Temple(s) of we mentally retarded people

I have been to ISKCON many a times but to a NGO it was my first visit in Bangalore.

On the 80 feet road, there on a wall written – Asha Niketan. It is a NGO – where SDIPA students decided to make friendship with.

Asha Niketan – a simple building with brown brick walls. With the packet of cloths and other things given by M.S., I entered the gate. And the wavy stairs reached the verandah. There on the bench sitting were some persons.One can see their bent heads, hanging hands, drooling tongue and the dull looking persons – we call them mentally retarded – who don’t have a home like ours !

After entering there, suddenly a feeling came to me. And the feeling I did compared my entry to another famous place – the ISKCON. But both feelings did had a contrasting experience !

When I go to ISKCON – there I try to be good devotee for the minutes/hours – I spend there. There I don’t find the priest’s eyes welcoming me. They seem to be immersed in a another world, in the greatness of the great temple. Of course the security guards, do welcome me as I am a patron member there ! I do get special entry with a life time pass. But even at the temple, truly I don’t feel on the ground in that way I did felt there.

At Asha Niketan, within the dull looking boundaries – everyone is welcome equally. I was said to wait for sometime – as some authority was to come to collect the things. Soon a tall white lady came and took me to a small room. An inadequately lighted house with a PC on the table. In the room, there were other donated things kept in a big bag. She was so busy that she did not opened the things donated earlier. Down the corner, in another room, I can see elderly people sitting down for meals.

And my eyes were feasting on the walls. The walls had paintings – must be made by the members of Asha Niketan. The painted human figures were not as beautiful as I did saw the Bal-Gopal’s paintings on the walls of temple. But these dull colors in painting were speaking aloud. They do make candles, cards and do sell them. ISKCON too make agarbattis, sweets and so many others things and help many needy persons.

Both are temples to serve the human kind. And the fact is, at the NGO’s, we don’t expect the blessing deity idol there, so most of us don’t go inside the NGO’s making a big queue. And of course in temple, most of us do like to go in queue or become life patron ( for shortcut entry or special treatment or big donation) for the essence of some assurance of heaven out of hell life or for fulfillment of some wish. Anyway in front of deity, we do chant and dance too.

Here they learn dance for therapy, dance for happiness and dance for friendship. SDIPA instructors do train the mentally retarded people free of cost, and make them dance on stage. Imagine the different level of grasping power of mentally retarded people. On the stage, all persons trying to follow the steps of instructor lately and one person just moving the hanging hands sidewards throughout the dance.

The dance of life.. in the different coloured beams focussed on us on the world’s stage. Yeah we all the dancers , tied with HIS strings.

We dance, act, sing on the stage of world. And there are some persons, who play the relationship acts beyond blood relations and they run the NGOs.

The deepest need of each one is to love and to be loved.” – the leaflet of Asha Niketan says.

पुष्पांजली

सुबह की शीतल किरण नहाकर,
आज नये एक गुलाबी चुनर में,
मंदिर जाती प्रिय सखियों संग,
देने उन चरणों में फिर अंजली ।

गेंदा गुलाब और चंपा – चमेली
रजनीगंधा की माला लेकर,
मन में वंदना के गीत गाकर,
बृजबाला ले चली कमल कली ।

रोली – चंदन फुल – दुब की,
हाथों में आज थाली सजाए,
मंदिर के घंटी में विभोर होती,
श्याम की अपनी एक मनचली ।

कहीं मंदिर के मृदंग थाप पर,
थिरकते कदमों के पदचाप पर,
Worship
मनमत्त होकर गाना चाहती,
मीरा की हृदय एक दोहावली ।

मंदिर के बंदनवार मे सजी,
सैकड़ो जलते दीपक के बीच
मेंहदी हाथों से दीए जलाकर,
ज्यों मना रही हो दीपावली ।

कहीं किसी मन के मंदिर,
भावों के पुष्प हाथों लेकर,
चुप बैठी आज मनन करती,
गोरी का मन एक गीतांजली ।

(P.S. : Thanks to Goggle image search for the picture. Credit being acknowledged to the respective owner of the same.)

April 4 , 2007

Welcome to the world,
– The Baby !

Today mother feels,
A complete woman.
Today father feels,
A complete man.

As a son,
To bring smiles,
To parent-in-laws.

You have brought,
Challenges – first,
Never like today.
Hope dear Godly baby –
You have the answers !

But I am sure,
Baby – you are different,
Something different,
And you are special –
To follow –
My Dear Lucky !

Blessing you dear
Your lone Mama-
For more reasons,
That only my,
Last so many years know.

With my tears,
For Krishna’s feet,
From the inner core-
My dear,
This day is for You.

We – the puppets

I am a puppet,
May be like you,
Decorated one,
On the roadshow.

Tied with strings,Puppets
Lifeless strings,
Invisible ones,
To give life in me.

Its our painted smile,
Nicely colored one,
Under the bright sun,
Puppets on roadside.

The masters smile,
When audience clap,
When they praise.
Strings we do play.

The masters feel proud,
As puppets look sound,
The masters feel sad,
When show goes bad.

We are the choice and,
Life of the masters,
Play of the masters,
Like you, I am a puppet.

Under our toy figures,
We feel love, but feared or shy.
Under their boxes, we do cry.
Our masters – tell us why ?

I know – our masters,
Why you all too cry,
When you feel helpless,
Under some supreme high.

नव वर्ष का नवनीत

चुम रही थी, उसके मस्तक को,
नव वर्ष की मंगलकामनाएँ ।

चुम रही थी, उसके आँखों को,
‘नवल किशोर’ की नव दृष्टि ।

चुम रही थी, उसके कानों को,
नव परिचय की नव ध्वनियाँ ।

चुम रही थी, उसके गालों को,
नव प्रभात की नव लालिमा ।

चुम रही थी, उसके होठों को,
नव वर्ष की शुभ नवल वाणी ।

– पाठकों को नव वर्ष की असीम शुभकामनाएँ ।

ISKCON Bangalore – 4 New Year Celebrations

Got something excellent to wind-up the year. As FOLK ( Friends Of Lord Krishna) member got the invitation along with two more for Tasty “taste of india” festival and Vaikuntha Ekadashi from ISKCON. Time to dance,sing , skit,  eat and merry.

I must dedicate this year which really proved to be wonderful as I expected, to Him again and enjoy the evening celebrations to welcome the new year in midnight. Hurrah! My Krishna !

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ISKCON Bangalore – 3 : Vatsalya Festival

ISKCON Vatsalya - Culture Contest for Women - 22nd to 25th Dec 2006

As considerable number of ‘ISKCON Bangalore’ search results comes to this blog, so it may turn useful to say about our festivals celebrated there.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness supports the preservation and promotion of the Vedic culture. ISKCON Bangalore celebrates Vatsalya, a talent search cultural contest for women, to encourage their understanding of the rich Indian culture. It’s a wonderful platform for them to come together and exhibit their talents. A fest of this kind will indeed be a memorable experience for all.

Please find the details here :
www.iskconbangalore.org/vatsalya

Hare Krishna.