Govardhan Eco Village : Oasis in consumerism madness

Simple living and high thinking is one of the main motto behind any authentic spiritual organisation. When there is high thinking automatically that translate into simple living. By the way what is high thinking? We can understand simple living : living close to nature.

Many people think many things in life at many levels like personal, familial, social and universal at different levels of humanitarian, philanthropic, economic ways. That thinking can be either narrow-minded or in broad-minded. It also can be at any place in that entire gamut between these levels. Many people may be acting on this thinking process. But this kind of thinking process don’t solve the basic problems of life : birth, death, old age and disease. If anyone is thinking about solving these basic fundamental unavoidable problems, then that thinking is high thinking.

How does high thinking lead to simple living? Just by thinking nothing is going to happen unless action is taken place. There are many authentic avenues like scriptures, saints and teachers from where one can get practical ways to solve four basic problems . They suggest that necessities of life should be minimized as low as possible so that more energy can be spent in solving four basic problems. This necessity of minimization of needs automatically translate into living a life depending more on nature than on artificial industrialization and consumerism. So simple living is an automatic outcome of high thinking.

All the things said and people may say its fine to hear that kind of theoretical stuff, but it is very difficult to follow that kind of life style. More over there is no society having that kind of vision to motivate us. If  you agree, then you will be absolutely wrong. There can be many examples of that sort, but there is one solid example for this simple living and high thinking. That is Govardhan Eco Village which is located in Wada, Maharashtra, India. It’s a role model for any society to emulate by teaching self sufficiency without any artificial needs and consumerism.

There are many activities going on in Govardhan Eco Village which seems at first glance as an Utopian exercise. Deep thinking will prove that it is not an Utopian excercise, in fact it is beacon light in the dark consumerism. The activities include Cow protection, Organic Farming, Children’s school, Alternate Energy, Cottage industry, Social Development and Natural Buildings.

Cow Protection

The Cow – divine and all auspicious, has had a deep impact on all aspects of human lives since time immemorial. But post industrial revolution human reliance on Cows and Bulls has drastically diminished and dependency on oil is increased. Cow are mercilessly slaughtered for many reasons which often have hidden motives. Now with no cows and oil crisis, society is on the verge of paralysis.

Cow is so important for humans to live in harmony with nature. It gives what are all the required for human society like mother nurturing the child. So it is not surprise when scripture put cow in the place of mother. Cow’s milk nurture the human society. Number of food substances can be made from cows milk like curd, butter milk, butter, ghee, panneer etc. Cow urine is used for medicinal and digestive purposes. Cow dung in different forms is used for antiseptic purposes, decoration, fuel etc. Similarly bulls is used for ploughing, oil extraction, floor grinding, transportation etc.

It is demoniac to kill cow and ox for eating. It’s similar to killing mother and father. How can any society will be happy if they are killing mother and father. There can be many bad subtle effects on the society because of cow slaughter.Any sane person can understand the artificial dependency on oil and negligence on cow. Why not the person who is having high thinking?

Organic Farming

The production of the food grains and vegetables has to be increased as the demand for them is increasing. So output from the farming has to be increased to meet this increased demand. Chemical substances in the form of fertilizers and pesticides are used for more production. Of course these fertilizers has increased the output, but the question is sustainability. The land which has given more output in initial years, latter gives reduced output than normally what it can give. The farmer is initially happy, but later he is devastated at the output level. The chemicals used are spread over vegetables and grains which can create lot of health issues if they are consumed? Over all what does human society achieve by these artificial chemicals? Its self destruction, nothing else. This is all  because of short shortsightedness. Genetically modified crops are adding woes to the farmers and consumers.

In Govardhan Eco Village, instead of artificial means organic farming is being used. The organic techniques like crop rotation, use of compost, organic fertilizers, green pesticides, permanent raised beds, companion planting, mulching etc. This farsightedness is because of high thinking.

Children’s School

The vision of Lady Northcote Hindu Orphanage (LNHO) at Govardhan Eco Village is to emotionally, socially and spiritually nourish the children, help them draw out their inherent talents and guide them for a bright future. In order to live a life of responsibility and dignity, a holistic training model has been developed. This includes training the students in academics, vocational skills, spiritual traits and physical wellbeing.

Alternate Energy

Different alternate Energy sources are used instead of regular oil and LPG. They include bull power, solar power and Gobar gas.

Bull power is used for water pumping and sprinkling for irrigation. Same also being used for flour mill and oil extraction. Solar is used for heating water for some drinking purposes. Gobar gas is used for kitchen purposes. There are many usages of alternative energy for residential purposes, kitchen requirements and recreational purposes.

Cottage Industry

Cottage industry is the best near alternative to the so-called modern industry if basic needs of the society are considered. All the products are completely made from cow dung and cow urine and herbs.

The following products are available at present: Soap Powder (Ubtan), Tooth Powder,  Incense sticks (dhoop), Gomutra Ark ( distilled cow urine), Ghanvati (Cow Urine tablets). There are bull operated oil mill (Ghani) and flour mill.

Social Development

Villages are backbone of India. Agriculture and farming happen mainly in rural places. In this modern India where agriculture has 20% of GDP, but 90% of population is dependent on agriculture. So there is large disparity in proporions. More over poor farming due to environmental changes, improper conditions of lifestyle and health care and massive rural immigration keep rural populace in deplorable condition and this is going to hit modern India in long run as India has started importing grains from outside.

Govardhan Eco Village has taken initiative for creating positive changes in life style and state of affairs of rural communities by providing them a sustainable livelihood programme based on improving the available natural resources and also improving the quality of basic facilities like healthcare, sanitation, education and training etc.

Natural Buildings

Instead of using cement and cement bricks for construction of house or even red bricks, Govardhan Eco village is pioneering in construction of houses with Compresses Stabilized Earth Block (CSEB) which are based on special technology of making walls with bricks. Earthen materials and stabilizers are used in this technology. Local availability of materials and ease of processing makes it most energy efficient. It is also said that construction cost is approximately 40% less and strength of the block is more than normal red brick construction.

These steps taken by Govardhan Eco village are very appreciative because they thought differently at long term benefits instead of short term benefits. The more these kind of initiatives are taken, the more people will appreciate these role models and chance for emulation. Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Hope this Govardhan Eco village is one of those steps.

References:

1. http://ecovillage.org.in

Part 6 : One year of Exciting Journey

One year of Exciting journey is over in college for Appu. It has been roller coaster for many  students similar to Appu. Every where there is excitement in this premier college. Everyone seems too much interested in their own world of clubs, marks, subjects, placements, networking and exploration of different opportunity. For Appu, the lifestyle in college seems very difficult to digest and impractical to manage. In one year he has learnt so many things which he hopes will be useful in real life after college.

The clubs are many, but not as many as for everyone’s satisfaction. Supply and demand. The club selection gives the glimpse of real life after MBA or show how life should be. As usual because of more demand,  Appu’s batch mates are putting their best efforts in all means to get selected. The selection in clubs gives the identity, prestige and power among the fellow students and also resume points. Who doesn’t want that kind of opportunity? The selection process some times have gone till morning and no one is worried about timings. With in short time after college start, many people seem accustomed to this night life style. Many people are interested mainly in four clubs because of the money involved, networking and experience. Others applied to different clubs for resume points. There are some societies who are not that much prominent in college, but people feel their presence on special occasions. The club selection gives a lot of confidence every aspect of life in college activities.

Marks. Haahh. It is the thing that any student wants to get as much as possible. The bell curve seems deciding many students’ future and fortune. Even a half mark can make a big difference. So rat race for marks. Nobody wants to be on left side of the bell, but someone has to be on left side.  Mostly, the position on bell curve decides the grade value. What happens to student is on left side of Bell, even after he studies hard and gets good marks and all other get more than him? Appu has been worrying about it. But some how he has felt that he won’t be last. He has heard that professor will take care and don’t give the worst grade if sufficient effort is put by student. How soothing it is! There is life beyond marks and grades!

Many subjects are just mesmerizing. Though subjects look only of common sense and too common place at the starting of the course, over a period of time Appu falls in love with some subjects. Some are really boring, he decides never to touch those subjects. The fate is different and Appu is working now on some of the subjects he never wants to study again. The work experience, plays really good hand at understanding the subjects and also fetch good marks. Though it seems improper to compare students on one common examination who are having different experiences, it is the reality. Life puts examination and then teaches lesson. The fellow students and professors are teaching life to Appu.

Placements. The fruit of hard work , intelligence and luck. Many students are well aware of the rules of the placement game except some like Appu. The summer placements are ladders for great jobs ahead and act as stepping-stones for bright future. Lot of material and gyan by senior along with enthusiasm and anxiety to perform push the students’ blood pressure high as the time of placements is approaching. Preparation of one page resume is the utmost important and tedious task in entire placement process. Once the placements are over, everyone comes to normal stage of relaxed life.

Networking i.e. socializing is one of the important things anyone can get at MBA college. Given the equal talent and credential  for people, networking paves the way for success. It seems MBA colleges  have better understood this point. So from starting on wards, students try to network with maximum number students, professors, alumni etc. Appu is surprised to know  that many of his batch mates whom he doesn’t know are sending Facebook friend’s request. Appu soon learns the importance and he too starts sending his requests!

With all the knowledge Appu has received in a year, he is too excited to face the 2nd year. He is hoping life will be more exciting as a sophomore than as a fresher.

Man is a Social Animal

It is degrading when a man is compared to an animal. But this comparison drives the most important aspect of human behavior which is now a days is often rare to be found. When anyone hears about the statement Man is a Social Animal, the first reaction generally will be why man is compared animal? Am I animal? After some thought process, anyone will be convinced that he is an animal not literally but as a comparison. There is something common between animals and men : Social nature. Are people really that much social in their lives? Or is it only for the intellectual satisfaction and it won’t be applicable in real life? Of course man lives in society, but he is lacking many ingredients that are expected from a social being. The public good is more important than individual’s priority. Is it the case always? May be some rare exceptional people will be  there of that kind, but in general people are not.

In a society, everyone can’t do all the things required for his daily use be it food, house, cloth, medicine etc. He has to depend on so many people in the society to live comfortably. Everyone is required for comfortable life, so people live in society. But the problem is that everyone’s work is different and accordingly the money they earn differs. Automatically, there is income distribution among the people instead of one single income for all people. Man is ambitious and he tries to take advantage of this situation to make more money by going to higher paying jobs and businesses. People with qualification,try to crowd at high paying jobs and businesses and compete compete among themselves. Once the competition there is, the mighty competitor will win. Everyone will perish except some people who are strong with deep pockets. The losers try to win with their tooth and nail, and in final they may resort cheating.

The people with lower qualification will have to work on basic works on  with expertise which  generally will be very low paying jobs. Some times, machinery is replacing the work done by them and so the unemployment is increasing.In the process  of rich becoming rich, inflation is going to increase. Along with inflation and bad work conditions these people are tormented and they don’t have any other alternative except cheating society in what ever way it is possible.

What initially thought of peaceful society for comfortable living, now turns out to be a society with full of cheaters because of lack opportunity and because of competition. So the end result is rich is getting richer and poor is getting poorer. History has seen many political movements to correct this disparity with little initial success and later failure.It seems from the history of the world, communism won’t work . Does capitalism work?

Capitalism is very good at outset by providing good lifestyle and income for people who are working in corporation. Of course everyone can’t be employed in corporation. For time being, it looks so good for at least some people who are working in corporation. Real problem which lies with capitalism is its sustainability. All the natural resources which are non replenished public goods are being exploited in the process. The wealth is not created, it is only divided. When it is divided,  who ever gets the bigger share he is the powerful and he tries to be powerful in future also because of his might. In one sense, all the wealth is shared by these corporations leaving peanuts or sometimes nothing for others. How long will it continue? As long as resources are not fully exploited. After that full collapse of so called advanced modern civilization is for sure.

It seems there is problem with both communism and capitalism. What needs to be done now? The problem is there because people consider that there is no relationship among themselves in the society except as sources of money generation. Will this happen among the family members? Will one sibling allow other to starve while he or she having lavish life? No. It won’t happen that way because there is relationship among the siblings and they listen to their parents. Is there that kind of relation in society? Yes, it is there. All the scriptures say men are the sons of God. If people accept this universal fatherhood and live accordingly, society will be peaceful and harmonious. vasudiva kutumbakam.

The resource exploitation will create problem even if people have universal brotherhood principle. To get over this problem, society should follow the teachings  of god and in the foot steps of His followers. They have never advocated industrialization, instead they have preferred sustainable simple living and high thinking. Universal fatherhood along with simple living and high thinking will make society peaceful and man a social animal. There are many initiatives where this revolutionized idea is implemented in practicality. One of the examples is Govardhan Eco village near Wada, Maharastra, India. This is the great example for any society to emulate.

What did Krishna do for you ?

After a couple of marathon weeks with gruelling preparation for end terms exams and projects presentations, Appu is preparing for his final frontier of his term exams. This exam is chill and exam tests how best a student can globe on the given subject. Appu is getting accustomed to the art of globing the given topic. Incidentally Appu is going to be 1/3rd MBA graduate after this final hurdle. Along with his friends, Appu is preparing his strategy for bidding points for his electives in next term.

As usual friends joke and debate with each other on any random thoughts, one of the friends of Appu has posed a question jokingly about lord Krishna, “What did Krishna do for you?” Appu has given an impromptu answer to that question by asking a question back to him, “You should ask what Krishna didn’t do for you?” His friends haven’t nag Appu after his powerful answer. Appu also hasn’t realized what has come from his mouth out is indeed correct and perfect answer. Sometimes wonderful conclusions and statements come out spontaneously leaving a person to ponder over those statements’ validity and repercussions. This back fired question is one of those types.

What did Krishna do for a normal person from philosophical perspective?

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāh
tāsāḿ brahma mahad yonir ahaḿ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (B.G. 14.4)

It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.

nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati Kaman (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.13)

He (Krishna) is the chief eternal among all eternals. He is the chief conscious entity among all conscious entities. The one fulfils the needs of all others.

sarvasya cāhaḿ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaḿ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham (B.G. 15.5)

I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

We don’t even remember who we are when we get up from bed every day morning. Can we imagine ourselves as Gajinies? It is because of Him we remember our identity.

saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā purovāca prajāpatiḥ
anena prasaviṣyadhvam eṣa vo ‘stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk (B.G. 3.10)

In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Viṣṇu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajña [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living happily and achieving liberation.”

All the required things for leading life peacefully and going back to godhead are given by Him. He has provided us air, water, grains, and medicines. Even for the creations of so called scientists, the useful ingredients are supplied by Him. Our existence simply depends upon His mercy.

What did Krishna do with His incarnations?

Jayadeva Goswami Dasavatara Stotra Description

We can understand what Krishna did for us from the Dasavatara Stotra of a famous poet, Jayadev Goswami. It is only tip of iceberg for the activities what Krishna did for us.

(1)
pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedaḿ
vihita-vahitra-caritram akhedam
keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a fish! All glories to You! You easily acted as a boat in the form of a giant fish just to give protection to the Vedas, which had become immersed in the turbulent sea of devastation.

(2)
kṣitir iha vipulatare tiṣṭhati tava pṛṣṭhe
dharaṇi-dhāraṇa-kiṇa-cakra-gariṣṭhe
keśava dhṛta-kūrma-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a tortoise! All glories to You! In this incarnation as a divine tortoise the great Mandara Mountain rests upon Your gigantic back as a pivot for churning the ocean of milk. From holding up the huge mountain a large scar like depression is put in Your back, which has become most glorious.

(3)
vasati daśana-śikhare dharaṇī tava lagnā
śaśini kalańka-kaleva nimagnā
keśava dhṛta-śūkara-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a boar! All glories to You! The earth, which had become I,merged in the Garbhodaka Ocean at the bottom of the universe, sits fixed upon the tip of Your tusk like a spot upon the moon.

(4)
tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-śṛńgaḿ
dalita-hiraṇyakaśipu-tanu-bhṛńgam
keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lionl All glories to You! lust as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasp like demon Hiranyakasipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands.

(5)
chalayasi vikramaṇe balim adbhuta-vāmana
pada-nakha-nīra-janita-jana-pāvana
keśava dhṛta-vāmana-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a dwarf-brahmana! All glories to You! O wonderful dwarf, by Your massive steps You deceive King Bali, and by the Ganges water that has emanated from the nails of your lotus feet, You deliver all living beings within this world.

(6)
kṣatriya-rudhira-maye jagad-apagata-pāpam
snapayasi payasi śamita-bhava-tāpam
keśava dhṛta-bhṛgupati-rūpa jaya jagadiśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Bhrgupati [Parasurama]! All glories to You! At Kuruksetra You bathe the earth in the rivers of blood from the bodies of I he demoniac ksatriyas that You have slain. The sins of the world are washed away by You, and because of You people are relieved room the blazing fire of material existence.

(7)
vitarasi dikṣu raṇe dik-pati-kamanīyaḿ
daśa-mukha-mauli-balim ramaṇīyam
keśava dhṛta-rāma-śarīra jaya jagadiśa hare

O Kesava!O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who haze assumed the form of Ramacandra! All glories to You! In the battle of Lanka You destroy the ten-headed demon Ravana and distribute his heads as a delightful offering to the presiding deities of the ten directions, headed by Indira. This action was long desired by all of them, who were much harassed by this monster.

(8)
vahasi vapuṣi viśade vasanaḿ jaladābhaḿ
hala-hati-bhīti-milita-yamunābham
keśava dhṛta-haladhara-rūpa jaya jagadiśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Balarama, the yielder of the prowl All glories to You! On Your brilliant white body You wear garments the color of a fresh blue rain cloud. These garments are colored like the beautiful dark hue of the River Yamuna, who feels great fear due to the striking of Your plowshare.

(9)
nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaḿ
sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam
keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Buddha! All glories to You! O Buddha of compassionate heart, you decry the slaughtering of poor animals performed according to the rules of Vedic sacrifice.

(10)
mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavālaḿ
dhūmaketum iva kim api karālam
keśava dhṛta-kalki-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Kalki! All glories to You! You appear like a comet and carry a terrifying sword for bringing about the annihilation of the wicked barbarian men at the end of the Kali-yuga.

(11)
śrī-jayedeva-kaver idam uditam udāraḿ
śṛṇu sukha-daḿ śubha-daḿ bhava-sāram
keśava dhṛta-daśa-vidha-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed these ten different forms of incarnation! All glories to You! O readers, please hear this hymn of the poet Jayadeva, which is most excellent, an awarder of happiness, a bestower of auspiciousness, and it is the best thing in this dark world.

(12)
vedān uddharate jaganti vahate bhū-golam udbibhrate
daityaḿ dārayate baliḿ chalayate kṣatra-kṣayaḿ kurvate
paulastyaḿ jayate halaḿ kalayate kāruṇyam ātanvate
mlecchān mūrchayate daśakṛti-kṛte kṛṣṇāya tubhyaḿ namaḥ

O Lord Krsna, I offer my obeisances unto You, who appear in the forms of these ten incarnations. In the form of Matsya You rescue the Vedas, and as Karma You bear the MandaraMountain on Your back. As Varaha You lift the earth with Your tusk, and in the form of Narasimha You tear open the chest of the daitya Hiranyakasipu. In the form of Vamana You trick the daitya king Bali by asking him for only three steps of land, and then You take away the whole universe from him by expanding Your steps. As Parasurama You slay all of the wickedksatriyas, and as Ramacandra You conquer the raksasa king Ravana. In the form of Balarama You carry a plow with which You subdue the wicked and draw toward You the River Yamuna. As Lord Buddha You show compassion toward all the living beings suffering in this world and at the end of the Kali-yuga You appear as Kalki to bewilder the mlecchas [degraded low-class men].

What did Krishna do when He had come personally on this planet earth?

He relieved the pain of earth by annihilating the miscreants who were troubling innocent people as promised by Him.

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāḿ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-saḿsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge (B.G. 4.8)

To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.

He killed demoniac personalities like Kamsa, Sishupal, Dantavakra and many more. Many people may consider these are mythological, but excavations at Dwaraka proved that Krishna is the historical figure and all the descriptions about Him are real facts. Even though He is supreme personality of godhead, He became the servant of His devotees (followers). He became the chariot driver of His friend Arjuna, the messenger of Pandavas, the order carrier of His cowherd friends, lover of cowherd damsels. He is the best friend, best son, best master, best lover that anyone can think of. In His Vamanavatar, He even became the door keeper of Bali Maharaj. Even the demoniac personalities who were killed by Him like that of Putana and Sishupal are awarded liberation. The warriors who were killed in presence of Krishna at Kurukshetra were awarded liberation.

“What Krishna didn’t do for you?” is the correct question to be asked instead of “what did Krishna do for you?”

References:

http://kksongs.org/songs/p/pralayapayodhijale.html

http://vedabase.net/bg

How fortunate you are!

Once there was a learned person living in a small village, bought a beautiful elegant horse. Everyone congratulated him saying how fortunate you are! After some time, the horse ran away and everyone told him how unfortunate you are! And then after couple of days, the horse came back along with its companion and people started saying how fortunate you are! After one week, the young son of the villager broke his leg when fell down while riding on horse and people told how unfortunate you are! Many young people who were drafted in to military were killed in war and people started saying to villager how fortunate you are! Villager’s son was not drafted because of physical deficiency.

Butterfly struggling to come out of Cocoon

As in the case of this villager, the fortunes are simply swinging with the time for every one of us. When the results are viewed with limited understanding in a limited time frame, obviously no one can get imports of circumstances. If caterpillar doesn’t come out of egg with struggle, it won’t develop sufficient strength to fly freely for rest of its life. If person deals with life with due patience and diligence, life will be more colourful. There won’t be unfortunate situations like heart breaks, suicides, and attacks for apparent reversal of our expectation.

The holistic way of understanding life and living it accordingly makes man happier than mere rat race for success. This principle should be instilled in everyone’s heart. This principle of looking things around us from third person’s perspective makes us really fortunate.

Part 5 : Marathon Begins !

The quiet days are over their due and the marathon is about to begin. The processes for registration, hostel accommodation were quite student & parent friendly. The biggest burden Appu faced, the educational loan from one of the premium banks, become simple task of 15mins without collateral support. Appu was busy with adjusting with new circumstances where he need to spend his two invaluable years of experience. The official welcome was grand and cherishing.

Next day started the orientation program for one week gave Appu and his new batch mates the feel of two years in campus. Hardly few hours (approximately 4 hours) were left for sleeping in a day. The learning from interaction and practical exposure made Appu to feel that he was staying in campus for 7 weeks if not exaggerated 7 months. There were many innovative ways of learning like solving practical puzzle, learning through games, visiting NGOs and hearing series of lectures about ethics and college expectations. The orientation program was over with big party before the actual classes started.

The academic work is started and Appu is busy in coping up with classes. Apart from academics, there are the lot of options for participation in huge number of clubs and sports etc. It looks like 24 hours is not sufficient. Let us see how Appu is going to proceed.

Time – The fourth dimension

Some times, casual discussion with friends can give deep insight into the perspectives of  life which is lead unknowingly. Ram’s casual discussion with his friend in a restaurant about their failure to grab the business opportunity lead him to go deeper into business perspective with respect to time. The basic conclusion was there will be hurdles that are spread across the time span of  any activity. The progress will be smooth and fast until the path is blocked by a hurdle. If anyone wants to be successful, he ought to overcome the obstacles and go on  in his was. Again one more obstacle may come in the way and it also has to be overcome. The basic failure of business proposal was mainly due to their inability to find an obstacle and its solution it in a given time.

Thomas Alva Edison

Unknowingly everyone even animals in this world are doing the same thing. With experience gathered in time, they want to remove hurdles in their selected journey. In one sense, everyone is racing with time from student who is preparing for his last examination to athlete who is participating in Olympics. Even though people fail many times, they don’t stop the race as with case of Thomas Alva Edison who invented bulb after so many failed experiments.

There are so many intricacies involved in our dealings with time. One is that time won’t stop for anyone as said famous saying ‘ Time and tide waits for none’. Chanakya Pandit says ‘Even a moment of one’s lifetime could not be returned in exchange for millions of dollars’. There many other punch line showing the importance of time – you can buy watch, but you can’t buy time etc.

The working of time is more mesmerizing after realizing importance of time. Basically time is divided into past, present and future. The present is just a moment which converts future into past. Unless one is equipped with good experience in past, it is very difficult for him to act in a successful way in present. If he don’t have the faculty of experience, he will convert prospective great future into failed past.

The next big grave question is that if anyone wastes his life without doing any substantial work either materially or spiritually, what will be his position ? Logically everyone wants have one more try. For a philosophically minded person, it will be even more disturbing if he thinks time itself is going to have its own end. What if person wasted his life and died like cats and dogs ? Does he lose his identity or has to suffer eternally from the judgement day ?

Fortunately, it is not the actual case. Scriptures say time is eternal & cyclical and everyone is given a chance for his reformation as rebirth (reincarnation). Among the main topics discussed in Bhagavadgita viz Īśvara, jīva, prakṛti, kāla and karma only karma is not eternal. The understanding of details about time make person to take informed decision in his life. There are many intricate details are available to interested reader in scriptures about time cycles of Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga, measurement of time, relativity of time across different planetary systems. All the details are not mythology as put forward by so called rationalist as relativity is proved by modern scientists.

Sine & Cosine Waves

When some one is studying technology, unknowingly he will be doing everything with repect to time. The graph of sinusoidal wave, pendulum movement and even frequency analysis etc shows how a techie wants manipulate or observe phenomenon with time. The history which heavily depends on time is only rendition of past experience. The manager in a company is planning everything  to run business efficiently in present or future. Similar to above examples, everyone in this world is trying his best to utilize this time dimension in his activities.

Lord Krishna told in Bhagavad-gita (10.30 & 10.33) ” Among subduers  I am time. I am also in exhaustible time”. No one can conquer time as proved by history. It is wise to use time properly in the present  that is in our hand so that future becomes glorious.

Hampi – The cultural Heritage

The city of Hampi is great reminiscence of Indian culture and heritage. The natural scenery, architecture and buildings take any modern person into remnants of ancient Indian history.

Heaps of Stones around Hampi

There is a river called Tunga Bhadra which is flowing near to Hampi. Previously, it was called as Pampa river and in due course the city got name Hampi as it is near to river. There are many wonderful places both sides of the river. To the right side of the river Pampa, there are prominent places like Anjanadri Hill, Pampa Sarovar lake etc. To the left side of the river, there are Malyavanta Raghunath Mandir, Badava Linga Temple, Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Hampi city and Vittal temple etc.

One prominent feature one can observe around Hampy area is heaps of stones arranged in the shape of mountains. It is said this very same place was the place where Lord Rama and Lakshaman had pastimes with Vanaras in Kishkinda. It is also said that these stones were collected from all over the world by Vanaras and kept them as reserves for constructing Ramsethu.

Anjanadri Hill

Steps of Anjanadri Hill

 

This hill with 500 steps is birth place of  Sri Hanumanji. At the foot of the hill entrance, there is an arch with carving of mother Anjana holding her Son Hanuman. After climbing nearly 450 steps, on the left side of the steps there is way into a cave. It is said to be the same place where Sugriva kept mother Sita’s ornaments when Ravana abducted her.

On the top of the hill there are couple of simple temples. One temple of Hanuman whose deity is in famous saffron color. In other temple deity is the form of Bala Hanuman in the lap of his mother Anjana. To watch the scenery and Hampi city from that tip of the hill is an awesome experience.

Pampa Sarovar Lake

View at Pampa Sarovar

It is said that this lake was existing since Treta yuga. It is said Sabhari, devotee of Lord Rama, used live in a place near to this sarovar. And Sugriva also had lived nearby place called Rishya muka mountain.

Sri Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu who is considered to be incarnation of Lord Kirshna in Kaliyuga also came to Kiskinda and delivered 7 trees. There is Kodanda Rama temple where Sugriva’s coronation happened after Vali was killed.

 

Malyavanta Raghunath Temple

Areal View of Malyavanta Raghunath Mandir

After Vali was killed, before finding the traces of Mother Sita, Lord Ram had stayed here for doing chaturmasya. The main temple is made up single stone and other temple structure was made by carvings. The are dieties of Ram, Sita, Laxman, Hanuman and murties of Srivaishnava acharyas. The speciality of the deity is that Lord Ram is in the feeling seperation from mother Sita instead of standard form of  holding bow and arrow in His hands.

Back side of the temple, there exists magnificent city of Hampi. In the temple, there is an old book of Srimad Bhagavatam which is rare to be found in normal temples. Everyone will be touched by devotion of the devotee of Lord Ram is reading Ramayana all the day in temple hall. In the right side of the temple, there is a madapa with lot of stones pillars. These pillars make different sounds similar to musical instruments when one touches them at different places.

Hampi City

Panoramic view of Hampi Hazarrama Temple

This was the capital city of kingdom established by Akka and Bukka. Later it become the capital city of famous ming Sri Krishna Devarayalu. But now a days only the ruins are left as testimony to grand history.

In the Hampi city, there is Hazararama Temple with no deities inside. It is said that many temples were destroyed by Mohamadeen kings.There are many small temples through out Hampi city with no deities!

There is virupaksha temple near by Hampi City. If anyone plays on pillars there, it is said he can hear sapta svaras.

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

Lakshmi Narasimha Deity

 

There is a gigantic deity of single stone Lakshmi Narasimha of height 6.7m in yoga posture with band around His knees. This deity was also destroyed by the Mohamadeen invaders. The hands  and legs of the deity are not in proper shape. Mother Lakshmi’s presence can be perceived by her hand on back side of deity embracing lord. There is no roof for the deity.

Badavalinga Temple

Badava Linga Temple

There is Siva Linga of 3 m height which is surrounded by waters all sides near to Lakshmi Narasimha Temple.

People who visit these places can take bath in Tunga Badra river to get relief from their tiredness. The city of Hampi is the epitome of culture, architecture and devotion.

Part 4 : Lull before the storm

Once all the difficult stumbling blocks which were in the form of battles of CAT examination, GD & PIs  are over, only small clashes are left which have to be fought with self. Appu also felt some other important aspects of common sense are very important as he was victim for some of them like sending application before deadline, reaching venue before time and having all the documents ready in proper format in correct time etc.  Appu was startled to hear that one his batch-mates in the CAT training institute lost her chance to attend interview with top IIM because she was 10 minutes late for the process. Missing the deadline for sending application for battle-2 didn’t hurt him much because he had many options, but this batch-mate had only couple of battles!

The first clash is to select the college suitable to him among his archived ones. This is a tough task because if anyone misses the opportunity, he will regret the choice through out his life. Here comes the allies in the clash in the form of introspection, self evaluation, own interests like specialization, city choice, friends advice who made into IIM and as well as others. Ultimately, one has to decide with his own discretion. Even though all the allies are available at his disposal it took two weeks for Appu to decide.

The second clash is as with the case of many people, about financing for education. Thanks to fame of IIMs, Banks themselves are coming forward to offer educational loans for all candidates with no collateral (there is always some security bank requires). Appu is waiting for approval from selected Bank and financial aid from institute itself. In fact in the workshop for GD & PI preparation in CAT training institute, one famous bank’s representative gave presentation about the educational loan facilities they are offering IIM students.

Once person comes to B-school, there required lot of socializing ! It started straight away with Google groups and Facebook platforms where new joinies (PGP1s) were given gyan by immediate seniors(PGP2s) and information is share among PGP1s. This platform helped newbies from filling application form to new laptop deals. The initiative taken by PGP2s was awesome in conducting Freshers’ meet in different cities and it cleared many doubts in Appu’s mind.

Only few days are remaining before joining college, the days are heavy with lot of expectations and future challenges. The formalities with office are going on its own way with Appu. He planned to meet his close companions, friends, mentors and family members in very short time. Any way Appu has to manage the things in short time going to be manager somewhere after couple of years. He won’t be  pure techie any more. Appu is spending time in Lull before storm of MBA course work at IIM.

Part 3 : Enter the Dragon

The wild-goose chase is about to start. Appu is preparing for the battle of final frontiers in MBA admission process. He bought a formal suit the evening before one day of the start of first battle.

Battle -1:

He didn’t know how to put a knot for Tie and he was running here and there to to put knot even before  half an hour of  the scheduled GD & PI process. Some how or other he reached in last-minute to the venue with tie is proper shape and just got relief that program not yet started.

The GD the topic was case study about Drug addiction and its effects. Appu could able to speak three times in the discussion. But he observed none of patcipants except one guy is trying to come to conclusion and everyone is busy trying to come up with new points of their opinion.Over all , Appu’s participation in the discussion was decent and healthy.

In the interview, there were three personalities : one young guy , one middle-aged person and one elder professor like personality. The welcome was warm and pleasantries were exchanged as a formality. The professor asked some questions about the subjects about electricity the subject which seems he is interested. Nobody asked Appu about his work experience aside! The young chap and middle-aged person started grilling Appu on some non technical  behavioral  questions and some Engineering subjects related to Management. One particular question that stumped Appu is what will he do to save either of his mother or wife when they are in difficulty ? God only knows whether they were satisfied or not, but Appu’s confidence was boosted after whole process.

Battle -2:

It was pathetic experience. Appu failed to submit the application form before deadline as he was confused about deadline to say more specifically he goofed up his good prospects.

Battle -3:

Here the last minute venue finding made life difficult initially for Appu. The GD was OK and nothing much to speak about. Interview went just asking basic stuff, work experience and its utility in Management. Over all the the experience was good.

Battle -4:

The same venue same as in the case of Battle -3 and the GD went smooth. The tough part was PI which forced Appu to accept that he didn’t give due consideration before preparing for Management. Interviewers asked difficult questions about return on investment due to gap of two years for MBA after considerable work experience. Except these difficult questions over all the battle went in right direction.

Battle -5:

Once again the venue is same. This had an Writing Analysis and Group discussion on the same topic ” Tattoos and Culture”. Appu made decent essay and spoke three times in the discussion. At the end of the discussion, every one was asked to summarize the discussion. Hearing what others are saying is also very important !

The interview was really cool. Just it went almost like dream interview contrary to the speculation of his friend who is studying at that college. Appu explained about his business ideas and failures of its implementation etc. He was stumbled at the question why he didn’t try for incubation facilities from his engineering college ? He accepted his lack of research in that direction. Some times it better to accept our shortcomings or mistakes ! Over all it was the best interview he had ever given in his life.

Battle -6:

The venue is the college itself. Everything is exceptional about the environment and culture there. No Group discussion , only writing analysis was there and topic was again one of his favorites – Scientific mindedness and faith don’t go hand in hand. The essay was one of the best essays Appu wrote in his life until then. He thought it is going to dream encounter in battle.

But everything became topsy turvy in the interview session with three faculty members. First person in course of interview was pulling Appu’s leg and stopping himself before exceeding certain threshold. The second person was having big smile through out the interview asking questions and helping to get out the answers. The third person who was very serious in checking certificates and in between giving stern glances and cutting the unreasonable answers Appu made. To undergo interview with him will be nightmare for anyone. After interview Appu felt that their behavior might be their strategy to select their students. The interview covered many topics – Corruption, marketing, finance,  entrepreneurship, general topics. After interview Appu felt this battle is lost and no way of entering into this college as MBA student.

Battle -7:

The same venue as last to last battle. Appu was more relaxed that got spoiled when he learnt that he didn’t get all the certificate photocopies.It was early morning no photocopying shops not opened. After mustering courage Appu told the checking authority about the issue. He felt insulted when that person told him that Appu need to do this at least before interview. Some how, he didn’t speak any thing and politely apologized. He and some others similar to Appu were given time get the photocopies.

The topic for Writing Analysis was again his favorite topic about philosophy and gave his best in content and moderate in grammar. To his surprise Appu found the same person whom he thought of speaking seriously was in interview panel. Thank god he didn’t speak anything and tolerance paid for him! The interviewers asked some general knowledge question, work experience question and made fun of Appu when ever they got chance. There were some mathematical questions, logical questions etc. Finally Appu understood the interview what he underwent is stress interview! He felt good about keeping his smile and tolerance. Over all the battle is very good.

During the battles with dragon, Appu had one more war going at his work place with project of stiff deadlines. He felt very grateful to his colleague friend who shielded Appu so that he can face the above battles successfully. After all the battles are over, Appu jumped into the war where he was shielded for sometime. In the course of time, Appu totally forgot about the results of battles he faced.One day in the mid of the project meeting Appu got message “IIM results are released”. He couldn’t leave the meeting as Appu was the speaker and couldn’t check the results in his laptop which is connected to projector where everyone is staring. Here also there is waiting about one hour ! what a destiny !

As expected Battle -6 is lost and Battle -5 is won. Results for other battles are going to be released in couple of days. It doesn’t matter for Appu as he decided to join in colleges though Battle-5 or Battle -6. He was somewhat disappointed of not winning Battle -6. But to his surprise, one day after results announced he got mail from college congratulating him in Battle – 6. He couldn’t believe his eyes  and checked the results once again in web site by entering mail id and CAT registration number. It is saying sorry you are not selected. When he checked deeply, he realized that in the registration number instead of entering capital letter ‘SR’, he is entering small letters. After entering proper SR number, the web site too congratulated him for winning the Battle -6. There are no bounds for his happiness as one day  pain due to feeling of failure made him to relish success better !