How teamwork won the day
SOME people are keen to do a good deed, but they don’t go ahead with it as they presume that others may not cooperate with them. I remember an incident which illustrates that if you pursue a noble goal with determination, best results can be achieved.
I got an opportunity to attend the Gyan Yagna at Chinmaya Tapovan ashram, Sidhbari (Himachal Pradesh), in February 2005. During the camp, Swami Yogasthanada (Shri Shiv Swarup Agrawal) took yoga classes and Dr Sajjan Singh gave tips on health matters. One day, I had a chat with the doctor at the tea shop outside the premises. I came to know that the ashram organised ‘The Art of Graceful Living’ camps for the benefit of senior citizens at various locations. The only condition was that the welfare society concerned should have a strength of around 50.
I decided to make efforts for holding such a camp on behalf of the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Society, Urban Estate, Patiala. The ashram faculty was associated with the Central Chinmaya Vanaprastha Sansthan (CCVS), Allahabad, for decades. Agrawal, a leading industrialist, had completed a two-year Vedanta course and served as general secretary of the CCVS. He had attended more than 100 such camps and later got ‘sanyas diksha’. Dr Singh was also an active member of the sansthan.
During an executive meeting of our welfare society, I proposed that a CCVS camp should be organised. It was decided to seek members’ consent individually. The late RK Sharma, then vice-president of the society, and NS Ruprah, founder-president, accompanied me on a door-to-door visit in the neighbourhood. More than 30 members assured us of their participation. The good response encouraged us to take up the matter with Mohan Lal Garg, secretary of the Chinmaya Mission’s Patiala unit. He helped us by spreading the word.
A request was submitted to the CCVS faculty for holding the camp in Patiala in 2006. Finally, the dates were approved (October 24 to 27). I underwent a surgery for hernia in August that year and was hopeful of recovering well before the camp began. However, due to some complications, I had to be hospitalised for several days. Anyway, the local unit of the Chinmaya Mission, in collaboration with the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Society, conducted the camp successfully. More than 50 senior citizens took part wholeheartedly. It was an honour that the Chinmaya team visited my home to enquire about my health. On the concluding day of the event, I attended the proceedings and presented mementos to the faculty members. My dream of holding the camp had come true, thanks to sincere teamwork and God’s blessings.
