Even as the debates rage on the TV and people all over the country and even world, express their anguish over the Mumbai terror tragedy, I am full of remorse for those bravehearts and innocent people who lost their lives within a span of 60 hours.Just think about it. Mumbaikars who were standing on the streets, waiting for a train or simply walking with their friends, were gunned down. Tourists, business travellers who were having a decent meal at the Taj, were part of a macabre bloodbath.
Yes, there is government upheaval, now. Yes, there are words like resilience being booted out of the Mumbaikars' dictionary, now. Yes, the news channels are doing a remarkable job bringing out the bizarre truth, of an unguarded sea terrain, of unheeded warning messages. All the pieces are adding up to make a horrific picture, now.
I want to light my candle for my fellow Indians who lost their lives.
But I will not merely stop here. I will also set out to do what Gurudev has always wished for us to do. Reach out. Reach out and touch someone's heart, mind, and spirit.
The fact that a twenty one year old boy can be brainwashed to become a terrorist using an AK 47 gun with expert precision certainly sent a shiver down my spine.
I was glued to the TV for the past few days, watching the Mumbai terror unfold. I was quite depressed, lost. But today I shut off my TV and attended the Teach India orientation program.
I wish more people join such programs so that we can teach the underprivileged children of India. Such children are constantly falling prey to substance abuse, crime and begging. If we can equip them with skills to make a decent and dignified living, perhaps we can stop more children from being sucked into the bizarre, dehumanized terror world.
Brick by brick, we can build our rich Indian fabric and protect our borders. Jai Hind. Jai Gurudev.
2 comments:
JGD Manju. Your association with Teach India, is commendable and will certainly give some young minds an opportunity to look at other options. But as profiles of the misguided youth causing terrorism all over the world in the last few years tells us, education is no deterrent to being influenced by religious zealots who indoctrinate even the most educated.
Modern education provides the means for a job - not a means to look above narrow bigoted view points.
In this respect, I believe that Art Of Living courses will serve as a better "education" for such vulnerable minds than Teach India. Since you are teaching both, it would be great to hear of your experiences in merging these 2 techniques.
Jai Guru Dev
Hi RR,
I believe it is both the mind and the spirit that needs to be nurtured. Each has a place of its own.
If you see what is happening in the world, there is great use of state-of-the-art technology such as Blackberry, internet, GPS- a lot of computer-driven technology. Unless the underprivileged get a chance to learn this technology, and unless this tech goes to grass roots, the common people will be alienated from the rest of the world. Communication is key to survival, sustenance and growth. If a child can sign his name in India, it is a great thing in itself. Most of the teachers in government schools don't even complete the syllabus, or instill any motivation for children to learn. If we can become role model teachers, at least during our free time, it will give an impetus for children to want to learn. In a fun and loving manner.
Sure, at a higher level, we need yoga, pranayaam, and spiritual sustenance as well, which the Art of Living provides. This is definitely 'one leg of the table'...but let us not be dogmatic in our approach either, and instead think objectively ove r the needs of the underprivileged. Let us do what is feasible and available to us.
To become a teacher in the Art of Living has its own barriers, time constraints- it's relatively easy to complete TTC 1. But thereafter, a lot of constraints come in the way. The selection process itself is difficult. Time (15 days) to spare for TTC2 also becomes a problem in the corporate world.
This is why I find it easier to take up opportunities such as Teach India to give my (tiny) bit to the children. ;-)
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