I met a real hero yesterday

My birthday this year was a blessed one. I met a hero.
A real hero. And real heroes are mostly unsung.

Meet Mahesh Yadav. One unsung hero. A Karma-yogi; making the world a better place; without making much noise about it.

7 years ago, this man adopted 4 HIV infected orphans. Today, his house is home to 17 such kids. These 17 orphans got infected with HIV at birth.

And till Mahesh entered their lives, most of these orphans were being managed by relatives. These so-called guardians were finding these kids to be nothing more than an unprofitable investment, and so were simply waiting for the inevitable to happen. To quicken the relief, some of these guardians had even stopped the kids’ mandatory 2 tablets that supported immunity.

And then Mahesh stepped in. He turned his house into a shelter; now called ‘Sparsh Balgram’.
These 17 kids have found a home, and all the love that one hopes for from it.

Mahesh doesn’t want recognition, fame, likes, status, wealth. In a remote corner of this city, this man is quietly dedicating his life to a cause. He is happy simply giving. Probably because he knows that happiness lies in giving.

He’s the first selfless man I have met. His wife; the second.

An important thing to note: Mahesh is the happiest person I have ever met. It’s because his life is all about giving. You can’t miss his smile; it never leaves him. It stands proof to the fact that happiness can only be found in selflessness.

The world is dying of selfishness. The selfless are full of life.

To know the man who's nothing less than a god, visit him. His past that brought him here is another chapter altogether.

Anyone can visit this place in Khadki (Kirkee, Pune) Please call him in advance, and ask him what's needed at his place. (He’ll tell you; could be something as small as a soap bar, or could be some time with the kids.)

Just one caution: Don’t go there for a photo-op.

Some food for thought: Here are you and I; fighting to secure our futures; stresses and worries and questions and anxieties galore. And here’s this man, breathing the same air we do, whose happiness is off the charts; although there’s hardly a complete assurance of the next meal for them. But for 17 years, he’s managed. Because he knows something we don’t. He knows a Universal Law; that the Universe takes care of those who live to serve. Help regularly comes in, help runs his finances. Help comes from people like you and I.

Most of us are existing. This man is alive. Most of us can never do what he is doing. But we can acknowledge. And maybe contribute.

PS: Many thanks to my friend Komal Jain for gifting me this experience, an experience that gifted me a lesson. 

The Slow Death of Traditions: Who's to blame?

Today is the epic Mahalaya Amavasya (No moon day)… termed ‘Pitru Paksha’ (Fortnight for the ancestors; Pitru: Ancestors; Paksha: fortnight’). The preceding 16 days are observed to pay homage to our ancestors.

 

But it’s the day today that’s of special significance. For this day, Hindu tradition prescribes a feast to be prepared for departed souls. (The logic here is that one meal dedicated from the Earth can suffice them for 365 days up there; because 1 day on Earth lasts for 365 days in the outer Realms.)

It’s a great tradition, far above symbolism, as well proven are the metaphysics involved.

Not surprisingly, my mother has been at it since dawn. The feast is lunch: 4 different vegetables, pakodas, curry, basundi and what not… (Enquiring for breakfast seemed suicidal, but that’s beside the point here.)

Now…

Mom’s making lunch. She doesn’t have time. She’s a homemaker who still has got her own daily list to defeat. But like so many other homemakers, she’s managing. In the name of tradition, she is. Every year. Necessary? Necessary to stick to each item in the prescription list, no matter what? Necessary to go the whole nine yards against rising household activities?

But an even bigger issue is this…

As she battles it out in the kitchen against deadlines, and the prescriptions of tradition, a concern is gripping her harder as each occasion passes by. Less a concern, more fear: “Will the incoming generation continue upholding the holiness?’’

The answer is simple. No.

Against all the genuine logic of our traditions, we incoming generations are not inclined to keeping these traditions aglow. For reasons very evident:

We have a habit of asking ‘Why’. We want to know the logic behind customs and practices. And with answers not very forthcoming, a credibility gap has ensued.

Secondly, times are changing at a blinding pace.

And the time that we have at hand for ourselves today is at it least. Me-time is at a premium. Every entity today; individuals, couples and families; every entity leaves the house each morning to earn not just a living, but also an identity.

Putting the truths of both contemporary generations together, it’s hardly a surprise that the incoming tide of youth find themselves increasingly repellent of these traditions, irrespective of their glory and veracity.

   

But there’s hope. And I expect my senior generation to act while it lasts.

Don’t expect the political class and the system to lift a finger; they are aware, and they will only do what comes easiest to them: adapting; and modifying their strategies in response to the changing landscape.

But if the traditions are to be saved, then it is only up to the current senior generation.

What can be done? A simple take:

The senior generation needs to accept the need to dilute rigidity, and chances are bright that they’ll see traditions survive the wheel of time.

It is the inflexibility of traditions that confront the time-pressed youth, and this has put every tradition at the risk of complete obliteration. The youth are consumed folks. If traditions are to co-exist with contemporary lifestyle, dilutions must be endorsed. There must be liberty handed down.

The senior class must willingly supervise the logical bending of diktats; else the incoming generations might just completely do away with them to protect their convenience.