Dear all….THIS IS FOR ALL….ESPECIALLY THE YOUNGER GENERATION...TO FOLLOW IN LIFE...AND TO SHOW TO THEIR ELDERS AT HOME!!
Today morning some one asked me 'Are you a ________?'….i.e he asked me if I belong to a caste which is categorized as an upper caste in India!!
This is being asked frequently to me by many since my child hood!!
I said 'No...i belong to _______'….which is a lower caste in India!!
Then he said 'Your appearance, the things you talk about and life style resembles that of people of that caste. That is why I asked!'
I just looked at him and gave a usual smile!!
He said 'Your name is Ramasubramanian, which is generally used by ________. You don't eat non-veg. You don't smoke or drink. You get up early in the morning, do yoga, go for walks, read a lot, the things you talk about in general…..all give an impression that you are a ______. That is why I asked!!'
I told him 'This is not the first time. Right from my childhood people ask me this question because most of my friends belong to that community. I studied for some time in a school which had a majority of the students from that caste'
He was listening... I continued…
'I am not intelligent. I am not brilliant. But all my friends are sharp, fast, quick, intelligent, clever, bright, smart. So, I used to feel that all people of that caste are intelligent... brilliant... talented...I also used to wonder what makes them so!!
Many of my friends' parents knew that I am from a lower caste so they did not allow me inside their house (in 1970s). Probably because I used to play all sorts of country games also with my friends of lower caste. So, sometimes I was dirty too. But their homes were all neat, clean and hygienic with the cemented floors shining like glass!
As I was not allowed inside their homes, I used to sit outside on the steps and keep looking at them to know what all they do. I used to keenly observe their lifestyle and tried to find out the reasons as to what, why, hows of 'what makes them outstanding in studies, good in art forms like Carnatic vocal, Bharathanatyam, playing music instruments, scholastic skills and in general….achievers in life!
During those days all the top people in government, private sectors and educational institutions were from that caste. Whenever I opened The Hindu newspapers I always saw names like Narasimhan, Venkatasubramanian, Krishnan, Ananthanarayanan, Venkatramanan, seetharaman, etc. which were typical names of that caste.
So, all this made me feel like 'If we have to be good in studies and be successful, then we have to be born in that caste. If we have to get top jobs in government or private companies, then we have to be from that caste!' etc.
But one thing was repeatedly occurring in my mind that 'it is their lifestyle which makes them to be like that and not the 'caste on paper'!!
As I grew up to higher classes I could also make out that the lifestyle is in their genes and they follow Vedic life style!
Whenever I went in the morning to my friends’ homes I always heard Suprabhatam by MS Subbulakshmi and other Bhakti Bhajans or sthothras by her, during day time some soothing instrumentals and during evenings Gayatri Mantra used to come in the air….(so, calming and soothing sounds and music to the ear!!)
Also in the early morning I found everyone was awake during the early hours, had taken bath in cold water, dressed up neatly, and their mothers were in pleasant attires of south Indian families of that caste which was divine and made me feel pleasant….(Fresh for the body feelings!...good for showering of neurotransmitters in the brain to create a healthy mind)
The surroundings of their homes were filled with Tulasi and other medicinal and flowering plants and therefore always there was a pleasant aroma in the surroundings. Also all the time I used to get the fragrance of camphor, oil deepam (oil lamp), jasmine flowers from inside their homes which I felt soothing. They used to pluck the flowers from their gardens and make mala in the evening spare time and keep it ready for morning prayers. ….(So, soothing and calming smell to the nose!)
When I am sitting on the footsteps and studying their mothers used to come out and say 'Dei mani, intha prasadam!'….which tasted good and I felt nice. Probably that also had some items which cooled and calmed the body and mind. I could see that it sometimes had coconut water...tulsi leaves...camphor taste...ghee too...like this many ingredients I could make out were present in that prasadam...every day the prasadam was different!!….(so, healthy and calming taste to the tongue and body!)
The people, the gardens, the clean house all these gave pleasantness to the eyes!
So, I could make out that all these things were keeping their five senses calmed and cooled down!!
I also observed my friends’ fathers chanting some manthras...sitting in some special position and closing and opening the nostrils…sprinkling water around….shaking the bell...etc. I felt that chanting manthras give them the ability to focus on studies, memory skills and breathing exercise during this process gives them a healthy brain and heightened mind activity!!
This made me also to get up early in the morning, take bath in cold water, grow up gardens around the house and fill the home with the same aroma and positive energy. I realized that the plant food, simple and healthy diet, walks and runs (though gym was not part of my friends' culture, but it came on its own during college days to look attractive like Bond) keeps the hormone system in balance which is vital for all body systems to function healthy and normal.
When I changed my life style, at some homes they allowed me inside to the front reception. The scorching sun and rains also helped me to go to the sit-out or guest room for studies. I could slowly pick up their slang too!!
At times, some words which they discuss amongst themselves inside their homes came to my ears…they were convincing to me and became the bed rock of my beliefs…some of them are…(my corollaries are in brackets)
‘do your job to your best, don’t look for outcomes’
(when we look for outcomes we get anxious, tensed and stressed…can’t enjoy every moment of life…if we don’t get then we become sad, depressed, frustrated, angry, abusive, destructive. When our motive is LEARNING (to change our thoughts, feelings and behaviours for betterment) and SERVICE…HELP…CARING…then we get INTEREST, MOOD to do…then we get involved…then we lose ourselves in what we do…then it becomes a DIVINE ACT…then it becomes THE BEST…i.e. better than OUR BEST…then we get fulfillment, contentment, accolades, feeling of acceptance, awards, rewards, fame, authority etc…then we grow, mature, evolve etc….so, LIFE IS A JOURNEY OF LEARNING!!)
‘only our good deeds are the god or karma that can save us’
‘Whatever everyone undergoes is the outcome or effect of their own deeds or karma’
When the days went by, I also grew up in studies through hard work, job, profession, achievements, but I remained till the front reception room only!!
Then one of my friend’s mother said one day….’Dei mani!!...Come inside!!...Though you are born in most backward community you have grown like us. So, you can come inside the house!!’.
So, the crux is…
1. Let the caste, community and religion remain only on paper. Let them not separate human beings and divide!!
2. Let the LIFE STYLE unit the people. Let it be HEALTH ENHANCING!!
3. Let us look at all castes, communities and religions, pick up those which are health enhancing, support harmonious living and suiting to the climate, place of living, work place, daily routines etc.
4. Let us leave all those which are HEALTH COMPROMISING!!
5. Our body, our mind, the people, our relationships with people, their relationships with us, the Nature around are more important than caste, community and religion!!
6. Let us have the identity of GOOD HEALTHY HUMAN BEINGS…WISDOM…KNOWLEDGE…HEALTH ENHANCING LIFE STYLE… and not the identity of our caste or community or religion.
7. It is not the birth caste or community or religion that can help us to live a peaceful, happy, healthy, harmonious life. It our own life style that gives that!!
8. Today I find everyone living their own life style defined by them and not that of their caste. Upper caste people living life of low and negative energies. Some of the lower caste people living a life of higher and positive energies. So, caste/religion is only on paper. It does not signify or show the identity or the life style of a person. The lifestyle defines who the person is…what his or her belief systems are…good or bad person…and not the caste on paper!! So, if somone expects a particular set of beliefs, lifestyle, thoughts, opinions or feelings, likes and dislikes, and behaivours based on his caste or religion or community on paper, then he will get disappointed!!...So, they have lost their true identities of human nature!!
9. Intelligence, brilliance, smartness, cleverness are not caste based, but life style based. Our life style defines our caste and religion. Whatever we nurture, grows in us. Whatever we feed, lives in us!!
10. It is our lifestyle that causes changes in our genes to the good or bad…which gets passed on to our future generations. Not the caste on paper for real worth!!
11. So, successful, contented, fulfilled, happy, peaceful, healthy life depends not on the caste or religion or community of our birth, but it depends purely on our life style and continued hard work with positive definitions of life and living!!
12. Keeping the body needs low through health enhancing eating, sleeping, entertainment and resting habits frees the mind, liberates it to eternity, gives it more time for productive and positive thoughts/feelings and activities…activating the brain and mental activity towards creativity, enlightenment in profession, relationships and life. Urges and cravings of body only pull and suck the mind into graveyard of sorrows, frustration and negative energies!!
13. We get respect and acceptance by people and communities not based on our paper-caste or community or religion but who we are, what we are, our life style and human nature!!
14. So, let us leave a HEALTH ENHANCING LIFE STYLE WHICH DEFINES OUR RELIGION, CASTE AND MAKES OUR COMMUNITY and GOOD MORALS, VALUES AND ETHICS TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS AS THE CULTURE WHICH IS THE TRUE WEALTH!!
15. Let us not leave the caste or community or religion just on paper!!
Peacefully yours...Rams...Psychologist!!
