Auroville - Following Mother's Path...

 The next day, we went to Auroville, by a city bus. It took nearly 45 minutes of a bumpy ride through narrow streets; to reach there. An auto ferried us to the registration center. It took another half an hour. 

     En route, we saw some foreigners riding bicycles. The auto-driver told us that these tourists often rent houses, or stay at the center’s rooms, for weeks to many months; to get a feel of the place and recharge their spiritual batteries! We also saw numerous cashew-nut orchards. The auto-driver-cum-guide, told us that the trees would bear fruit in another few months’ time.
 

     When we reached the registration center, he informed us that he would wait for an hour for us to see the Matrimandir meditation center and return. What was left unsaid by him was understood by us! He would further charge us, for any delay! Hence we skipped the inviting cafeteria and the boutique there.

A model of the Auroville complex

      The receptionist politely informed us that we could visit the meditation center only on Wednesdays. Since that day was a Tuesday, we realized with a sinking heart that we’d miss out on that experience as we couldn’t afford to stay there for another day, as our return tickets were booked for the next day! However, we were relieved when he said that we could see the meditation center from afar, from the viewing point.

      We walked around and saw an exhibition hall with information about the Mother and her guru. Another hall was showing a video of the meditation center, with its history’s and architecture’s narration, in great detail. The International township project of Auroville had been established by the Mother (Mirra Alfassa) on 28th February, 1968. The meditation center doesn’t have images of any religious figures nor does it have any offerings like lamps, flowers, incense, etc. Thus it’s dedicated to the religion of humanity. One has to just concentrate on meditating in absolute silence, there. After that 10 minute video, we got free entry coupons to visit the viewing point. 

      There was a free bus-service to and from that point. (Autos are not allowed there.) We opted for the 20 minute walk through a rough path in the woods. We felt as though we were strolling in Mahabaleshwar, as there was red soil all around, and dense vegetation on both sides. The cool breeze lulled our senses as we walked briskly. The walk was relaxing and invigorating!

      The Mother’s world-wise philosophy of 12 glorious paths leading to spiritual awakening, with virtues like kindness, compassion, courage, etc. was enunciated on a board there. At several milestones, we came across boards with the picture of a particular flower and the virtue associated with it! Impressed, we hurried on, remembering the auto-driver’s ominous warning!

The ancient banyan tree

      Then we came upon the huge, more than a century-old banyan tree, just outside the viewing point. I was overwhelmed on seeing it as I had seen its picture in my childhood and had always longed to actually see and touch it! I lovingly felt its sturdy, aerial roots, spread all around. The shady canopy was soothing. I imagined the Mother strolling in its benign shade, in her lifetime! I could feel peaceful vibes radiating from that well-maintained place and permeating my soul.

Matrimandir meditation center

     

 

      Through a short, landscaped path, surrounded by rocks, flowering champa trees and well-manicured lawns, we sighted the sparkling, golden globe-shaped structure - the meditation center. It was breath-taking; glinting like an over-sized football, in the bright sunlight. We saw several motionless figures, clad in white, under some trees. At first glance, I was taken aback, as they resembled apparitions! But then I realized that they were some foreign tourists, meditating in absolute silence. 

      This was in stark contrast to some of the noisy Indian tourists who were cracking jokes and clicking snaps of that divine place. We sat down on a rock and meditated for about 5 minutes. We used the clean washrooms, equipped with soap and toilet paper and then hastened to the waiting mini-bus there, which started only when it was full to its capacity. The foreigners were with us, clad in cool white linen clothes.

      We apologized to the auto-driver for the half-an-hour delay by saying that the bus-driver had waited for everyone to come, hence we couldn’t return in an hour! We saw several tiny boutiques selling Indian hand-loom attire, artifacts, etc. We also saw open-air, life-size statues of various Gods and Goddesses like Lord Ardhanarishwara, Goddess Kali, Goddess Durga and several folk deities revered since decades, at wayside shrines. I requested the auto-driver to halt for a few moments and got some snaps of those unique shrines.

Divine retreat, tranquil repose!

      Back at the bus-stop, as we waited for a bus to return to Puducherry, we had delicious tea at a stall. On its façade this stall had tiles of Hindu, Muslim and Christian revered figures, effectively symbolizing the gist of the Mother’s teachings of universal brotherhood!

      Again, after a bumpy ride, we were back at our guest-house, deciding to revisit Auroville on some enchanting Wednesday, in future!

      That evening we visited the beach. The promenade was clean and wide. No traffic was allowed there. We watched the milk-white waves of the vast blue Bay of Bengal, crashing against the huge boulders on the sea-shore. Later, we sat on the steps of Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial there and chatted awhile.

The Mahatma Gandhi memorial

Sunset at Puducherry beach

Unique wayside sculpture!

 

The Mahatma Gandhi memorial

     As children played noisily, sliding down the sides of the memorial, several vendors were jostling with each other to sell us their wares. A jasmine vendor refused to budge and followed us around till I purchased a fragrant strand from her (although I had already worn one!).

 
     

Another lady, a self-proclaimed fortune-teller, tried her best to get us interested in her talent. But I wasn’t swayed and told her that my Dad was himself an excellent palmist. When she persisted, I requested my husband to pay her Rs.10/-, just to get rid of her annoying presence. 

      

 

     My trick worked and at last we were alone, but not before we had told off a small boy who was hawking his amateurish drawings! It was amusing as all the vendors were very pushy and hell-bent on harassing us as we obviously didn’t look like the localites. We must have looked like sitting ducks to them!

      We watched a motor-launch, probably a fishing vessel, bobbing on the sea- water. I wanted to watch the sea bathed in the golden rays of the setting sun and hence urged my husband to wait some time longer. When the sky turned orange, red and finally purplish, the sea looked splendid with each changing color. Meanwhile lights had come on and the memorial was bathed in neon light.
 

     An amateur videographer was filming a small dance sequence in front of the memorial, on the promenade, with an over-sized tri-color. The 4 male dancers were wearing leaf-green T-shirts and dancing in its foreground! They performed cart-wheels and walked upside down, on their hands and then struck a Shahrukh Khan-like dancing pose, with salutes to the Nation. The Director was continuously requesting the motley onlookers to clap their hands in tune to the rhythm being belted out on a loud music-system, but he got only a lukewarm response.

      We walked to a nearby park filled with couples and families. It appeared well-maintained. Banners of the Puducherry cycle-marathon loomed on a dais. Outside the garden, a huge crowd had gathered around a life-sized portrait of a local politician created on the ground, with a thick floral garland outlining it. Much ado was being made about the ‘creation’ and over-enthusiastic tourists were climbing on side-tables and capturing it on their cameras for posterity! Fortunately (or otherwise) my camera’s batteries gave up, just then. I mentally apologized to that politician.

      Since our short stay had ended, we couldn’t thoroughly explore the French Quarter; a vestige of Puducherry’s famed history. The clean, former French colony, a bustling Union Territory today; will linger on in our hearts till we get an opportunity to explore it again.

Concluded

The copyright of this travelogue and photographs is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Ahimsa - Non-violence

 

Source: https://www.sadhuvaswani.org/

Dada J.P. Vaswani, the erstwhile spiritual leader of Sadhu Vaswani Mission, under the aegis of which, St. Mira's School, Pune, functions; where I studied till the tenth standard, was an ever-smiling, soft-spoken person who exuded peace and amity towards all. A 'Moment of Calm' is observed on his birthday, on August 2nd, every year, at 2 p.m. when everyone is asked to silently reflect on 'pardon/forgiveness' as mentioned on the poster posted above.

The founder of Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Sadhu T.L.Vaswani, was his mentor in his spiritual journey. Both of them lived the religion of humanity with great aplomb, inspiring all those who looked up to them for guidance and support. Their teachings shape the lives of the students of the school as well as many others!

Sadhu T.L. Vaswani's birthday on the 25th of November, is observed as "International Meatless Day" to commemorate his supreme love for all living creatures. Every one is asked to take a pledge to abstain from eating non-vegetarian food on that day. Even abattoirs are requested to shut down on that day.
    ***

My husband Ramesh was asked a question on QUORA. He was asked to unscramble "HISMAA". 

He unscrambled it and asked me to elucidate the word. 

I wrote the following answer:

“AHIMSA - A feeling of non-violence towards others, in thoughts and deeds. Even harsh words and actions should be avoided. Ahimsa is an extension of the concept of peace. When one kills animals for satiating one’s hunger, we are violating those animals’ right to live! So let’s live and let live. Some would argue that plants are also living beings…. Now, that’s food for thought!

Having a full meal in front of a hungry beggar is also a violent act!

Our revered gurus like Gautama Buddha and Bhagwan Mahavir and several others, advocated peace and non-violence in the ancient times.

After observing the bloodshed in the aftermath of the Kalinga War, the great Emperor Ashoka recognised the futility of war and renounced war/expansion plans and became a disciple of Gautama Buddha.

Source: Internet

Even Lord Jesus Christ forgave his tormentors by saying that “Oh Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Source: Internet

Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest apostles of peace, truly believed in the lofty principles of AHIMSA (non-violence), ANASHAN (fasting/hunger strike) and SATYAGRAHA (truth). These were his tools to galvanise our nation’s people into fighting for independence, from the mighty colonial rulers!

He would say, “If one slaps you, show the other cheek!”

Source: Internet

Admittedly very hard to follow!

In the popular film, Munnabhai MBBS, the protagonist gives a red rose and an endearing hug to all his naysayers; following, in his words, “Gandhigiri”!

In today’s times, we could:

Stop cutting down trees to widen roads and polluting our beautiful planet Earth.

Prevent or abort wars or conflicts.

Tone down our strident arguments.

Stop domestic and public violence towards women, children and other men!

Stop infanticide, female foeticide, honour killings.

Be kind and compassionate towards everyone. (Stop trolling on social media!)

Develop empathy, benevolence and charitable thoughts and associations.

Try not to hurt or harm anyone deliberately or otherwise!

Stop showing off our status, wealth or possessions before the underprivileged ones.

Meditate to cleanse ourselves of vengeful/murderous/slanderous thoughts!

Practice the art of forgiving, though that is easier said than done!

Teach A for Ahimsa in schools! (Corporal punishment in schools is now a matter of the past! Thank God!)”

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Today is Mother's Birthday (21st February) - Puducherry

                                                   Puducherry - A Tranquil Haven

Majestic traditional dwelling

We visited the Union Territory of Puducherry on our recent trip to Chennai. It is a four hour smooth drive from the Koyambedu bus terminus in Chennai. Since it was an AC bus, the journey was very comfortable and less-crowded. The lush green palm trees and banana plantations, the thatched cottages and farmers working in their fields, made for pleasant sight-seeing. As we neared Puducherry, (curiously, all the localites still refer to it, by its former name- Pondicherry!) the vast, blue bay was visible on both sides of the highway. Many churches were visible en route.

Since it was already 2.30 p.m. when we reached our guest-house, we just spent the afternoon in having lunch and thereafter, a refreshing nap. In the evening, we walked to the bus-stand and made enquiries about sight-seeing trips that we intended to make.
The chaotic traffic and the vehicle riders who were as unruly as the riders back home in Pune, made us nostalgic. Puducherry also has a mix of the old, traditional dwellings and new, swanky buildings. Numerous temples dot the place.

We visited the Manakula Vinayagar temple and offered prayers to the majestic Lord Ganesh. The temple was being renovated and several laborers were busy painting the numerous Ganeshas on the compound’s walls, with bright-colored oil paints. Small shops outside the temple sold puja items, figurines of Lord Ganesh, bangles, etc. I bought some small Ganesh idols for my collection. Among them the unique ones were one made of wood, a fiber one, reading a book and another one with 2 heads (In front and at the back too!).

Pondicherry Aurobindo Ashram-Tranquil retreat!

Then we visited the renowned Aurobindo Ashram. We were surprised to see just a crowded book-shop selling pictures and books of the Mother’s and Sri Aurobindo’s teachings, Sanskrit, etc., a small room filled with the pictures of the Mother and her spiritual guru, Sri Aurobindo and a courtyard with a profusion of neatly arranged potted plants with brightly colored flowers. Where was the Mother’s samadhi, we wondered!
The lady at the footwear stand told us that there was another entrance to the Ashram and samadhi and that it was the Mother’s birth anniversary that day. It was the 21st of February. We saw several people patiently waiting in a lengthy queue for tokens to enter the ashram.

The auto-driver was unscrupulous and wanted to take us to Auroville, at a distance of around 13 kms. to get Rs. 800/- from us, so he lied to us that there was nothing else to be seen at the ashram, besides what we had just seen and that the people in the queue were just waiting for food coupons. He even added that the food was bland, vegetarian fare, lest we decided to partake of it, little-knowing that we are vegetarians too! I was suspicious as I instinctively knew that so many people would definitely not wait for so long, just for food!

Splendid Colonial Architecture

Then we went to the Government Museum, passing by the Governor of Puducherry’s elegant colonial mansion, surrounded by verdant trees and colorful bougainvillea. It was a delightful experience. Just at its entrance, is an ancient fossil-wood trunk that is a million years old! We saw a wonderful, priceless collection of ancient coins, statues, quaint means of transportation in the bygone 19th century, geological specimens of rocks and shells, antique furniture, etc. 

The Government Museum-A treasure trove of culture.

When we emerged outside, the watchman informed us that we could click snaps of the Museum’s exteriors. We clicked several snaps of the lush vegetation there as well as the sculptures of various Gods, aesthetically enhancing the tiny garden.

The auto-driver asked us to buck up. We coolly told him to drop us off at our guest-house and paid him Rs. 300/- the agreed amount. He was crest-fallen and tried to persuade us to change our mind and go to Auroville. Since we were convinced that he was unscrupulous, we didn’t relent.

In the evening, I felt restless and told my husband that we’d make another trip to the ashram. We had missed out on the real experience, my intuition told me! Again we hailed an auto and went there. We joined the queue for the token, waited for nearly two hours and finally joined another queue leading into the ashram. Volunteers clad in white, ushered us in. I told one volunteer that the token-system was flawed as people were jumping the queue and the person handing out tokens was giving those people preference. He made a note of it.

I asked him whether there was such a huge rush everyday. He informed us that the Mother’s personal quarters inside the ashram were opened to the public only on the Mother’s birth anniversary, 15th August or on one’s birthday. Only pass-holders are allowed in on other days. We were pleased as punch. We were going to have darshan of the benign Mother’s samadhi, her personal quarters and belongings on her birthday! Boy! Was I glad to have followed my hunch!

Again we waited for an hour to go in, as people were allowed in, only in batches of around 100. We patiently sat on the carpets on the ground, quietly meditating. Silence was compulsory and cell-phones had to be switched off. Some tourists were viewing messages on their mobiles and some were talking in hushed whispers, but by and large, people were silently meditating, thanks to the volunteers hovering there.

We saw the quarters housed in that majestic colonial edifice, and her belongings,

 covered in pristine white satin. The rooms were fragrant with incense. There was total silence and the fragrance of the Divine Mother engulfed us. We could feel her presence around us. We silently offered prayers to her, offered donations in the box placed there and walked down the wooden steps to her samadhi. It was a huge block of white marble covered with flowers and incense-sticks. We knelt down and touched the samadhi with our foreheads. Then we meditated in front of the samadhi. It was a very surreal experience.

To be continued.....

The copyright of this travelogue is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Why marry?

                                                       VOUCHING FOR MARRIAGE

                “Marriage is for the staid and living-in is for the fun-loving, broad-minded people.” This is what most live-in partners try to suggest, most of the times. In my opinion, nothing can be further away from the truth. The truth is that marriage can be a truly fulfilling experience, when the spouses try to pitch in each others’ time and efforts at making their marriage ‘one for keeps’ and helping their relationship blossom and mature. 

                Now that even in the West, which vociferously espouses the ‘live-in’ culture, more and more couples are going in for marriages, it’s evident that in these uncertain socio-economic times, one wants to be at least certain about one thing; which is his/her partner in life. And what better way, than to tie the knot! Though marriage is a gamble, in the sense that one is never certain whether it would always work, the fun is in the going, the experience and the continuous endeavor to make it work.

               One could achieve freedom and space even in a marriage between two mature partners. Both must be sensitive to each others needs and aspirations. Once equilibrium is achieved, it has to be maintained. Trust and faith, combined with love helps to maintain this equilibrium. Marriage is a commitment to be faithful to each other in mind, body and spirit. To share each others’ joys and sorrows; create a family bonded by love. 

               Besides, the children of legally married partners don’t face any problems in getting admissions into schools, or any ragging by peers when they grow-up, unlike children of live-in parents who are often subjected to mental torture by insensitive people who brand them as ‘illegitimate’, for no fault of theirs! 

               Living-in partners often adopt a ‘no-strings’ attached policy, where each is free to do his own thing. They believe that marriage doesn’t offer freedom, personal space. They believe that they’ll be relieved from the spouses’ nagging, suspicion and bullying. They walk out on each other for flimsy reasons without second thoughts. 

               Often, living-in turns out to be just marriage, without legal sanction, as the woman ends up doing all the chores for her partner who often takes her for granted; and has a great time outside the house with other females, due to his carefree attitude. 

               The partners in the live-in relationship are often insecure, as they feel that their relationship is not permanent and often wonder whether they would have been better off had they married! Many live-in couples end up marrying when the lady partner conceives; just so that the child may get a legitimate father’s name. These couples just don’t have the guts to proclaim to the world, that they are the parents, who never married! 

                In short, the social sanction accorded to marriage and the security which it provides, makes it still relevant in the current times. It’s an institution which has withstood the test of many centuries; and will definitely last till eternity. 

 The copyright of this article is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.