== MAKING OUR MARK WITH SERVICE ==
Namaskar,
In light of the ongoing muddle of groupism, many are turning towards
their service projects as their main interaction with the organisation.
This is true for both margiis and wts. Of course we all know that we must
not ignore the rage of groupism and just resort to some goody-goody life.
So the troubles of groupism must be tackled by one and all. At the same
time as we engage in our service projects, here are a few things for us to
think about.
We all know that service projects are an integral part of AM life. Yet how
they are to be built up and how they are to be maintained is not always
easy to know. Should the money come from afar or locally? Plus to what
degree are financial donors responsible for ensuring their money reaches
the mark. These are but a few of the many important questions and
considerations. Here following then are Baba's important guidelines
regarding how to build and maintain service projects.
INITIAL QUERY
How far is external monetary support helpful in any project where local
people are not involved? Or what happens when a project is totally
dependent upon donations from outsiders? We can gain insight into this by
looking at the history of Ananda Marga and the general society also.
HUMAN BODY AND MEDICINE ANALOGY
In one discourse Baba says that no structure can survive only depending on
external help. Baba gives the example that if anybody is sick and you go on
medicating him by external medicine injection, and if the body does not
have its own vitality to pick itself up, then that external medicine is not
going to work. External medicine is only helpful when the body is responding.
Or in other words, to give strength to the internal system of the body,
some external medicine is needed sometimes. And that medicine does not do
anything on its own; it just helps the internal system to pick itself up.
In the case of a dead body where the internal system is completely defunct,
then external medicine cannot help. If you go on giving medicines to one
dead body, it will be useless.
100% EXTERNAL SUPPORT WILL NOT WORK
It is well known in the Indian history that there was a very big university
in Nalanda'. The name was - Nalanda' Vishvavidya'lay. It was situated in
Bihar. As long as the area was ruled by Buddhists, then that university
worked fine. Means, that university was completely dependent upon donation
from outsiders and from the King. The local public was not involved. So
when the kingdom changed rulers, then antisocial elements set the
university on fire. And in the library, hundreds of thousands of books were
there. Nobody cared about those things and the whole campus and buildings
were burned one after another. It took several months to go on burning.
Local people were apathetic. So this is one factual history.
So in India we can see hundreds of abandoned mosques and churches which are
lying uncared for, since ages. They were running well when they were
getting donations from the Mogul King, or Britishers. But when the kingdom
changed and donations stopped, then the places became abandoned.
LOCAL SUPPORT NEEDED
And other side, those mosques and churches which were supported by the
public, they are still running fine. Or even better is that the Ashram
system did not get rooted out during the Moghul or British rule because all
the while the public supported the ashram system. So the conclusive idea is
that if any project is run by or dependent on external support, then their
fate is dark.
Thus on this very point, Baba's policy is not to take support from outside.
Local people should be inspired to contribute and help the local projects.
Otherwise they will not feel oneness with the project. And in most of the
cases they will feel irritation. Or they will try to take away or root out
the projects.'
WHEN THE PUBLIC IDENTIFIES WITH A PROJECT OR NOT
Another important example is that within Bihar there are thousands of
schools situated in the small villages. And initially the government was
granting money for the construction of their buildings. Thus with total
help from the government, school buildings were made.
But villagers did not feel closeness with the project. They were thinking
that "This is an outsider project", or that "this is a government building.
This is not my building."
Keeping this view in their mind, they did not like to protect that
building. Not only that, after some time it was found that those windows
from the buildings disappeared. Some villagers had stolen them and were
using in their house. After some time, the roof was also taken away, and
used somewhere. This is not the tale of one or two places-- Hundreds of
places are like that.
The overall theme being that when the local public thinks of something as a
government building, then at first they don't feel closeness. They think it
is others', not mine. And they misuse it or destroy it.
So this problem was going on for a long time. Then under pressure of
circumstances the local government changed the plan. That, the building
will be constructed by the villagers. And teachers will be supplied by the
government. 50% share villagers should give. So when villagers with their
own contribution made their house, then they protected that. And the
program was successful.
BABA'S SPECIAL TEACHING:
LOCAL DONATION IS A PLEDGE OF THE HEART
On the point of external vs local help for AM projects, once Baba was
giving guideline to all WTs. He told that "You must collect donation from
the local public for the jagriti. Whatever money they are giving, that does
not have only monetary value. But something more they are giving. If some
person gives you donation of one paisa/penny, then with that one paisa that
very poor person gives the sympathy of his heart to you/to your project or
jagriti, childrens home etc. And if antisocial elements will try to destroy
that project or jagriti or school, those who have given their donation,
they will protest. And if donation has come exclusively from outside, and
if the jagriti is set on fire by antisocial elements, then the villagers
will not be so much affected."
Baba further told, "But if the villagers' money is also involved as a
donation in constructing that jagriti, then they will think in their heart
that THEIR property is getting destroyed. And they will immediately come
forward and protect the property of the jagriti and protest against the
negative people."'
Thus the basic fact is that to erect some building or project, local
support is highly essential. Otherwise the fate of that project is in dark
in the future. Suppose if money has come from outside, and local people are
not feeling oneness with the project, then in most of the cases, they will
feel detached. They will not save the building. And in many special cases,
they will destroy that building-- Or hut, or whatever it may be.
That's why we have seen, in the case of our jagriti or any such
construction, where local people did not contribute and money came from
outside, then that project could not flourish.'
WHEN TO TAKE HELP FROM OUTSIDE AREAS
The question can also be raised that is there any occasion when we should
get or accept help from outside-- from other countries?
And Baba's guideline is that in the case of a big disaster like an
earthquake, cyclone, flood etc, when a huge population is highly affected,
that is a special case. That time external help is highly needed. But for
making a local project or some jagriti building or a school, external help
is not needed.
DO PRACARA AND SERVICE SIMULTANEOUSLY
Next scenario: If local people are not there, or if they are all
non-margiis, then what should we do?
Baba says that first we should create margiis. And then immediately start
the project. Side by side both the works will go. Without taking help from
local people, if anyone does anything that will prove to be hopeless. One
will not have any sentimental support from local people. Rather they will
think that he is an outsider, or that he doesn't belong to them.
Because of all these reasons, Baba always emphasizes to do pracar among the
local people. And one more related point is there. Doing pracar only among
the outsider communities or migrant people, is not going to serve the
purpose of Ananda Marga.
SERVE THE LOCAL PEOPLE
A critical case is that of Africa, where mostly Indian businessmen are
occupying the money and political sources. And some WTs because of their
ignorance or selfish interest, they focus on propagating AM among Indian
businessmen who are living in Africa. But Baba was not happy in this
situation. Baba used to emphasize and always take report about how many
local people have been created.
One Dada was once telling in Africa at an Orange Farm, initially the
project was made with external help, and it was a serious problem. Local people
used to always come and take away/steal all the materials. And such example
is not one or two. Hundreds of cases happened. We should take lesson.
THE SPECIAL CASE OF ANANDA NAGAR
External help was needed only, to build up Ananda Nagar. Because Ananda
Nagar is our global headquarters. To make Baba's Quarter or road or
rotunda, the local public is not going to help. Because they do not have
direct interest in that. That's why Baba inspires one and all, all around
the globe, to contribute for Ananda Nagar. That was the special case.
MUST GET LOCAL HELP
But in all the reportings which various workers attended since 1978 to '90,
it became clear that Baba used to emphasize getting anything and everything
done using the local help.-- Margiis and non-margiis are needed: Both.
And then only, AM will flourish and school or any medical unit, projects,
will be established. Permanently. Otherwise, feeding from the long distance
is not going to help. We should take lesson from the past history.
WHAT SOME REVIEW
There are two points here. First thing, each and every sector has their own
problems and according to Baba's system, it is the duty of the margiis that
they should take care about the local unit and their own sector. And that
is their foremost duty. Neglecting one's own unit and helping others for
the sake of name and fame, this is not a good tradition. And the second
point is that taking external help is not going to solve the problem
permanently. For making a school building, local people must come forward.
A POINT FOR COMMON CONSIDERATION
Ananda Marga itself is a proof, at present we have several hundred Ananda
Marga schools in India, and 99.9% of them have been made by local
contribution. And there are also many examples of Bengal where a school
building has been made by external donation. And common people destroyed it
and set it on fire. But many places in Bengal are also there, where local
people were inspired to help and they are donating and protecting those
things. Surely it is the duty of we margiis that we should think carefully,
how far their money can be utilized in a better way.
Baba says, "O human beings, frame the social structure considering the
needs of humanity. Do not try to do anything for your petty personal and
group interests..." (SS-1, Ch.1)
Namaskar,
Manindra
Note 1: WHAT WE SHOULD DO -- OUR RESPONSIBILITY
And another point is that if we are the ones donating to a far distant
service project and if due to mishandling of funds our money does not reach
there, then according to Baba's teaching about tapah we are also to blame--
not just the crooked thief who captured our money. We also will incur
negative samskara. Of course this is just a hypothetical situation, yet the
point remains that the responsibility also lies with the donor. That is why
intelligent margiis give to local projects where they can ensure that
everything is proper and the money is going in the right direction. Then of
course by this way the common public will also get inspired to donate
because everyone likes to be part of a winning project. At the same time we
should demand that there be transparency of the financial books-- ie proper
accounting. And like this there are numerous points regarding service
projects and financial contributions etc. Please also share your ideas on
this important topic.
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Solution
Baba says, "This has been our failing: that we neglected the spiritual
faculties of human life, we neglected the cardinal spiritual points of
life. If we are interested today in the welfare of this beautiful universe,
we should try more and more to accelerate the speed of spiritual progress.
If the acceleration of spiritual progress becomes tremendous, then not only
in the human world, but also in the physical, psychic and spiritual spheres
of the entire world -- and not only of the entire animate world, but of
both the animate and inanimate worlds -- there will be tremendous progress.
And this is what we want. Now we are anxiously waiting for that crimson
dawn on the eastern horizon." (AFPS-5)
Note: Generally people do not realise this very thing which Baba has
explained above. To understand this fully it needs agraya' buddhi (pointed
intellect). Only those who are blessed sadhaka can understand that sadhana
is the panacea.
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