I read before coming to SEARCH that Dr. Abhay Bang was raised in Sevagram, where Mahatma Gandhi's used to live, work, and pray. Although Gandhi was already dead by the time Dr. Bang was born, his father had met Gandhi and it changed the course of his life as an economics professor. Sevagram means "village of service." It is also the home of the first rural medical college in India. Drs. Abhay and Rani Bang have modeled SEARCH after Sevagram and have chosen to follow the Gandhian principles of simplicity and living alongside the poor.
Now, I have to admit, I do not know that much about Gandhi. I know he lived in India. I know he led civil disobedience demonstrations and he is known for his approach of non-violence. I know that he also fasted during times of upheaval and protest.
I am sad to admit that I did not know he lived from 1869-1948, that he was married by the age of 13, that he lived in South Africa as an expatriate for nearly two decades, that he played a major role in the struggle for India's independence from Britain, and upon gaining independence he fought to end poverty, end the caste system, and to inspire economic self-reliance, his wife died while he was imprisoned, and that he was assassinated. All of this I learned during our field trip. To truly understand Gandhi I would probably have to read a lot of philosophy and history books, or I can watch the 1982 Academy Award winning movie, Gandhi.
The car ride itself was uneventful and I spent most of it staring out the window and trying to nap. We made one stop at a gas station. The only way that I can describe this rest stop is that it looked like a simple gas station, but then when you went around back there was a whole bazaar of snack stands. The driver let us out and we went crazy picking up cookies, candies, and munchies. We also had the opportunity to use the bathroom. A long time ago I learned my lesson about using the bathroom when you had the opportunity to do so. (Once, as a college freshman, my lacrosse team had to stop on the side of the highway because I drank so much water during our away game, partially because I was sick with a cough at the time, and I had failed to use the bathroom before leaving. I absolutely could not hold it for the two hours that remained in our drive back to Brandeis). On our way to Sevagram, I did not have to go that bad until I started worrying about what would happen if I did need to go. Therefore, I thought it would best if I made myself use the bathroom at the gas station. All I have to say is American gas station bathroom + multiple squat toilets = you try to imagine it. I told myself it would only be 30 seconds. I ran in, went into the closest stall, didn't even close the door all the way, dropped my pants, and was out of there in less than a minute. I doused my hands with water and hand sanitizer afterwards.
After that lovely story, here are some lovely pictures:
On the way to Gandhi's ashram, we actually stopped at a smaller ashram first. These are the grounds of Brahma Vidya Mandir. It is an ashram founded in 1959 by Vinoba Bhave (Vinobaji) for women who want to live a life of deep spirituality, organic farming and other productive manual labor, voluntary poverty, and service.
We arrived during the noon prayer (in the background). We were warmly welcomed after the prayer was over. Most of the members of the ashram spoke English. According to the pamphlets we received, all decisions about the activities and arrangements of the ashram are decided unanimously, which is thought to strengthen the community.
The members of the ashram lined up at the temple. According to the pamphlet, the ashram does not attach itself to any country or any religion. They welcome everyone. Now men live there too. There was one Western-looking young lady living there. This reminded me very much of the book Eat, Pray, Love.
A view of open-air walls of the temple.
Here are the grounds at Sevagram. Gandhi arrived in Sevagram in 1936 at the age of 67. In India, Gandhi is affectionately referred to as Bapu, which means "father."
A photo taken on the back patio of Gandhi's hut. Unfortunately I did not take many pictures of the huts and buildings straight on; I mostly took pictures of the informative boards that were written in both Marathi and English. When this hut was built, Gandhi mandated that it did not cost more than 500 rupees (about $12 in today's world) and that it use local materials that would be available to everyone. He wanted to model living simply and using the resources that one has at their disposal without getting all fancy.
Another view of the peaceful grounds in Sevagram, Gandhi's ashram.
A monument in Sevagram. The translation is roughly "In this village, we hope to see a world that is healthy and without disease."
A beautiful photo of the sunset, taken during our four-hour drive back to Gadchiroli.
A photo of the Indian flags on the dashboard inside the van.
After Sevagram, we went to Chandrapur (the neighboring town to Gadchiroli) to visit another big temple (no photos taken there) and have a late lunch at another hotel restaurant. Back in Gadchiroli, we stopped at the ice cream store to finish off our July 4th celebration. Here is a picture of us with our driver for the day.
Alanna and I were reading some of your blogs and looking at the pictures. Alanna wants to see some pictures of the potty room and your potty shoes! And lots of love,
ReplyDeleteAlanna and Grandma.
P.S. Alanna says to be careful out there!