There is one Incantation from Reg-Veda,
सं गच्छध्वम् सं वदध्वम् सं वो मनासि जानतां !
If everybody in the team is thinking with same objective, it becomes very easy to achieve the goal. Three years back a group of friends came together and formed an organization named Deepastambha and in 2010 it got registered as Deepastambha Charitable Trust.
While working with the group I learned many things,
“We get involved in particular thing”
“We work with dedication for that”
“We try to do better day by day”
When I visit particular organization / orphanage , when I play with the children over there, when I chat with the aaji-aajoba’s (Old age people) there , When I actually myself go for cleaning, When I donate something….
It is extremely great inner satisfaction which I get…
In Marathi it is said that,
“दानाने धन्य होतो तो देणारा .. घेणारा नव्हे ”
I have observed many things which are the result of team work. The resent e.g. of Anna Hazare. Anna Hazare’s fast on the Jan Lokpal Bill has touched a chord in the people – the outpouring of support that has come from all corners of the country and amongst different sections is a testament to this. Really it proves that if people come together, work together for Nobel cause they can create wonders.
2-3 months back, I was reading a book of Swami Vivekanand, while reading that book, I noted down many things, In one of his speeches, he said,
“Youth is that wonderful time in life when energy is limitless, human creativity is at its best and the ’never say die’ spirit is at its peak. “
Today, one keeps seeing and reading about the achievements of hundreds of young people in practically all spheres of life. Demographically, the India of today is at its youngest best. Recently we had Indian Census;
Nearly 70% of our country’s population is less than 40 years old.
Of course I don’t want to underestimate the population above 40 years old.
But it is said that young age is the age when acceptance, change, adaption of something becomes comparatively very easy.
We as a group have the same objective in mind, we want to motivate this strength of India to do something good for society and make those changes in them which are required for betterment of society.
At the same time we are not saying to disturb your daily routine and work hard, those are just small things which we can do easily and help ourselves a lot in avoiding future problems.
There are hundreds of NGOs working in various aspects of development, including poverty alleviation, education, Gender issues, with physically or mentally challenged people, for environmental awareness, such as pollution, waste management and wildlife.I will not only say they are working in these different areas but they are specialized in these areas. But in our group we don’t have any boundaries set for us for doing any activity. Any member can work for any social cause he /she likes to. Only that should not be related to any specific Language/ Political Party / Any caste.
From last 3 years we are working in wide area, Cleaning campaign at Taljai, Khadakvasla,river cleaning, Traffic awareness activities,Minimising usage of plastic,Upayn (Donation camps),Eco-Paavitrya( celebrating festivals in eco-friendly manner) , Conserve To Serve ( Energy conservation),visiting different orphanages and many more things.
We are also conducting these activities in different large societies. We are helping different companies for planning their CSR activities.
All good work has to go through three stages. First comes ridicule, then the stage of opposition and finally comes acceptance.
Our group is also not exception for these.
It is the human tendency to resist for any change.But, we as human beings are social animal; we hold certain responsibilities towards our society, mother earth and all other living and non living elements.
Today, in this competitive world we have lost that Social sense which is of utmost importance to create a better tomorrow. As much as we are losing that sense we are feeling burdened by its presence. Integrating this social sense in human beings will make this world a better place for all. So, we have always tried and will try to make people aware of this and involve them in most creative way.
I remember one story to elaborate more on this:
This is the story of Sage Sanatkumara and Narada.
Narada once approached the sage Sanatkumara and requested him to show the path of knowledge. Sanatkumara said, “Let me first know what you have already learnt. I shall then teach you something further than that.”
Narada then said, “Sir, I have learnt the Rg-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda, history and traditional stories which are together called the fifth Veda, the method of remembering and repeating the Vedas, the technique of Shraddha ceremony, grammar, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, science of augury, jugglery, logic, ethics, information about different gods who represent different forces or powers, science of animals, science of war, and so on. But, Sir, I feel that I merely know the Mantras or potent words but I do not know the Atman or the soul or the spirit of things. I have heard from men like you that he who knows the Atman goes beyond all sorrow. Sir, I am full of sorrow and grief and remorse. I hope and believe that you will be able to lead me out of all these by favoring me with real knowledge.”
“Dear Narada, all that you have known is but mere name and verbiage, mere words. You can by your present knowledge achieve only what words can achieve and nothing more.”
“What is it that is greater than name and words? Please teach me that,” said Narada.
“Yes, the power of speech is greater than words. If there had been no power of speech there would have been no words, no Vedas, no truth or untruth, no religion or irreligion, no good or bad.”
“Is there anything still greater than the power of speech?” queried Narada
“Certainly. Mind is greater. It is the mind that is conscious of both the word and the power of speech. When a man decided that he should learn the Mantras, he learns them. Otherwise not. When he thinks he ought to do a thing, he does it, not otherwise.
“Is there anything greater than the mind?”
“Why not? The will is greater than the mind. If there is no will, nothing happens. It is the will that holds all things together.”
“What is greater than the will?”
“Consciousness is greater than the will. It is consciousness that begets mental activity. Then there is the will that impels the mind to think. Speech follows and words take shape. If a person’s consciousness is not concentrated, he is not alert and he cannot do things.”
I think developing this consciousness in “ME” is important.
There is famous quote by Jane Addams, who is considered the mother of social worker,
“The essence of immorality is the tendency to make an exception of myself.”
Let us not do that.
The only qualification we should have is the wonderful ability to ‘feel’. To those who wanted to go beyond just feeling and take to concrete action – start from you.
So
उत्तिष्ठ्त , जाग्रत ,प्राप्य ,वरान्निबोधत...
