"Divyatvachi Jeth Prachiti, Tethe Kar Maze Julati" - "Where Ever I See Greatness, I Bow With Reverence"

It has been a week of elevating experiences. Saturday 13^th April was spent with the Mentally Challenged Adults at Nav Kshitij, Pune. My school classmate Chandrashekhar Khapre introduced me to this NGO as his daughter Pooja is also an inmate here. 

Last year a group of 22 of us had visited Nav Kshitij and had decided that we shall spend one day with them. We, means our Nachiket Group which comprises of  all whoever were working with me during my stay at Vivekananda Kendra, Pune. 

So, we took a day’s workshop at NK and came back with immense satisfaction. Asavari Gupchup took ‘Drum Circle’ and ‘Balloon activity’, Rucha Zope took ‘Drawing Session’, Jayashri Mandake took ‘Creative session with Paper and Paper folds’ teaching them caps etc. Young 10 year old Laxmi Gupchup and Geeta Wadekar volunteered in the workshop. I took song with actions ‘Hind ke Bahaduron’ and told Swamiji’s stories. To our surprise they knew Swamiji by name and also told me that he had been to Chicago. Later they were asked to prepare a skit on Swamiji’s stories with the help of the staff. They responded wonderfully and we realized that we need to learn to be innocent and pure like them. The efforts of the Founder Dr. Neelima Desai and the dedication of staff made us bow with reverence.

On Tuesday & Wednesday I had lecture on Swamiji at Pune Blind Girl’s School in Kothrud. Telling stories to blind children was a totally new experience for me. Last whole year was spent talking to the audience, holding them with eyes, easily seeing their expressions and becoming one with them. Here I was looking at the faces where initially I was searching for their reactions, which came with difficulty. And then the scene changed as small smiles, laughs, little claps and sorrowful ‘uff’ n ‘ohhh’ started coming out as they heard Narendra suffer after his father’s demise.

I wasn’t aware after sometime that I was addressing the blind girls. Next day when I went the wonderful lot was already waiting. The girls are so talented and all sorts of efforts are made for them to become one with the mainstream. The Principal Mrs. Pujari and the teachers are doing the amazing work by looking after the girls from age of 4 till they leave after graduation and taking vocational training at the school. In Principal's cabin two small girls came to complaint about something. Mrs. Pujari said that one girls' mother also studied in the same school. I was surprised to know that even blindness can be hereditory! May it be due to lack of vitamins or other factors. So much to do and so much can be done at different levels to serve the society. One needs to just start doing and there is no end to it.

I went down the memory lane and kept thinking of my 1 year spent at NAB (National Association for Blinds) before joining Vivekananda Kendra and Kailas Shivade kept coming back to mind. About this I shall write separately.

Then the 3^rd visit happened immediately on next Saturday that is on 20^th April. Mr. Pavan Savant, GM, (CSO Automation Projects) collected donation for 400 solar lamps for EVE Foundation. A group of Tata Communications from Mumbai & Pune gathered at Vivekananda Kendra, Pimplad. With the help of VK workers we distributed the lamps at Nandgaon Koholi village, Taluka Trimbakeshwar, Nashik.

The village visit made us all humble and happy as the villagers welcomed us with love and eagerness. The  young girls had prepared a welcome song and dance for us. They were happy to receive the lamps and in return gave a small book of Swamiji’s life and message to the donors. May their lives get lighted with this small effort from the society.

All three visits to totally different places and meeting different people within a week kept me elevating internally and also making me more humble to serve the motherland in which ever possible ways. Swamiji’s twin ideals of work ‘Tyaga’ and ‘Seva’ were reflecting at each place. In Marathi we have such beautiful lines that come to my mind – ‘Tethe Kar Maze Julati’!