In a world where everyone chases their path, it was refreshing to come across a man whose path chose him! From studying Engineering to graduating from NID Ahmedabad, Manoj Pavitran today finds himself living a spiritual life in the beautiful Auroville, working on different community projects, revolving mostly around integral yoga, technology and education.
Born and brought up in a village in the Thrissur District of Kerala, Manoj Pavitran’s father was into farming but wanted him to become an engineer. Like most people, he went for engineering studies following the herd.
He says,
“That whole phase, until the age of 21, can be considered as a kind of sleepwalk and only after that I have started questioning my life. In that process, I came across the spiritual purpose of life and found my calling in Sri Aurobindo’s teaching.”
Meanwhile, I went for postgraduate studies at NID Ahmedabad and it was one of the finest educational experiences I have ever had. After graduating as a product designer, I have worked only for a year as a design consultant and by then it was clear that my calling was for something else. So I quit my profession and joined an ashram to study spirituality and after ten months joined Auroville in 1995. In Auroville, I had been involved in many areas of work and at present education is my main focus.
Finding The Sweet Spot Between Design & Spirituality
When asked about what gave him the skills and strength required to become a Yoga Instructor, he says, “There are two key factors that deeply influenced me; first is the teachings of Sri Aurobindo. This I had to learn on my own but it came effortlessly as his teachings drew me like a magnet. He shaped and gave a strong sense of direction to my life along with inner transformational practice. This was my informal education and the most fundamental influence. The second is the formal education at NID where I learned design thinking and its applications in solving problems of life using design skills.”
He continues, “Sri Aurobindo gave me the inner direction and transformational skills and NID gave outer skills and the ways of practical application. Both I could apply in multiple contexts like software design, architecture, communication design, film making, workshop design and curriculum design in education.”
Yoga Beyond Physical Fitness – What Does It Really Mean?
Today, Yoga is mostly referred to only the exercise/fitness aspect of it; so we asked Manoj Pavitran, how he would define Yoga and he has this to say-
“Yoga is a process of accelerating our evolution both individual and collective; it is a revolution in consciousness through first-person research. It can awaken and bring out the dormant potential within us and propel us towards our evolutionary future. It is a radical undertaking and a profound adventure into the mystery of consciousness and the evolutionary destiny of our species.”
He shares, “My personal journey began at the age of 21 when a series of seemingly random incidents led me to question my life and its direction. That inquiry eventually led, in a few years, to the spiritual teachings of Sri Aurobindo, and since then he had been my lifeline and source of inspiration and direction. I have never had a personal mentor, but I have been following my inner guide. Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, even if they are not physically present, gave me all that I needed on this journey.“
Forever Learning, Even When You Are Teaching!
According to Manoj, the most important thing is to know that you are always a student throughout your life and that there is no end to learning if you are on the path of evolutionary transformation on earth. He says that when you embody the spirit of continuous learning, those who are drawn to you will also embody that spirit of learning. What you embody is your gift to the world.
He further says, “What we need is a culture of lifelong learning where everyone is learning from everyone else regardless of their age, gender etc. We need learning communities where we thrive learning from each other honoring the incredible diversity of approaches and expressions. It is a time of collective yoga where the Guru is within each one.”
“When education is lifelong, then we cannot fragment life into family space, learning space, work space and socializing space. All these spaces must merge into one integral learning space of a learning society where everyone, every interaction and every activity is an opportunity for learning. So the whole notion of Guru must undergo a radical change; we are meeting the Guru in each and every person. We must also learn to go beyond human domain to learn from all other fellow species on this planet”, he profoundly adds.
“Transformation of one’s own consciousness is the primary task and out of that comes the natural and effortless radiance of what you embody.”
Swadharma Programme – Finding Your Inner Calling
Manoj Pavitran is part of the team behind the Swadharma programme, which is designed for the youth who are between 18 to 28, and have an inner call but have no clue what it is or how to proceed. He says, “Age 21 is a crucial transitional period and what you do during the next seven years can make a huge impact in your whole life. During this period if we can give them necessary guidance and nourishing environment, whoever is ready for a more awakened life can discover their true calling and follow its call.”
He shares, “There is a unique gift within each individual. It is not a profession or a career plan, but unique psychological qualities and capacities, just like different seeds carry different possibilities. Our task is like gardeners to prepare the soil and plant these seeds at the right time in tune with the seasons. Then the rain and sunshine will do the magic, that is not in our hands but an act of Grace.“
“We take around 16 students per batch, twice a year, and help them to find the presence of their inner guide. There are no textbooks to read, they have to read their own inner landscape and learn to discern the true signals from within. But it is not enough to know, one must bring it in everyday life choices and actions, and develop the courage and will to follow the call. It is a five-week immersive residential programme that can show you how to walk your path. Real walking starts after the programme and we highly recommend them to stay back in Auroville and do internships so that the nourishing environment of Auroville can help them to consolidate their learning.”
Manoj says that Swadharma is part of their larger vision of Auroville as an integral learning campus, a new kind of Nalanda of the future where individuals base their life’s journey upon inner discovery. Swadharma is a pilot programme and the team is envisioning more programmes based on Swadharma experience.
Challenges In Inner Work
When asked about the main challenges faced, Manoj shares that the main challenge usually is in forming a team purely based on an inspiring idea, without any financial rewards, without any hierarchy and positions. He says,
“Getting people to come together for the joy of action in a meaningful project, holding the fire together year after year, and work together regardless of all the difficulties on the way is the challenge. It is quite demanding and yet deeply rewarding in terms of our inner growth. Our projects are all run by volunteers and this demands a different work culture and lifestyle, especially when the members are full-time volunteers and all the material needs are also to be taken care of in one way or other.”
Manoj shares that so far his favorite project is Swadharma, as the results are visible in the lives of the young people who have gone through the programme and that brings him great joy and satisfaction.
Diving Inwards To Realise Self
We asked Manoj what are the qualities a good Yoga instructor should have, and he answers,
“First of all becoming a yoga instructor should not be a goal set for oneself; self-realisation must remain as the central focus. Your life may inspire others to take up yoga and if that happens, good, if not that too is fine. Only when you come in touch with your inmost being, you would know what your life is meant to be and in that space, you will always remain a learner. Evolution is a continuous process from perfection to greater perfection, from joy to greater joy, from harmony to a greater and more complex harmony. Everything else is a consequence. It is always good to remain open to being surprised by life.”
Manoj shares that his inner journey has been a great adventure and absolutely worth taking up. He says, “Nevertheless, it is an inner call and not a product of strategic thinking. It is an act of grace and I am glad I have been given this opportunity. It came to me in unexpected ways, through a series of random incidents.“
He continues, “One such incident was when I was still doing engineering in Kerala. I had shifted to a new room in the hostel and that week I found the latest issue of a Malayalam magazine called ‘Kalakaumudi’ in my room. I thought someone must have left it there by mistake. While browsing through the magazine there was an article in it by a Malayalam author called O.V.Vijayan, whom I have always admired. The article was called ‘Vargasamaram’, means Class War, and it was touching upon the crisis of communism as well on the frontiers of science opening to the oriental wisdom. It was probably around 1986. I was a communist sympathiser as well as a follower of science and the article shook me deeply and pointed towards Eastern wisdom traditions.”
“It awakened my curiosity and that little spark eventually grew, through many random incidents, into my spiritual journey. Now, when I look back I can say an invisible hand was already guiding my steps and it took me many years to consciously recognise it.”
Takeaway – Habits That Help!
Manoj Pavitran says that he continuously develops new habits and refines existing ones. Some of the regular practices that keep him well tuned are listed below –
- Meditation – Daily 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Speech correction – Being vigilant in speech so that words are more accurate, truthful and graceful. To reduce habitual automation in the speech to be more conscious.
- Thought correction – Being vigilant in thought so that they are more positive, not random, focused and silent when not required.
- Regular sleep – Sleep at 10.30 pm and get up at 5 am – good sleep ensures a good day of action.
- Regular physical exercises – Running / Asana / Pranayama – gives good energy, flexibility, and health.
- Light food – Mostly vegetarian.
- Mantra Chanting – Regular chanting of mantras with a group.
- Writing – Journaling as a way to dive within.
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