Where I'm at...

MUMBAI - This started out being part of my email to Neil.. and then I ended up going on-and-on.. soo, here's a little visit into my experiences and thoughts...

I am now in Mumbai... Sampat and I were separated for bout a month (he even missed uor friends' wedding in Ahmedabad as his family was in town in mumbai)... and met up in Raipur, and attended a Jeevan Vidya shibhir... I'll get into more detail bout what Jeevan Vidya (JV) actaully is on my blog, once I get the chance. To sum it up... The Jeevan Vidya 'philosophy', in a very logical manner, lays out what man's purpose is, and why this is his purpose.... and the purpose is basically to live in harmony with oneself, with one's family and friends, with society, and with all of nature. And methodically, the philosophy goes deeper and deeper... if that's the purpose, why can't people attain it? Because they don't have the right understanding of the "Self" and of the "Natural order of Existence".. so, JV methodically goes through what the "self" is, etc... and what "existence" is and what the "natural order" is progressing to... and based on knowing this, how one can live happily and in harmony with one's family, friends, and society. It's a long process... and everything they say... has to be checked by the individual to make sure I really KNOW it, and just don't BELIEVE it. (This is turning into a blog entry... ) It's interesting... and it involves all aspects of life.... and they really stress just "natura acceptance"... observe the world around you, observe yourself, and you'll see these Truths - they stress "checking everything out" based on first, are you convinced? are tohers convinced? is it beneficial to all? And second, after the idea is put into action, were the results beneficial to you, those around you, society, and nature?
This guy, Baba Nagaraji spent 18 years in the forest... he's a Brahmin and had studied the Vedas and all that... and really wanted to see what samadhi and all that is all about. So, after meditating for years.. he reached the state of samadhi... but he wasn't satisfied, because he wanted to know what the world REALLY is, what EXISTENCE really is so it's applicable for all human beings, and could create a better place, here on Earth. What's the use of samadhi if it only affects the individual? So, while he was in the forest.. for years... he "studied" existence, and piece-by-piece, he came up with this view of "existence"... and then, people started listening to him, and he has a bunch of books that he has written (all in Hindi), and as a small number of "followers". After the shibhir, there were some people going to Amarkantak, where he lives... because there was a program for his birthday... so, we ended up making the 6-hour journey as well. And it was a small rpogram, jsut taking place in his home... I was really anxious to see this Babaji in person, because the way everyone talked bout him... I mean, this guy has been Liberated and knows Truth. I definitely got soom positive vibes being there... and it's amazing to see him just answer EVERY question about EVERYTHING with ease, without thinking... you could tell that he didn't think... words just flowed from his mouth. It's interseting that no where in this "philospohy" is there a "God" figure, or even an idea... JV says that the entire existence is connected by Space, and this could be what is termed Ishvar. So far the "movement" doesn't have THAT many people involved... a lot of those involved are "ex-engineers".. so, me and Sampat fit in ncely... who basically got to hte point where they realized they were far-off from the rea purpose in life and were in search for something. Many are people who were once heavily inolved with Vipassana, but after some years of hard-core practice, they hit a wall, and saw that Vpasana and Goenka-ji weren't able to answer all the questions they had. Others involved are people who have deveoted their lives to social work. Others were just everyday farmers, everyday people, etc. There was a Jain sadhu who used to be one of those "naked" sadhus. There was a Gandhian who is part of the Sarvodaya movement and worked with Vinoba Bhave. There's a man who named himself "Satyaprakash Bharat" (Light of Truth to India), who at the age of 10 decided he was never gonig to be a slave to work, and at the age of 25 left his home to wander around India... not detached from the world.. but observing the situation of India whever he went, connecting with people, and spreading "vichaar"... he's been doing this for the last 20 years... and has connections ALLL over India of all the quality people in this contry. We had many cnversations with him.. very passinate man. Overall, being there, and just interacting with all these people, and stuff was reallly quality... and inspiring. For me... it brought into mind.. "what really is freedom?" India defines freedom... there are so many folks who are doing what they WANT in this country 24 hours a day / 7 days a week... completely outside the "system". They are doing whatever they think will lead them to Truth... they aren't heavily worried with how they'll get food on their table, security, what others will think, etc. etc.. How many peple do you find like that in the U.S.? Even social workers... usually work in the confines of a system, with all thsee rules and regulations.

Almost all of these guys see "multi-national corporations" as one of the biggest threats to "India"... and I've seen, read about, and heard bout various stories. Jeevan Vidya is a push to a more sustainable, blanced relationship with nature, and in this way addresses this situation.
The classic story goes, a big MNC comes in and wants to take over land where there are some villagers that have lived there for generations. The gov't allows them because the MNC pays the gov't big bucks and it boosts "economy" (which is only based on $, not on how much food each person in the country has on their table, not on how many people have shelter over their heads). The gov't will sometimes bribe thsee villagers to stay quiet and not protest by giving them compensaton money... but what's a villager like that to do? build a new home somewhere else... try to start over with a whole new livelihood, on new land?? Many villagers see the amount of $ in front of them, and jump on the opportunity.. as for them, they've never seen such a sum of money before... Other times, the company promises the villagers jobs.. yeah, they'll lose their farmland, but the company will provide them with jobs that will give them a higher income than their farm did. Well, what the farmers and the companies fail to mention... is that these villagers also got their food from these farms, and milk from their animals... and the cost of adjusting thier lifestyle and buying food that is "shipped" in, etc. will be a heavy burden on them. Also, many times, the companies go back on their promise... or the job conditions are horrible, etc. Sometimes... the villagers are wel informed of the menace that is coming their way, social activists have visited the area, and have mobilized the villagers in the way of "civil disobedience". What companies have been known to do in these situations is use the old British technique of "divide-and-conquer". They get some of the leaders of the village on their side by bribing them with huge sums of money (huge sums to the villager, pocket change to the MNC), or promises of top positions with the company... and then, the villagers are divided, and are fighting amongst themselves, and no longer havve the strength to fight against the MNC. The stories vary by situation, but the jist is the same... huge MNC's exploiting locals, ruining nature. all for some bucks.

Those in the Bay Area... see if you can get in contact with this guy -- Amit Srivastava, India Resource Center +1 415 336 7584 (US) E: info@IndiaResource.org http://www.indiaresource.org/index.html

I've read a little about prawn-farmng in India and saw some of the prawn farms from te roadside when I was in Tamil Nadu.. here are some links:
http://www.countercurrents.org/en-goldy050504.htm
great book on Gandhians (in their 80's and 90's) opposing the prawn farm movement -- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1567512763/102-8327071-7952157?v=glance&n=283155
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3728019.stm
http://www.ejfoundation.org/page211.html

Present situation of Korean steel-company, Posco, building a huge factory in Orissa exporting the natura resource- iron ore:the business side - http://www.allbusiness.com/periodicals/article/595324-1.html (notice "resettlement and rehabilitation" as their immediate priority)
http://www.flonnet.com/fl2215/stories/20050729003803900.htm
situation on the ground - http://www.flonnet.com/fl2224/stories/20051202002304000.htm

Coca-Cola - the typical MNC who think they own the world:http://www.indiaresource.org/campaigns/coke/
UMich and other universities react - http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2005/2068.html
http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2005/2065.html
awesome - http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2005/1077.html

Monsanto, BT cotton.. among other things. We saw BT-cotton farms in Gujarat:http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2003/1001.html
http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2003/4486.html
http://www.indiatogether.org/agriculture/opinions/ds_gmo1.htm

So, yeah... two of my main passions that have developed out here...
1) education development.. alternate education models that really teach about the world, existence, etc... where the sole purpose isn't just to create tools for the system. Right now, my thinking is that the main purpose of education is should be on developing the mental faculties of the individual - logical thinknig, creativity, decision-making, etc. I also am in favor of localizing education and fitting it to the needs to the needs of a community (it does't make sense that in farming villages in India, they don't learn ANYTHING about farming in their schools). So, I've decided that I want to learn ore about education, different methods, different purposes, etc... one way to attept to do that is coming back to the States and getting my Masters in Education Policy or sumthing, but that goes against what I think education is... Catch-22. I think the best way for me will be through direct experience out here in India... so, Im 95% sure that I'm going to the SIDG org. and working with them for a while. Long-term wise.. maybe open schools? Maybe start a school in the States? Various thoughts going through my head...

2) The world HAS to do something about the poor of the world continuing to be exploited by corporations, all in the name of the money... it's like "a person in the city gets a second TV" vs. "a person in the village gets food on his table". And, the movment has to come based on understanding... that the current model is not sustainable.. if 1 billion people in India used up resources like we do in the States... the world wouldn't last much longer. The movement has to come from the bottom.. those that are being expoloited must be educated, and realize the bigger picture and shouldn't be able to be bribed by immediate gains... they must make a stand. And, the movement also has to come from the top... the consumers must become more aware about the REAL costs of all the products they are consuming and then make conscious decisions and put pressure on these corporations to be RESPONIBLE. And, then, finally the corporations.. at some point.. will have to realize that money isn't everything... and they must take into account OTHER people, nature, etc.

Quick change of topics...
I'm gonig to pick up my mom in bout 10-20 minutes!!!! I'm excited that my famil is coming out here... dad, sister, and jijaji are coming during the beginning of february... it's going to be difficult trying to explain my thoughts and experiences to them... and where my thinking is now.. etc. But, I'm going to make an honest attempt at it. And hopefully they won't drag me back to the States with them. =P

Once you find out that you got into some grad. schools... I thnk you should quit work and come out here for a while. It's just amazing to get a new perspective on the world... it takes a while to get deeper and deeper into India... there are so many different levels. I still feel that there are SOO many levels deeper that I can still go. And, as I go deeper into an understanding of India... I concurrently am gonig into a deeper understanding of myself... I know that sounds really cliche.. but that's how it is...