A Fatherless Year

Exactly a calendar year back from today my father breathed last, concluding sixty plus years of his being. Off course death is uncertain. As said in Yogavaasista who knows whose last day today is (ko hi jaanati kasyadya mrithyukalo bhavishyathi). So the death keeps us mortal beings in a perpetual terror. But we the Sanaathana Hindus believe that death is for the body not for Aatma the soul. It is asserted in Bhagavadgeetga; as we change the old clothes with new ones the soul changes the wear out body with a new one (vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya, navani grihnati naro parani; tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi; 2-22). Some mythological inscriptions also mention that it takes a jeeva 84 lakh births before taking birth in human form itself. Ones future course is decided by what one does in present life the Karma; which again is influenced by Karma of past lives. So, accordingly there may be many promotions or demotion before one attains Moksha, the salvation; liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Well, it is better to stop here on this complexly interpreted simple subject.

          My father a common man lived a contented life in spite of many shortcomings. I do have substance to claim he had a contented living, though many a times I felt he was little irresponsible. I feel it’s worth mentioning one or two of his many good qualities I noticed.

          He indeed was a person for those who are in need. Be it fellow human beings or cattle or cat or dog, he was there at their service in need. His every morning at 5am used to start with feeding the cut areca nut sheathes to cattle. Though he hardly went to hospital for his bad health, he used to take many to hospitals and stay with them for weeks taking care of their needs. In our neighborhood and relatives & friends Kuttanna (as he was addressed by the relatives & friends) or Kuttodediru (as called by others) was the first person to be consulted for any advice or medicinal needs. He knew many household medicines for small health problems of men, cattle and also of agricultural.

          The second quality, about which I really feel amused too, was that he used to get into snoring sleep within five minutes he was on bed. None of the tensions, noises or worries around ever affected his sleep; even during financially difficult days of our family when my mother had only tears to shed. His so called educated son I, who reads many philosophical literature, discusses many big-big things, sometimes argues to disprove the very existence of God himself find it hard to get sound sleep many a times. I feel those are blessed who can get a nice sleep when they lie down and can get up painlessly on wake up.

          There is a saying in Kannada which says that a good man’s’ life could be seen in his death (sharanara badukannu maranadalli nodu); People say my father too had a blessed death, sudden, abrupt and painless (I can’t say). Whatever, I miss my Appa a lot.

National Regeneration: Vision and Mission

        Irrespective of their modus operand every genuine attempt toward National Awakening meet somewhere and bound to have parallels. The National life of Baharatvarsha or India witnessed such innumerable endeavors in her unbroken history of more than 5000 years (as proven by modern historical research). “National Regeneration: The Vision of Swami Vivekananda and The Mission of Rashtreeya Svayamsevak Sangh(RSS)” is an attempt elegantly accomplished, expositing the Vision of National Renaissance of a missionary monk, Swami Vivekananda, getting materialized as the successful mission of RSS since its inception. No one can be better qualified to author the book than the Sri Suryanarayan Rao, known as ‘Suruji’ in Sangh circles, having devoted to Sangh work for more than six decades and having close relations with Sri Ramakrishna Mission; who humbly refers himself as ‘compiler’.

         As Pujaneeya Sarasanghachalak of RSS Sri Mohanji Bhagvat write in his message, Swami Vivekananda who needs no introduction, “…gave Bharat a purpose to live; a world mission to fulfill and inspired her to rise above and out of murk of slavery and decay she had fallen into”. This being his 150th year’s birth anniversary he continues to inspire many. 

      After the demise of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Narendra who became Swami Vivekananda travelled length and breadth of India as Parivrajak or a wandering monk. He got firsthand exposure to the contemporary India which has fallen from her fast glory to a disgraceful slavery; before meditating on rocks of Kanyakumari where he had the ‘Vision of India’ also commonly called ‘Kanyakumari Resolve’. He later writes “…sitting on the last bit of Indian rock—I hit upon a plan..…We as a nation have lost our individuality and that is the cause of all mischief in India. We have to raise the masses”[1]. Later his triumph at the Parliament of Religion held in Chikago, subsequent tours in America and Europe rightfully exposed his intellectual caliber to the world and pulled in many disciples both in west and east.

           Later on his return in 1897 he laid the foundation stones of Sri Ramakrishna Mission with the motto ‘Atmano mokshartham jagadhitaya cha’, meaning ‘For one's own salvation, and for the welfare of the world’. Why a dhyanasidha sanyasi Vivekananda would start an organization or a movement whatever we call, not only to attain one’s own Moksha but also for the cause of jagadhita? His addresses from Colombo to Almora in return to glorious welcome felicitations received from fellow countrymen, elaborate his vision. Bhagini Nivedita in her book ‘The Master as I saw him’ writes “Swamiji’s main mission in his life, as expressed by often by himself, was to make Hinduism aggressive and uplift the country it’s ancient glory finding out the common bases of Hinduism… … ..Man making, character building, discipline and organization are the need of the hour…”.[2]

           Here lies a parallel in the genesis of Rashtreeya Svayamsevak Sangh or RSS which started on the Vijayadashami day of the year 1925 in Nagpur by Doctor Keshav Baliram Hedgewar with bunch of young boys. Doctorji was a born patriot, a revolutionary, worked in Anusheelan Samiti a revolutionary movement in Calcutta, also a Congress worker having participated in its independence movement and went to jail. The social activist Doctojee deeply deliberated on the cause for degradation of our national life, having such resplendent history and vast size. Being worked as a revolutionary as well as political worker in Congress he was aware of their limitations. He recognized certain truth and concluded that ‘our Nation’s basic malady did not lie in the invader’s strength but it lay in its own disunity…two pronged attack of British domination and Muslim separatism has to be met. The only effective course was to awaken and organize the Hindu people and imbibe them with the intense spirit of Nationalism. It is only on the bed rock of such National strength that the British power could be humbled and Muslim made to realize that their interests are better served by merging into the National mainstream rather than siding with the foreign masters. It is this realization of this basic fact of our National life formed the ideological base of RSS.[3]

          The practical method devised by Doctorji for awakening the National consciousness of people, and for bringing all together & organize them of divisions of religion and sect, caste and creed, language, province or political barriers, is Shakha. Sangh Shakha is group meeting of Svayamsevaks – a self motivated selfless servant of society; regularly, an hour a day where simple programs like physical exercise, plating game like kabaddi, singing patriotic song are conducted; which impart discipline and train body & mind in an atmosphere of love, affection and trust. Since inception of Sangh the roots of Sangh Shakha are spread throughout India and abroad (in the name Hindu Svayamsevak Sangh) pursuing Vyakti Nirman building patriotic men ready for selfless service of Nation.

          In this 150th birth year (2013) of Swami Vivekananda, service rendered by both Ramakrishna Mission and RSS in National Renaissance is in evident in front of us. This book gives a glimpse of the circumstantial and ideological basis of RSS work, its activities in service of Nation and the Vision of Swami Vivekananda carried in the mission of RSS.

References:
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Vivekananda
[2]: The Master as I saw him by Bhagini Nivedita
[3]: The Epoch Maker

It reminds again and again.

In spite of the fact we know, understand and believe that death is inevitable, the agony of death haunts us. I am stating this, ten months after the sudden demise of my father and witnessing few more deaths of people whom I knew, loved, liked and respected. News of each new death that reached me strengthened my belief of love for life.

Recently mother informed me about sad demise of my beloved school teacher Shri Venkatachal Shet; I found myself in a situation when I had heard my father’s death. Venkatachal Mastarru as he was known in our village was also my father’s school friend. His house is near to ours, 200m walk across the paddy field, except during the rainy season.  He taught me only for one year, during 4^th standard at Govt Lower Primary School Harodi, a village very next our village Valgalli. For 5^th standard I had to go to Higher Primary School Valgalli. Though he taught me for only one year his influence on me as teacher remains forever. The stories of Shivaji, Subhashchandra bose, Tenali Rama, Birbal narrated by him and the mathematical puzzles asked by him are still fresh in my mind, as it was heard yesterday. He was a true teacher, an inspirer.

I ever felt it as my misfortune of not having a Guru; a mentor who can guide me through a right path. Even though RSS, of which I’m a svayamsevak fulfills this deficiency to some extent, it can’t be a replacement for an individual mentor. I was fortunate to have a Guru in Venkatachal Mastarru during my childhood days. His smiling face always blessed my everyday morning and evening when he was riding on his way to his school and I was walking towards mine, he was very happy to see his student passing SSLC with distinction marks, he was very much pleased to hear his student studying PUC science getting high marks and securing good CET rank, he proudly talked around the shops, temples and co-operative society of village about his ‘intelligent’ disciple getting engineering seat, receiving a scholarship, getting selected by software company in campus interview etc. He used to enquire my whereabouts with my father regularly. A true Guru, whose concerns about his student crossed the school compound wall.

After my residence changed to Hubli, for engineering studies and then to Bangalore, I used to meet him occasionally, during my visit to hometown. I would be riding my bicycle or bike on the way to Kumta, our Taluka headquarter or somewhere else, he would be on his age old bicycle as usual. We use to spare few minutes talking. He with his heartily concerns used to ask about my studies, life etc. It is after I started working in Software Company, started earning and lost myself in my own world, sometimes I thought of going to his home to meet him during my next visit to hometown, and carry some books and some fruits. He would definitely be delighted to see me, his proud student.

But that day never arrived, Venkatachal Mastarru, I was whose beloved student, is no more. How ungrateful and thankless I am, never touched his feet once, and not allowed his blessing hands to be placed on my head.

There is a reason to love life…

Since two to three years the price of precious yellow metal, the gold for which women especially Indian, have special admirations, is on an upward volatility. My mother had a wish to wear a new golden Mangala Sutra and buy little more golden ornaments. She used ask me about the latest price; I used to update her and frighten her with my own future price predictions. But I’m sure henceforth she won’t ask the gold price; the reason is henceforward she won’t be wearing the Mangala Sutra, painful but true, my father is no more.

People say my father was blessed to get such a death, any one could desire. A sudden and abrupt demise; not giving a slightest opportunity to put a drop of water in his mouth to anyone including his wife and children; not getting bedridden or hospitalized for single day. People used to give examples of those wishing and waiting for death. They used to ask; ‘other than one thing that his was not an age to die, what else we can comment about such a wishful death he got?’ I know these are the words anyone including me had told and are telling to console ourselves. These are our consolatory explanations, who wept silently when we are alone; while sleeping, in bathroom, riding the bike, strolling in the areca nut farm in the morning or watering the coco nut trees in the evening; remembering the memories, good and difficult times of past; also tried hard to show smile on face when we saw each other, tried to make other person happy or attempted to divert the attention.

I think the very reason why we sorrow is due to attachment we develop with the person who demised; the company we enjoyed and suddenly we realize that from next moment we are bound to lose the companionship, because the person is no more in his flesh and blood. His physical body lost something unknown and abstract thing, which gave the body what we call “life”, ceased its presence. So it may be derived that we are sorrow due to death of someone beloved, not because he or she left the physical body, but because we lost the fellowship we hitherto enjoyed. Is our grief selfish?

Whatever…

While standing in front of the incinerating fire which was reducing my father’s abandoned body to ashes, many things came and went in mind; from thought of meaning of meaning of life to smashaana vairaagya.

But, really is there a rational motive to live and reason to love life?

Yes. The reason is that the death is inevitable for those who are born.