== IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT SUMMER DMS ==
Namaskar,
As of right now the main summer DMS is scheduled to start Friday May 28,
2010 at Ananda Nagar. It is a mere 3 weeks away. But there remains one
serious problem.
There is no water. All the wells and rivers are stone dry right now.
Ananda Nagar is totally dry.
So there is a big debate going on amongst Wts whether to delay the start
of DMS a week or more - it all depends if it rain or not.
At present though, the situation is not looking good.
This dire situation reminds us of Baba's longtime recommendation and
warning to create an extensive system of small ponds in Ananda Nagar.
This is also discussed in this letter.
So what should be done - should we plan on going to DMS or not.
RAIN NEEDED SOON
Basically, rain is needed very soon in order to hold DMS. Because once
it rains it will still take 3 - 4 days for the water to get filtered
through the ground and become potable. It will take some days after the
first rain before the wells fill. That's why water is needed soon.
Right now as it stands, the people at Ananda Nagar are facing a serious
water shortage, if not water crisis. They cannot get the basic amount of
drinking water that is needed.
In that case an large influx of people for DMS could potentially be
disastrous, even dangerous. There is no water for everyone.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, locals at Ananda Nagar actually
dug two more wells in hopes of getting water. But they dug and dug and
their hole was bone dry. The situation is that bad.
WHY AUTHORITIES ARE NOT SAYING ANYTHING
The next question then is why is all this not being stated publicly by
AMPS authorities.
As you might expect, a few insiders privy to talks tell how the DMS
organisers are hungry to get a big turnout to support their faction, so
they do not want to hinder that outcome by making a big announcement
about the water crisis.
They are more concerned about getting group support at DMS than the
public health and safety of Ananda Margiis. That is the tragedy. For
this reason they have not said anything yet about the severe water
crisis at Ananda Nagar.
The organisers think and hope that maybe the rains will come soon, in
which case they will hold DMS as is. In that case they have wrongly
concluded: What is the need to warn people about the extreme drought.
That is their delusional approach. They do not want people to refrain
from buying train tickets or making plans etc. So they are going to wait
until the very last minute to tell about the water crisis and announce
whether DMS is delayed or not.
However, that is a highly questionable road for our leaders to take.
Many field workers wish for the margiis to be alerted immediately, but
the big Dadas are not so inclined. Because they are in it for post and
power - not the well-being of general margiis.
TO GO OR NOT TO GO
What then should be our approach. How will we know whether we should
plan to go to this summer's DMS.
Best is to get whatever information you can from people you know. Use
your phone and email and find out first-hand what is going on. Do not
wait for the organisers to alert you.
The drought is so bad that bringing a liter or two of water is not going
to be at all helpful. Each person will need far more water than they
could possible carry.
Of course we all hope that the big rains come soon, but if not then we
all need to know how to respond.
The main thing is that it must rain by May 26 because it will take a few
days for the wells to fill, by that time the water will get filtered by
the ground. If it rains later than that, the water will be dirty, i.e.
not properly filtered in time for DMS.
So, if possible, those thinking to attend should refrain from purchasing
travel tickets until we are sure that Ananda Nagar can safely
accommodate everyone. Without the arrival of the big rains, do not
attend DMS - it is a question of your safety and well-being.
BABA'S WARNING
Many in the Marga know well that Baba discussed in great detail the
water problem of Ananda Nagar. His discourse, "Water Conservation"
discusses the topic very clearly.
Basically due to deforestation, the patter of cloud formation changes,
in which case the rain will not fall on an area that used to get a
healthy amount of rain. Plus there are many other angles to the problem
which Baba has noted.
Baba delivered discourses on this and talked indepthly about this to
AMURT workers and activists. Baba raised the matter not to warn us of
impending doom, but rather to help our AMURT teams best prepare and
serve others.
WHAT IS THE ANSWER
So the fact that now in 2010 our Ananda Nagar land is facing a most
serious drought is not a total surprise from an ecological or
environmental perspective. That is what happens when an area is deforested.
What is a bit surprising is that the organisers are keeping mum. It is
too grave a situation to keep margiis in the dark.
Whatever may be, Baba has given the solution for such droughts: canal
and small ponds.
Indeed, in the 80's Baba ordered for the construction of 500 ponds at
Ananda Nagar. This was a big production and Baba went on inspection.
But here is what the Dadas did those days. Wherever there was a dip in
the ground they employed laborers to lay down down huge tarps and called
in big water truck to dump water in those regions. Plus they brought
plants and put them in the water to make the ponds look very real. In
sum, though, they made a whole bunch of fake ponds. Those ponds were not
just man-made, but totally fake. And everyone knew it.
Baba, being the all-knowing Taraka Brahma certainly knew. But when He
went around for inspection then He smiled, nodded His head, and said
"Very good, my boys and girls have built the ponds." And He even
distributed prizes for all involved. This was just His grand liila.
Why did He do like that - well many say the reasons is becuse He was
satisfied that we all understood that making real ponds was the answer.
The fact that they did not have the time and resources to make such
ponds for reporting was secondary. The greater idea is that all
understood that ponds were necessary for proper water at Ananda Nagar.
This would then become a model for the rest of the world to see and
emulate.
And indeed, today there is hardly a margii who is not aware about Baba's
stated strategy that ponds are the answer to prevent droughts.
Baba says, "How should the surface water potentiality in this region be
utilized? The rainfall in this area is very meagre – rain only falls
part of the year, and the rest of the year it is dry. Well irrigation is
underdeveloped, and there is hardly any lift or shift irrigation.
Sixty-five percent of the land is rocky and sandy, and traditionally
only coarse grain is grown there. So in Rarh (Ananda Nagar) we have to
do two things – construct many new small-scale ponds, dams and lakes,
and undertake large-scale afforestation on the banks of all water
systems." (PNS-17)
MORE ABOUT THE PRESENT SCENE
Even though Baba has given all the answers for all kinds of
environmental problems like droughts and severe water shortages,
groupists are always the last to pay heed to His ideological teachings.
So it is not at all surprising that from 1990 - 2010, not a thing was
done about the water situation. Rather Ananda Nagar fell into disrepair
and destruction as they have been more concerned about their group fight
for power than implementing Baba's divine guidelines.
None then can say that Baba did not adequately warn us or give us the
solution. Rather He told everything and all understood. But when our
organisation has been hijacked by groupists for two decades, nothing
could get done.
That is why all should be cent-per-cent careful before traveling to
Ananda Nagar for summer DMS. If the big rains come, then of course we
should all be there and sing kiirtan etc. But if those rains do not
come, then we will all have to stay in our local areas. The way things
are at present in Ananda Nagar there is no way that we can host a DMS.
Water has become totally scarce.
So that is the situation today and all should keep abreast of any and
all changes.
More can be written about Baba's stated solutions for preventing and
dealing with droughts - both at Ananda Nagar and all over. We should all
read His guidelines and discuss the matter in greater detail.
This letter's chief aim is to raise awareness about the current water
crisis at Ananda Nagar so margiis can plan accordingly.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace, we should all consider the present circumstance and
know that the the problem ailing Ananda Nagar will soon be a severe
global issue. There is going to be a water crisis. If we can implement
Baba's teachings at Ananda Nagar, that will be a perfect model to show
to the world - it will help millions and billions of people better the
water situation in their area. Till that time, we should all be prudent
and watch for the rains before committing ourselves to attending the
upcoming summer DMS program. It is a matter of our health and safety.
That is the important news about the upcoming DMS.
Baba says, "The inner spirit of our water conservation programme is that
the amount of existing surface water should be immediately doubled. But
it is preferable if it is increased tenfold. This can best be done by a
decentralized approach to water management which increases the depth,
the area, or both, of water storage systems. The first step is to
increase the depth of those ponds, tanks, dams, lakes, rivers and
reservoirs which are already being used for storing water. The second
step is to increase the area of these storage facilities, while the
third step is to increase the plantations around them. How can these
plantations be increased by a factor of ten? By increasing the number of
rows of plants around each water storage system five times, and by
reducing the distance between each plant by half. In addition to this,
many new small-scale ponds, tanks, dams, lakes and reservoirs should
also be constructed. As a general rule, surface water should always be
utilized in preference to subterranean water."
"You must prepare yourselves. The sphere of knowledge, the span of
knowledge and the expansion of knowledge starts with the self. Humanity
is waiting for you. You know what you are and what the world expects
from you. You have to solve all the problems in the world today. You
should prepare detailed plans and programmes and act accordingly. You
must be the vanguard." (PE)
Namaskar,
Amoghasiddhi
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Slowly Moving Towards Cemetery
Baba says, "Human beings often attached less importance to the spiritual
aspect of nitya karma and more importance to the physical aspect. This
is detrimental because one should not forget that human life is short
while act is long. From the very moment of birth one slowly and steadily
advances towards death with every passing moment of time. This short
period of time from birth to death is human life. Human beings have come
from the world of invisibility and at the end of this short span of time
will return to the land of invisibility. Those people can be called
intelligent who utilised every moment of their short life engaged in
spiritual practice." (APH-4, p. 251)
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