Welcome back, everyone, to a new edition of Monday Truclusions. I understand, from the response to last week’s column, that many of you are curious about the fifth monk.
As many of you may know from my Facebook status, I went to Ahmedabad as part of a road trip covering various parts of western India. One of the places that I visited was the holy spot- Shirdi.
The Noninclusive Nature Of The Places Of Worship In India
Having visited most Indian temples on various tours that my family took me on, I have always noticed that none of the temples, mosques or churches were disability-friendly or inclusive. It saddened me that either my dad (when he was alive), my brother, or Bharath had to shoulder my weight to let me see the deity in the temples we visited.
In the latter half of my adolescent years, I began to try to convince my mother, way before we reached the temple, that I could bow my head to the Lord from the car, and as he is omnipresent he would accept my prayers from anywhere.
The idea was to avoid anyone else having to shoulder the effort because of the ignorance of temple authorities towards making devotional places inclusive, though they have the resources to do so. Additionally, most temples are famous for the mad rush of devotees and general chaos. Though my family wanted to take me into all the temples they visited, I would willingly enter a temple only if there was ample opportunity to do so.
But this time around, when we decided to visit Shirdi, which is a holy place that my mother has wanted to visit for a long time. Mom did her homework and learned that Shirdi is an accessible temple. So, this time around she told me well in advance that I had to come to the temple and I agreed.
The Inclusive Shirdi Experience
When we reached the temple I realized that mom was right, the temple at Shirdi was actually 100% accessible and inclusive. The temple was mindful of the fact that people from all walks of life would come to visit him at his abode. As the great saint, Sai Baba, always said,
All are children of one God and are welcome to his court.
The temple was made completely inclusive for not only wheelchair-bound people like me, but people with all kinds of special needs and their care-givers. For the first time I entered a temple and I didn’t feel heavy at heart. I experienced absolute bliss bowing to Baba.
The Not-So-Inclusive Trimbakeshwar Experience
On our journey back, the absolute opposite occurred. We returned to Bangalore via Nasik, where we visited the Trimbakeshar Temple. One of my friends, Neha Arora, who works in the inclusion space with an aim of making travel sites accessible across India, had told me that the temple at Trimbakeshar is inaccessible.
We had decided that I would stay in the car and that the rest would go to the temple. But when we reached the temple, we met a guide who offered to show us a way to take our car closer to the main temple. However, I was still supposed to stay in the car.
I stood by this decision until the guide remarked, “You took so much effort to bring your son/brother this far, but why are you stopping now? Let him also see the lord, the lord shall heal him.”
Families with specially-abled people are always on an emotional plane. They are never on an even keel. The comment the guide made triggered my family, and they made a superhuman effort to take me to the temple.
I do not doubt the guide’s good intentions, neither am I an atheist or a spiritual master, but I do feel that God doesn’t compel his devotees to visit his abode, but makes each of their hearts his home.
The simple point I am trying to make here is that families of specially-abled people face enormous emotional crises every day. I have been blessed with a very strong support system, but spare a thought for those who aren’t. It might not be possible for them to take their kin everywhere they want to. Imagine how tough it must be for them on an emotional level.
The Ahmadabad Inclusion Retreat Experience
Now look at the other side of things: at the retreat I attended in Ahmedabad, I met Mr. Jayyesh Bhai. He was one of the organizers of the event. He lives by the phrase ‘Cleanliness is Godliness.’ Sanitation is a way of life for him, and he believes and sees God in everything and everyone around him. He embodies the word ‘simplicity.’ He also happens to be on the committee of the ‘Swacch Bharath’ campaign. The moment he was given feedback that the venue wasn’t inclusive, he made sure that the entire campus was accessible within days.
The food for thought here is that when communities come together and create inclusive spaces like Shirdi and Sugad (campus of the retreat), why can’t authorities and governments with the power to incorporate change see the need for it? I agree that heritage sites are difficult to make accessible, but with the technology available, and the will to change, it shouldn’t be impossible.
Another couple that I met there at the retreat, Mr. and Mrs. Sanghvi, who are both well qualified and travelled, find satisfaction and joy in serving people. Even when they are not at their home in Pune, the house is open for anyone to come and stay there. Once a week they cook for 20 people so that anyone who is hungry can have their fill. People from all walks of life eat heartily without having to spend a penny. According to me, helping and feeding the poor is one of the qualities of the fifth monk that I was talking about last week.
So my question is – does God live in temples, mosques and other devotional places or in real people?
This is how I see him-
I see him in you, I see him in me.
I see him in whatever is and whatever will be.
I find him in whatever is born,
or whoever is gone.
He is the chess master, we are his pawn.
He is in our burning desire,
He is actually the fire.
Trust me when I say,
Doesn’t matter if you do pray,
When you break a heart,
You tear him apart.
All you need is a smile.
To spread joy through a mile.
What you sow, is what you reap,
There is nothing forever that you keep.
Liked reading this? Then you might also like to read Monday Truclusions – The Importance Of Adapting To Change.
If there’s any story that needs to be told, we will tell it. Write to us at contact@knowyourstar.com with your story lead, or contact us on Facebook or Twitter.