so much color on each other that we can barely recognize who we are. All that we see of each other are the white teeth and the black eyes.
But later, after that yearly bath, super washing happens. And the one who emerges after this powerful cleansing is a new vibrant person in us. Spick and span, making the contrast very evident. This contrast is a reminder to us that we are eternally clean and cannot be dirtied by any fleeting negative emotions of life. All that is required is some power cleaning, soap of spiritual knowledge and water of meditation, and the job get’s done. Like In white light all other colors are embedded similarly in our consciousness different hues of emotions are embedded. But I am not the emotions, I am the white light, Holi brings this cooling reminder.
I think what we can also learn from Holi festival is that messing up is a part of the play and to not get bogged down when life looks all messed up. Like playing Holi is not possible without messing up, life is not possible without messing up sometimes. Everything is really Ok. Being messy is also ok. Our intellect gets stuck to the concept of right and wrong and in doing so we may forget, life is a play. Whether Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow or Mixed black, life is but a play.
We also put Holi colors on our favorite God’s Idol on this day, as if expressing to him that you have put all these colors into our lives, today we offer them back to you.
Gurudev says – “Life is enthusiasm, life is love, life is joy”. Let’s make life a celebration like Holi every moment. We know the art of taking bath so let’s Meditate and celebrate a new hue every moment.
Imagine wearing undersized garments or living in a tiny compartment, all your life, how would it feel?
Bounded
And imagine removing those clothes or stepping out of that tiny compartment one day, how would that feel? A sigh of relief, a feeling of freedom, comfort, naturalness, isn’t it.. Similar is an experience one gets in meditation.
All the identifications of the spirit with the body, like our gender, caste, creed, color, religion, rank in society, roles we play etc are all like wearing undersized clothes. Because however big the identity/role may be it is only an iota of what the spirit is. The Spirit or Energy from which this whole creation is made. Yet all our lives are directed towards strengthening these limited identities. The identity we hold on feels like our most precious jewel isn’t it.
But for those who have meditated have experienced how it feels to break through those shackles and experience being infinity, even if it is for a fraction of second, it brings great relief to the tired soul, which has been stuck in those limited identities for life times. The relief is similar to that child’s, who once parted with his parents at birth and reunited with them again. Can you imagine how he would feel? Comfort, love and freedom.
Comfort. Love. Freedom
No matter how precious the King’s crown is, he too has to remove it while going to bed. Only then can he sleep and get rest. But how about the crown we wear even to bed! The crown of identification which we carry 24/7, which makes us so tired one day, so very tired that life itself feels like a big burden. Only if we learned to let go of this dearest crown of ours, for few moments every day, the quality of life could be different.
Gurudev once explained the symbolism of the peacock feather in Krishna’s crown. He said it symbolizes lightness of feather he carried with his role. Though he was a king, his identity as a king did not weigh heavy on his head, it was light as a feather. Even in the posture that he stood, with one foot on the ground and the other tilted above, it represents lightness of dance.
When we meditate daily, life becomes like a dance. We can carry our identities with us, just like a play, like we did when we were kids, remember playing chor police!
But knowing for sure this is not who I am, I am infinite, unbounded, scintillating energy and I am indestructible.
How long do you propose to live in those undersized clothes, we have a choice, resolve and meditate daily.
Meditate daily!
Time froze, so did all the mental activities… name melted.. what remained was nothingness… and absolute rest.
Shri DeoKaran Jhunjhunwala ((1910-1968), Bade Babaji our beloved Great grandfather in his short span of life laid down such a strong foundation for our family that even after four generations the fruits of his hard work are being enjoyed by his family members. The more I learn about him the more in awe I find myself.
At a tender age of 12 Bade Babaji lost his father. At such a young age he had the great responsibility of supporting his younger siblings and mother on his shoulders. So he started working. He helped in buying and selling and earned profits out of it. He did very well for himself. So much so that he ordered eight shiploads of goods from Bangladesh. Unfortunately the ships sank and he lost all that he had earned for last so many years. They say when gold is heated it shines even brighter. This was true for bade Babaji as his resolve for succeeding was unshakable. The challenges in his life made his resolve stronger.
Bade Babaji did not give up. In 1936 he came to Barang (around 30km from Bhubaneshwar). Barang was a jungle then. Other than a railway station there was no infrastructure in this area. With help of his cousins he bought a half built glass factory in Barang. The factory was named Durga glass (after Badi dadiji’s name Durga Devi Jhunjhunwala) The Glass factory made huge losses for about seven years until around 1942. After which the fortune turned for this young Industrialist. On 15th August 1947 the foundation of Orissa Industries was laid by bade Babaji. Over the years he set up many manufacturing units that of Pipes, Sanitary ware, refractories etc. To be known as one of the leading Industrialists of India at that time.
Bade Babaji was a man of great ethics and principles. He treated his workers as his extended family. For the benefit of all he made a charitable school, a hospital and also a temple. He drew great strength from his mother, Basanti Devi ji, who actively helped him in all these charitable activities. She would visit the hospital, school and homes of the workers everyday and make sure everything was functioning properly.
School and Durga Temple (below) at Barang
Bade Babaji actively participated in the freedom movement of India. Many prominent leaders would visit bade Babaji. In 1948 during his visit to Orissa Shri Sardar Patel also met with bade Babaji and used his car during his visit.
HareKrushna Mahatab the first chief minister of Orissa would often consult bade Babaji for affairs relating to governance of Orissa. On the day of his demise bade Babaji conceived the plan of constructing Ram Mandir (One of the most popular temples in Bhubaneshwar today). Even in his last breaths he made himself useful for the world.
Bhubaneshwar Ram Mandir
In a short span of only 57 years bade Babaji achieved a lot. Even today when we visit Barang memories of his hard work come alive. Most valuable of his contributions are his ethics and human values which continue to inspire us.
Even though the branch of a tree sheds all its leaves but until there is life in its roots there is potential life in it. In nature this phenomenon is commonly witnessed by all of us, with change of seasons the tree sheds its leaves only to become green again the next season. I feel, a family tree also goes through similar life cycles. Some generations do better than others and the family tree bears more fruits at those times and vice versa. But like the tree until there is strength in its foundation or roots the family tree will also survive and blossom once again. Because there is potential life in it.
It’s a privilege to inherit bade Babaji’s name. As a part of his family, we his Great grand children are committed to taking his name forward. With hard work, inspiration from him and his blessings from heaven we once again pray to witness the spring. When flowers of good deeds and hard work will blossom for the benefit of this world, witnessing which his spirit will smile again in heaven.
Our Puja Ghar at Bhubhaneshwar house
In loving memories of Bade Babaji
Vasudha Jhunjhunwala
(P.S- Special thanks to Kashi Babaji for sharing the inspiring stories of Bade Baba ji with me.)
It’s amazing that in Hinduism all aspects of human existence are covered. Special days of the year have been assigned to celebrate different Gods and Goddesses, who symbolize a special energy in the universe. Similarly special days are also dedicated for remembering our ancestors. These days of the year are called Shradh Paksh.
*Pitru Paksha (Sanskrit: पितृ पक्ष) or Pitri paksha, (literally “fortnight of the ancestors”) is a 16–lunar day period in Hindu calendar.
We may in our busy lives forget to remember and pay homage to our ancestors who are directly responsible for our lives on this planet. Whatever we enjoy in this body is because of their contribution towards us. And so these particular days of the year we take special time off to remember them and to offer our love and respect for them. However the expression of love can be different in different people as we all are unique in our own ways. And so it would not be wrong for us to follow rituals as per our own understanding during this time. What really matters is the intent behind those gestures.
There can be three basic driving forces behind an action- fear, greed or love. Knowing that our ancestors will only bless us and never harm us, we must never fear them for these rituals. The purpose itself gets defeated when fear or greed become our driving force.
Rituals
To simplify things for us our elders have also put down some rituals for us. Sometimes we may not understand the deeper meanings behind some of these rituals and they may remain un-deciphered. For example Gurudev had once told about the significance of sesame seeds being offered during tarpan (Libation to ancestors). He said that we offer the sesame seeds symbolically to our ancestors for communicating to them to let go of their small desires, which they may be still holding on to, so that they can rest in peace. As these desires are small and insignificant like the sesame seeds.
During any celebrations, offering special food is a part of our tradition. And so is during Shradh. But why serve food to “Brahmins” only? In my limited understanding a Brahmin is the worshiper of truth. And in his journey he attains contentment. It is said that when contented soul blesses, the prayers are heard. And so Brahmins may be chosen to offer prayers for our ancestors. Or it could have been that the form of Brahmin was symbolically taken as our ancestor and served. But nothing stops us from serving food to a needy person and I am sure the blessings of a needy would be equally effective as that of a Brahmin.
Brahmin 🙂
Whatever rituals we choose let us offer them with love to our ancestors without any fear in our hearts. Knowing that dedicating special days for remembering our elders who have crossed over to the other side will only bring more fulfillment in our lives. The vastness of Hinduism is in it’s philosophy. Let us know that the rituals are not absolute and may get redefined with time.
May 2016, was my last visit to Manjara river in Latur. The dried up river looked like a Marusthal (a dead habitat). After 4 years of drought, the Villagers living around this river were fighting their worst battle for survival, with bare enough water available for their daily needs. Children had stopped going to school to help their families hunt water for existence. And Government had to send water trains to meet the drinking water needs of the villagers. There were frequent instances of farmer suicides being reported in newspapers. Villagers were forced to migrate to nearby cities for survival. The situation was alarming.
August 2016, recent trip was a contrast from the last visit. From being a Marusthal Manjara has come to life now. And not only humans but the entire creation- birds, animals, plants around her are rejoicing the rebirth of Manjara. 25-30 feet of water stands in Manjara today and they say a lot more has also percolated in the ground, recharging the dried up wells. 15 km of rejuvenated Manjara is now a source of life for more than 5 lakh villagers.
Latur: Before and After river rejuvenation
What an awesome sight this was! Such great transformation took only 3 months time. After 4 years villagers have seen water standing in the river again and making best use of it they have already planted new crops. These crops are insurance for a better future and brighter times ahead for our farmers in Latur. My heart skipped a beat and tears rolled down my eyes and my throat choked in gratitude as I looked up the sky and thanked the Lord for showering his abundant grace upon our villagers. And I felt a sense of satisfaction like never before seeing the May to August contrast. Satisfaction that my life force could be useful for Jal Jagruti Abiyaan, the project that got Manjara her life again and solace for our farmers, our AnnaData.
I learnt that little can be a lot. We had put just a little effort for reviving Manjara but our villagers showered love upon us like we were God’s ourselves, wholeheartedly. All of us felt that we did very little to deserve such incredible respect from them. Our villagers have very big hearts and they treat their guests as God. Seeing Manjara come to life again has given me a new hope and renewed enthusiasm to work for the conservation of our environment and rejuvenation of our rivers. JJA is an example that If we give little attention to our water bodies, nature will support us multiple times and it would not take us long to repair the damages that have been done to these sources of life.The story of Latur is a living example.
Let us together do our little bit. As little can be a lot!
“We have pain in our body, because the farmer has tears in his eyes” –Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
The visit to Latur in December last year was like my right hand meeting with my left hand. As more than half of Indian population still lives in rural areas and life in a city like Mumbai can be quite a contrast from the life in a village, the visit to Latur was experiencing this contrast and like meeting my left hand.
Our train left from Dadar station at 9.30 pm for Latur and we reached around 6 am in the morning. All of us were excited to experience what the day had in store for us. Makarand ji, our YLTP Maharashtra In-charge, took us around to view the JJA project. He was a great host and gave us a modest example of hospitality in Latur.
Finally we reach Latur!
Latur is a small town with a population of about 3 lakhs. One straight road within 5 min reaches you to the extreme corners of the town. Unfortunately there was only 398 mm of rainfall last year against an average of 600 mm received every year. Because of which people here would receive water from Municipality only once in 15 days. The Kharif crops had failed due to drought.
In Maharastra Extreme drought conditions are being faced in 3 Districts i.e Latur, Osmanabad & Beed. Where 350 farmers have committed suicide in 2015. All through the month of September, leading newspapers in Maharashtra covered stories of Farmers committing suicide every single day. What a shame, that in the last 70 years after independence our villagers, still don’t have basic resources.
“In Parched Maharashtra, 11 – year old dies fetching water in Maharastra”. Read the full articlehere
Haven’t we gone wrong somewhere? All of us know that human civilizations emerged on the banks of rivers. As water was needed for living a settled life. But a lot of our water bodies in India, today have dried up or have been polluted. Is this evolution of a civilization! Shouldn’t each of us care for our environment and these sources of life? Few basic questions must be reflected upon if we wish for our civilizations to sustain and flourish in future.
The good news is that a you-turn is possible and there still is hope. Jal Jagruti Abhiyaan(JJA) is one such ray of hope. JJA was launched in February 2013. JJA is a long-term & scientific solution for river rejuvenation in India without any requirement of land acquisition.Since its inception 12 rivers have been rejuvenated with the help of volunteers along with the people of Maharashtra which brings in ownership for the project. With work in progress on river Manajra in main District Latur which is completely dried up due to silt formation and vegetation growth.
Makarand ji helped us understand why JJA is a long term solution for this problem.This is what we saw and learned –
First we visited the Rena river project-Renapur village has a population of about 15,000-20,000. The main crops grown are soybean, chana, Jowar & sugarcane. A stretch of 4 km with a depth of 7m has been successful rejuvenated with support and monetary contributions from villagers. Due to lack of rainfall this year there has been great scarcity of water in Renapur. Despite this, when we interacted with farmers from Renapur village, they were happy about the JJA project being carried out this year. The project has helped them to get their produce from Kharif crops this season. Even though the returns received was not 100%, the farmers spirit was high because they could at least cultivate one season crop successfully, unlike other farmers in the area. They are hopeful of recovering their complete investment on the JJA project within next one year.
Rena River
On further interaction we also got to know that these farmers had never seen this river flowing with water for their entire lifetime and they were very satisfied with the work. A major part of the monetary contributions was used up for the transportation of cotton soil removed from the river to their farms. Because of the cotton soil being transported and put into barren land more than 100 acres of added land became cultivable and fertile, which was an added boon for the farmers in this area.
Plantation around Rena River
Shivraj ji, one of farmers and traders of Renapur village, shared -“something was better than nothing. The major issue faced by us of water shortage every year has been resolved”. 500 farmers and their families have been benefited by JJA project in this stretch. They were able to get good price from the Market. Farmers had wished to rejuvenate the river for many years but they didn’t know how. JJA project provided this knowledge, financial & moral support to execute.
Farmers being interviewed around Rena
Second we visited Gajpur Nala a stretch of 3 km with depth of 4 meter. Small Nalas connect to make a small river and small rivers connect to make a bigger river which further joins with an ocean. GajpurNala is one such small stream passing through the village Gajpur. It was amazing to see the bio diversity which has come around this Nala. Not only humans but all life flourishes around water bodies.
Gajpur – Biodiversity!
Third visit was at the Taverja River which connects to the main river, Manjra, a stretch of 15km -2 mtr depth has been rejuvenated. We also meditated for the well being of our farmers sitting on the dam.
River Tavarja – The dried up part
“In the past 3 years we have removed silt from 80 km stretch in rivers/nalla’s across 40 villages. Have seen dramatic increase in groundwater level in these villages, thus the lives of more than 1 lakh villagers has improved”- JJA Spokesperson
These projects have been successfully taken up by Art of living and the farmers in these areas. And they are an example of the bright possibilities in the direction.
River Tavarja – Rejuvenated by AOL foundation
According to World Bank “Migration in India 2007-08” report (June 2010), Around 3000 to 4000 people migrate from rural to urban area for search of livelihood every single day all over India. They reside on foot path in Urban Areas without any means of livelihood for years. Employment seems to be the most important reason for migration. Some 67 percent of migrant households in urban areas and 55 percent in rural areas reported migrating for employment-related reasons.
Art of Living Tavarja river rejuvenation
This migration must stop. Only if our farmers can be provided water, they can be self-reliant and live in peace in their villages.
To rejuvenate and connect all rivers of India, yes, it’s a challenging job but it is possible. Viewing the JJA project in our visit to Latur has given us bright hope in this direction. The farmers of our country are not paupers; they don’t need free pennies from government for survival. Empower them with basic resources and they are capable of producing gold from our soil. Yes! Then our farmers can be the architects of a prosperous India. The river rejuvenation project has the power to make our farmers prosperous and self-reliant.
Join us in our work of Jal Jagruti. Lot remains to be done.
From Ganga in Rishikesh to Brahmaputra in Guwahati, it is pathetic to see so much sewage being let into the rivers. Government must act now. – Sri Sri
Ongoing project status- *Manjara river rejuvenation project, Latur* river work length – 18 KM estimated expenses -7.5 Cr. Collected nearly 4 Cr from everyone in Latur, 1.25 Cr from CSR and other donations
Need to raise more 2.25Cr
Project completion deadline 31st May
How can you contribute?
>Donate in cash (friends & family)
>Donate in kind (machinery)
>Corporate CSR connect
>By Prayers -“Annadata Sukhibhava”
To donate for this cause- Bank name ICICI, A/C No : 037601000060, IFSC No: ICIC0000376
He was glued to the television and I obviously thought he was enjoying the Doremon or the Chota Bheem, my 8 year old nephew. I was pretty surprised when my brother revealed to me that instead my nephew was hooked on to the 9pm prime time debate. As this show was anchored by his favorite character.
9pm debate and an eight year old, strange combination, isn’t it! But my nephew watches this show every single day without fail and it is pure entertainment for him. Is it like that for many of us?
The coolest hero, the anchor of this show is in no way lesser than Chota Bheem. Or a Super-Man, a Spider-Man or any-Man, like them all, he is a REAL LIFE SUPER HERO. He is always right and he is always victorious in every debate. His victory is pre-destined, as is of any Super-Hero, on the news hour. His and Didi’s persona makes me feel that Bengalis have special Horse power driving them. They should be crowned as “The Bengal Tigers”
And who can miss the amusing animations, the fire-work scrolls which compliments the show and add to the drama. Indian news channel can teach the world media, how to add colour and entertainment to news, so that even eight year olds can enjoy news, like my nephew does.
Rains may create big havocs in the World but this “Rain” (called Barkha in Hindi) with her power of words has left an exceptional mark on Indian media. She rains unconditionally everywhere and has proven her omni presence in media. With the power of some divine blessings upon her, she can prove whatever she likes as per her whims and fancies. Black as blue, India as intolerant, Modi as anti Muslims, Kanhiya as a Hero, World cultural festival as an environmental disaster.. she is beyond truth and the power of her words beyond facts. Anyways rains don’t discriminate they fall everywhere and so she is living only by her name.
Another one from their grand league is the “King of lamps”. Just like some lamp spread more smoke than light, some reporters spread more unrest than hope.
Let us also review what trends in print media these days..
– First four pages covers an inspirational story of a woman who killed her own daughter. What an amazing tale to inspire our younger generation to learn from. Come on kids start doubting your parents, be smart!
– When people receive awards they may not get recognition but when they return awards they show up as celebrities on front page of news.
– A group of mislead Youth break laws shout anti national slogans, they are covered on the front page as if they were some Heros.
The list goes on..
So is the 4th pillar acting as a pillar any more? Is it giving strength to people or is it creating fear and doubt in people? Is it spreading hope? Is it arousing valour and patriotism in hearts of our youth? Is it acting responsibly and leading by example?
And if not, isn’t the 4th pillar of our constitution as shaky as it can get?
The message is – Be Entertained but don’t be Fooled or Feared or Mislead by words of media persons.
– Find out if the news is fact or fictitious and do not go by it’s face value.
Anyways we all know the above by now, isn’t it!
Disclaimer- all characters in this article are fictitious any resemblance may be considered intentional only for fun sake.
For fun sake-
– For serious news switch from sick media to Social media.
– From breaking news to making news, let my country awake!
– Media’s gift to English dictionary – Saffron terror. Wonder what pink and blue terror would soon mean!
– God’s of media have announced Freedom of speech is supreme, swear freely!
– Media trends, who says discipline is important, look at us!!
Vasudha Jhunjhunwala 