Me & My Bapu

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Anando

Without ever meeting and seeing how can someone inspire you so much?
I don’t just revere Gandhiji but always receive great inspiration from him.

Yesterday was Gandhi Jayanti and I was trying to remember when did I first become aware of Gandhiji’s existence. I was surprised to remember that my relationship with Bapu started at the age of 5 when I stepped in to my school Balmohan Vidyamandir. And since that day in my heart,Bal Gangadhar Tilak & Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi  always lived and grew. Their half statues stood right there in the front lobby of our school entrance. And every day they witnessed us play, learn and grow with their loving, silent eyes.

Our school was established by Shikshanmaharshi Dadasaheb Rege who himself studied only upto 7th grade but had a vision of creating human beings like Mohandas Gandhi & Bal Gangadhar Tilak by giving right values through education. In fact the name of the school was kept “Balmohan Vidyamandir” by taking Bal for Tilakji’s name and Mohan from Gandhiji’s name. Dada used to tell us how he sees Gandhiji and Tilakji in us; how he wants us to be truthful and fearless in accepting and owning up responsibility & consequences of our actions just like Bapu did. I must have heard some of Gandhiji’s stories so many times that they are ingrained on my mind.
For 12 school years of my life; every day I saw Gandhiji’s statue and read & heard his stories and listened to Dada’s words about how I must become like him. And though I left the school after graduating my association with Gandhiji continued. Somewhere deep down in my heart I carried Dada’s vision with me.
Today while talking to my little babies at “Matru Mandir” I remember my own power over their tender minds. And I feel very happy that I was nurtured by a great soul like Dada who installed Gandhiji in my heart at such a tender age.
Now I know Gandhiji will walk along with my little ones and guide them just like he guided me.
My journey with Bapu still continues.

Posted in About Me, My Moments of Realization | 1 Comment

I have the power to change Corruption

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Anando
Where is the root of corruption? Are the system corrupted? Are the group of people, certain communities, certain countries or some specific people are corrupt? What is corruption? Where does corruption origin from? Who can really stop corruption?

When a human being feels that I deserve more or better than the others because I belong to a certain economical stratum or a certain community or a certain nationality; he/she expects different treatment / responses from his surroundings. When we say that “if I can afford it, I must get certain comforts”; when we say “if I can’t pay for it I expect certain compassion/concessions from others” – in both cases I am expecting something. As the next step I start my efforts to fulfill these expectations.

Every time I choose to do something or not do something depends on my expectations. We feel as if we are choosing freely but are we really freely choosing or are we bound by our expectations?

If I question myself – why must I get better than others? What is my effort in getting born in some particular house, why am I more intelligent than others, why I have better opportunities to get better education, better upbringing, better life; then I am sure we may not be able to answer many of these questions.

When I think that I deserve better or less than others I have already prepared a ground for corruption in my mind.

Based on what I think I deserve I create my own surrounding for myself and get very comfortable in this surrounding – we create our comfort zone. Once I create my own comfort zone all my effort go in maintaining this comfort zone and anything that protects, supports, nurtures and/or enhances this comfort zone I allow to happen. But anything that challenges or threatens this comfort zone I fight it. Again what I choose to do or not do for self is coming from protecting this comfort zone.

Every step in life we keep making decisions, we need to choose between right and wrong. If I choose to do things which are not just right for me but right for everyone then, not good only for me and my dear ones but good for everyone in the world then I have taken a right decision.

When I choose to favor someone so that I will get better than another I compromise on choosing right. Similarly when I receive favor so that I can maintain my own comfort zone I am compromising on choosing right too.

Now the question is what is my level of awareness? How many times do I question myself before making my choice whether I am choosing right or choosing what is comfortable to me?

Corruption starts in each unaware moment in each unaware human mind and spreads as a disease in society. And individual creates corrupt systems and then complains of being ruled by it. And only an individual has the power to change the system by changing his own level of awareness.

And when we realize it we will understand how simple it is to change corrupt people, corrupt systems or corrupt societies.

Because nature shows us in every event such as tsunami, volcano, earth quake or any such disastrous phenomenon that no matter how strong walls of comfort we create around us; it takes only one moment for it to turn into a debris or ashes. 
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