Play Is Fundamental to All Mammalian Life. It Is How the Young Learn To

Play is fundamental to all mammalian life. It is how the young learn to cooperate, to fight, to hunt, to build a sense of belonging, to create ‘in- groups’ and ‘out-groups’, to build strength and to build courage.

Sangh Sandesh 2 Life should not be like a person who goes to a huge library, sees so many books, reads none and gathers no knowledge. “A rolling stone gathers no moss” they say. Only fortunate people decide their goal at the dawn of their life. They have the satisfaction in the evening of life, that, they had not lived vaguely, and wasted time in searching for the goal. Life should be like an arrow hitting the target directly and not going off the mark. Life is like the game of Kabaddi. One can show their skill and play a fruitful game only as long as the breath lasts. Otherwise one moves about here and there, shifts, dances and returns empty handed. Futile is the play. One must have the full satisfaction of having accomplished one’s goal when one breathes one’s last. Otherwise, embittered by frustration, one will exclaim “life’s morning and noon have already gone, the evening has crept in and now the sun is about to set. What have I gained?” by Eknath Ranade, Sadhana of Service

3 Contents

04 24 Namaste The play of mortality Editorial team Mahendra Lad

“To play is to enjoy the breadth and depth “My son quickly dropped the equipment of human imagination.” back in the car and took me straight to A&E Reception.”

06 28 Lila - The cosmic play Walking amongst giants Dr Rishi Handa, PhD Yajur Shah interviews Zaverchand ji Shah “Jyotisa allows us to gain an insight into how these cosmic archetypes of the subtle “We eventually found one place – in fact it world manifest through gross forms of was a jungle! Around the sides, there were nature.” fences and walls but really, it was a jungle.” 16 34 Play is the Is life a game of Kabaddi? beginning of knowledge SS Team Shivani Pala “Playing a game is freedom. When we play “When I watch my son play it teaches me a board game with friends, or a tennis a lot about who he is as an individual. match with a colleague or ‘catch’ with our pet dog, we gain immense pleasure in it.”

4 38 Doctor ji and play Sachin Nandha

“Dr. Hedgewar was interested in using play, something that is equally natural to the human being as it is to all other animals, as a tool to build character” 44 The art of listening Falguni Bhatt Published by: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh “While I can reel off quite a few things, (UK), Registered Charity No. 267309 the one that strikes me the most is the importance of listening.” For any contributions, comments and correspondence please write to: Sangh Sandesh, 46-48 Loughborough 46 Road, Leicester, LE4 5LD, UK [email protected] • www.hssuk.org Samiti/Sangh Shiksha Varg 2018 Photos • hssuk • hss_uk • @hss_uk

A collection of photographs from Samiti HSS (UK) reserve the right to edit the and Sangh Shiksha Varg 2018. material submitted for publication. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of HSS (UK).

5 Namaste

It is the creation of another world from hone our skills of play so that we can within; the release of your inner self connect with others. As we bring more unto the manifested plane; the loss of people into our playground, we devise inhibition and the opening of the heart. complex systems of play; actively com- To play is to enjoy the breadth and municating and agreeing those systems. depth of human imagination. Kabbadi players are only able to gather on a pitch and play because they agree Uninhibited by societal rules, children on an imagined set of rules and con- are the greatest explorers of that asset, duct. If they didn’t, chaos would surely building entire worlds in the blink of an ensue. eye. As we grow, so too does our play mature. Poets play with words to bring Through play, friendships, movements their imagination into the imagination and entire philosophies have been of others and designers play with a formed, preserved and evolved. Some blank canvas to make their imagination now even believe that it is humankind’s visible for others to see. We learn to heightened ability to enjoy the imagined

6 collectively that has allowed it to thrive From the Sangh Sandesh team, we hope in this world over any other species. that you thoroughly enjoy reading this The concept of play is therefore a pow- edition: erful one. Rajen Shah In Sangh, play is crucial to our ability in Deepti Mistry bringing people together and all fea- Ajay Mistry tures in this edition relate to this con- Yajur Shah cept of ‘play’ in some way or another. Rajiv Chandegra Through narratives and critical pieces, we can take a glimpse into the imagined worlds of the authors and in doing so, hopefully think more widely and criti- cally about the game we’re playing and how we play it.

Lil

a :

y a

l Guru avināśī khela racāyā (The

indestructible guru created [this] play) p -Mātrā Śāstra, Udāsīnācārya

Bhagavān Śrī Candra

c Dr Rishi Handa, PhD

m T

s h o e c

8 Our universe, so complex and intricate, i is beyond the grasp of l human understanding. The L mystic-philosopher recognises that what is(!?) transcends our a concepts and language which

themselves constrain the limits of our thinking. Yet since the dawn of : our intellect, humans have been creating, shaping and refining working models in attempts to make sense of it. In Bhārata, both the Vedic tradition and those outside of it have been replete with explanations, examining free will and the call to action, determinism and the absence y of human agency, and karma as meaningful as well as non-existent. How these a contradictory ideas, present even within a single text, are reconciled necessitates l exploration.

p A dualistic subject-object model within

the Vedic tradition presents what is called puruṣa (consciousness) or

kṣetrajña (knower of the field) and

c prakṛti (‘nature’) or kṣetra (field).

i The Vedic term for the Law

T governing the kṣetra is ṛta,

s h and it is this Law that is o e c the cosmic play.

9 The ancient idea of universal interconnectedness was expressed through the Vedic concept of ṛta or macrocosmic order. Menski (1997: 7) briefly describes the notion of ṛta:

Vedic Hindus respecting the limits of human knowledge and, probably observing the regularities of nature, like sunrise and sunset and different seasons, as well as the sudden force of disaster, came up with an understanding of invisible mechanisms for the maintenance of this order that involved gods and men alike. Man’s major duty to invoke the benign influence of the various gods through elaborate and solemn sacrifices, richly elaborated in those early texts, illustrates the assumed interlinkedness of this world with other worlds, and ultimately with the cosmic whole… Any individual is not alone in this world, but is interlinked in so many ways, to family, clan, village, society as a whole, ultimately the universe… It follows from this kind of imaging that mankind as a whole was never perceived as governing this world, but remains subject to a higher order.

Even the devas are subject to this higher order for nothing exists outside of the order. Being bound to function within this mathematically-governed Ṛta non-capricious order begs the question of the place of our individual free will. Miller (1985: 151) explains that:

10 [Ṛ]ta, the Cosmic Order, implies constant restoration of equilibrium at this phenomenal level of manifestation… – ot hence fundamentally y i the law of action J and reaction, or ṣ karma. For karma is

fundamentally action The subject of jyotiṣa a and reaction, cause provides us with and effect, and a window into the therefore is inherent workings of causality in the conception on earth which we of ṛta the cosmic may understand as harmony. the law of karma. The earth is surrounded by Action is performed twelve rāśīs (zodiac and a reaction signs), twenty seven to occurs. If there twenty eight nakṣatras is free will, there (asterisms or ‘lunar is action. If there mansions’) and nine is no volition to grahas (astrological perform an action, ‘planets’). The question then there is only that often arises by both a succession of sceptic and believer is reactions exhibiting how the celestial bodies a domino effect. in the sky can have an The contribution of effect on the unfolding jyotiṣa or astrology of our lives. Some in to the discussion favour of the subject’s is particularly efficacy have proposed insightful in trying explanations by resorting to understand how to planets’ gravitational karma, free will, and electromagnetic devas and ṛta work fields. Such apologetics together. only undermine one’s knowledge of science, and can only display ignorance of Vedic

11 cosmology; it simply has no that manifested through the bases in either system. In both forms of nature, the ideals which explanations, there can be informed the actual. It was the no accounting for the effects external world that was a symbol of Rahu and Ketu (north and for the Gods, not the Gods south nodes) or rāśīs and who were symbols for forces of nakṣatras as none of these are external nature. physical bodies. Jyotisa allows us to gain an The explanatory model I insight into how these cosmic propose as to how and why archetypes of the subtle jyotisa works is rooted in a world manifest through gross cosmology inhabited by devas forms of nature. Through ṛtic that belongs to pre-modernity. interconnectedness, activity at Central to an understanding of the subtle and causal levels the mechanics behind grahas of the archetype means that and karma are the devas. all of its gross manifestations Explaining what the devas are affected in similar ways are, David Frawley (1992: 38) to it and therefore each other. elucidates that: From this we may see that what is causal in impacting natural The Gods, then, were the and biotic phenomena isn’t Divine principles, the cosmic say, the physical planet Venus presences, the spiritual which is but a mere ‘rock’, but archetypes the ancient seers the archetype ‘underlying’ it. apprehended working through Since all of the nine grahas, the forms of things. Their Gods twelve rāśīs (on which are we0re not personifications of overlapped twelve houses forces, imaginations about relating to different aspects of the world they could not life), and twenty seven to twenty scientifically understand. eight nakṣatras are presided Rather, on the contrary, they over by devas, an uncountable saw the forces of nature as number of permutations and workings on an outer level of combinations within the field the Gods or Divine principles of devic activity results in the from an inner level. The gods plethora of earthly phenomena. were the cosmic archetypes

12 Karma and the grahas For ease and It appears then that the accessibility, archetypes – the devas and jyotiṣīs resort to grahas – are in charge and the grossest of we are not in fact controlled all observable by the celestial objects archetypal visible in our sky; it is worth manifestations: noting that graha derives It is the majestic from the root grah meaning astronomical bodies ‘[to] seize’ or ‘[to] grasp’. If proceeding with this is the case, the basis mathematically of their activity becomes a precise regularity curious thing for they are not in accordance with personalities with desires an untouched order, and fancies acting by whim their giant sizes and caprice. Neither does visible in front of a the graceful order with backdrop of rāśīs which the astronomical and nakṣatras bodies move indicate that that have enabled the activity of the archetypes ancient to modern is random. Thus the jyotiṣīs to penetrate extent to which they are the veil obscuring autonomously in charge from us the realm of becomes questionable since archetypal activity. they appear to be bound by some order. One of the authoritative texts on jyotiṣa attributed to ṛṣi Parāśara, the father of Veda Vyāsa and of jyotiṣa itself, asserts that: The unborn paramātman (supreme self) has many avatāras. Janārdana (=Viṣṇu) in the form of the grahas is the bestower of the fruits of karma on living beings. (Bṛhat Parāśara Hora Śāstra 2.3)

13 The unborn The logical consequence of the grahas’ paramātman dispensing of karmic fruits is that our actions (supreme self) has originate in us alone giving credence to many avatāras. the libertarian view of free will. Yet an Janārdana (=Viṣṇu) appreciation of types of karma yield a in the form of middle way that would satisfy any soft will the grahas is the determinist. There are four types of karmas: bestower of the sañcita, prārabdha, kriyamāṇa and āgama. fruits of karma on De Fouw and Svoboda (2003: 26-8) define e living beings. (Bṛhat each one: e

Parāśara Hora Śāstra 2.3) Sanchita (‘heaped together’) Karma is the r

sum total of all past actions, known and According to this unknown, that a being has performed and F therefore, the grahic that are saved in his or her karmic account... archetypes are not Prarabdha Karma, that portion of Sanchita superintendents. Karma which is ready to be experienced They are conduits by an individual during his or her lifetime, through which represents the current effect of past our karma is actions which appear as fate or destiny… reciprocated to us. Kriyamana Karmas consist of the total They do not pass potential effect created by current actions… moral judgement Agama Karmas, new actions that you but as mirrors, contemplate as a result of insight, represent impersonally reflect your capacity to envision future actions, back to us the fruits whether or not you choose to implement of our actions. them.

Karmic reciprocity It is noteworthy that one’s janma kuṇḍalī or is the reflection of birth chart is an image of one’s prarabdha ripples of actions karma. Resolving fate and free will with and intention karma, De Fouw and Svoboda (2003: 29) created in the causal suggest that: ocean and imprinted as saṃskāras in Jyotish assumes that the human condition one’s causal body, always arises from a dynamic interaction to bring about between fate and free will… What was cosmic equilibrium done by free will today acts as the cause at the causal, subtle of what is experienced as fate tomorrow. and gross levels. Though no one is ruled by fate alone, it may seem so until free will emerges.

14 The popular conception of free will seems to rest on two assumptions: (1) that each of us will could have behaved differently than we did in the past, and e (2) that we are the e conscious source of most of our thoughts

‘Though no one is ruled by fate r and actions in the

alone, it may seem so until

present… [B]oth of F free will emerges’, declare De these assumptions Fouw and Svoboda, but that are false. is of course, if free will really exists. The above classification The first false of karma may be appropriate assumption that as a concession to the [illusory] Harris suggests ‘separate self’ to strive to people make about perform [good] action just as free will resonates Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad with jyotiṣa. If Gītā (3.8-9,19,30) impels we had free will Arjuna to act. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa and were able to elsewhere in his discourse behave differently (3.27, 13.30, 14.5,19) educates than we did in the Arjuna about a higher teaching past, a competent concerning the absence of jyotiṣī interpreting human agency in action, and a kuṇḍalī would not modern day mystic, philosopher be able to describe and neuroscientist Sam Harris with accuracy would arguably agree with him. past events that In his book Free Will, Harris occurred in one’s (2012: 5-6) puts forth his hard life. The second determinist perspective: false assumption holds us to be the Free will is an illusion… conscious source of Thoughts and intentions our thoughts which emerge from background are the source of our causes of which we are actions. unaware and over which we accept no conscious control…

15 The human may in turn be responded to and neutralised ego desirous of by a question, notably, to whom is there expressing its a point, who is being blamed and who is autonomy and to responsible? The problem with the objection which the very is that it presupposes the presence of a notion of the separate self which on investigation is absence of agency found not to exist. And this is where the is repugnant, raises heart of the issue lies. The idea that there an objection: If we is a ‘me’, a doer of deeds underscored by are not endowed a generator and chooser of thoughts and a with free will and maker of decisions, is nothing but a mere are merely puppets thought which spontaneously arises in in the hands of consciousness; the thinker is itself just a the grahas and thought. devas, what is the point of our being Thoughts and actions belong to the body- here? And how mind complex which is a composite of the then can blame be grahas in flux. All these belong to prakṛti apportioned to us? which we have no control over since it is Where is the sense governed by ṛtic Law which expresses itself of responsibility? through the three guṇas, the fundamental Such an objection modes of material nature: sattva, rajas

16 and tamas. They Kṛṣṇa informs Arjuna ( 2.47 ), since our do not affect ‘our’ body and mind are at the behest of the three essential nature of guṇas. But knowing that all this is a play pure awareness of prakṛti offers hope for the advancement and therefore there of human attitude. It cultivates the wisdom is no ‘us’ to whom of knowing that since one is not the doer anything happens. but that it is the body-mind complex that Awareness simply is instrumental, there is no need for self- witnesses the pride. It also allows us to have compassion play of prakṛti, of for others freeing us from blaming them, the guṇas, of the knowing that their circumstances could have grahas. been ours were it but for grace. Śrī Kṛṣṇa tells us ( 3.5 ) that our entitlement is to act On knowing this but not over the fruits: our attitude should philosophy, the be one of responsibility in action while human absence of ultimately knowing that all is an unfolding control should not of the happening. It is but a play, a cosmic imply a fatalistic khel, a divine līlā. absence of action and responsibility. We have no choice but to act as Śrī

Bibilography de Fouw, Hart and Robert Svoboda (2003 [1996]). Light on Life. Twin Lakes: Lotus Press.

Frawley, David (1992). Wisdom of the Ancient Seers. Salt Lake City: Passage Press.

Harris, Sam (2012). Free Will. New York: Free Press.

Menski, Werner (1997). Indian Legal Systems Past and Present. London: SOAS

Miller, Jeanine (1985). The Vision of Cosmic Order in the Vedas. London et al.: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

17 Play is the beginning of Knowledge

Shivani Pala

In my brief stint as a parent to The UN Convention on the Rights of date, my greatest pleasure has the Child is an international treaty that been observing my son play – it sets out universally accepted rights for has been the most fascinating and children. It is a benchmark against which enlightening part of watching him a nation’s treatment of its children can grow and has taught me much be measured. In this treaty, Article 31 about the importance of play states that every child has the right in shaping and developing well to play. As a parent I strongly agree rounded, emotionally balanced with this commitment to “think more children with elevated confidence deeply about childrens’ position as and self- esteem, and the ability citizens and more broadly about their to exercise cognitive, social, and development than has commonly been physical skills that set them up for the case.” Dr Peter Gray, an author and dealing with life into their adult scholar, and Professor of Psychology at years. Boston College regularly explores the

18 importance of play for children in his activities. It has been a battle to not fall research. He argues that children’s play into that trap myself and remember to time has declined, and how this lack choose a school that allows for plenty of play affects emotional development, of free play, nurturing my son’s inherent leading to the rise of anxiety, cheeky playful nature. depression, and problems of attention and self-control in later years. I have always said that a child should be a child for as long as possible; I have Now my son is three years old, we to constantly remind myself of this and are in the throes of selecting a school ensure that the spirit of my son has not for him to attend; it is easy to feel the been broken before real life challenges pressure of choosing one that helps actually take hold. This is where the art the child to excel academically without of play comes in, particularly copious taking a more holistic approach. amounts of free unstructured play. Play offers our children the opportunity to Current societal thinking pushes really learn about themselves and their parents into mindlessly believing that surroundings, shaping their thinking the only way for their child to excel for the future, helping them become is to enrol them in the best academic more resilient and able to cope with schools, and to have over-scheduled life’s challenges. Play is the beginning of diaries with a raft of adult directed knowledge.

19 Play’s role in nurturing the child’s sense of self and identity

On a personal note, self-guided interests. The Montessori environment when I watch my son at nursery has really helped instil this style of play it teaches me a play in our home; Montessori schooling relies on lot about who he is as observing the child and recognising what channels an individual. Through they choose for themselves to learn about the world self-directed play he and their surroundings. Quite early on at nursery expresses who he is as we received reports of my son always choosing the a person and I begin to kitchen station to play with – we quickly allocated understand more about him kitchen items to play with at home and set up his self-identified and a mini kitchen for him too. To date this has been the most used toy in our home and has taught him how to care for people by cooking for and sharing food with others. It also paves the way for him becoming a great chef in future years!

20 increased incidence of anxiety and depression in society now. I now let my son utilise all the cushions and blankets in the house whenever he wants, let him freely build fortresses and ramps, and clog up my kitchen with all his cars to make a car wash as this is his playground to negotiate the world and his surroundings going forward and a pre- cursor to him becoming a person with sound emotional resilience.

Let them take risks! Play’s role in helping Play’s role in helping children children master make decisions, solve problems, negative and master self-control emotions

Allowing children to play freely without inhibition Through free play gives them the opportunity to feel more in control children are exposed of themselves and their lives going forward. As to both physically and parents it is easy to worry about the mess that emotionally challenging your children are creating and things not being situations and learn to in their place – we ourselves are time pressured control their emotions, after all; however, it is so important to master such as fear or anger, the art of letting our children play freely, within that arise from these certain boundaries of good behaviour. I have often stressors. Children will had to stop myself from constantly tidying up role play, swing, slide, after my child and accept that there is method to climb, jump off and his madness. By over engineering our children’s engage in a number playtime we are at risk of creating future adults of mildly frightening who lack the ability to problem solve, make activities, and often decisions and exert control over their own life. Dr choose how far they Gray would argue that this has contributed to the

21 “you’ve only really been a child if you’ve been subject to a good dose of scraped knees in childhood”

22 are willing to go in that activity. Whilst as parents we a child cries as my son often watch over our children closely it is right to has the toy that they let them expose themselves to a certain degree of want, he has learnt at challenge, and for us to worry less and take the reins times to hand the toy off a little. over. He is beginning to learn the art of empathy There is a saying in Gujarati which my father in law and social skills through often reminds me of; “you’ve only really been a child play. if you’ve been subject to a good dose of scraped knees in childhood”. He is essentially telling me to Play’s role let my son play completely without inhibition. There in fuelling will always be a few falls, bumps and scrapes along the way, but the learning outcomes are far greater. We creativity and have visited several outdoor parks and soft plays with imagination my son and encouraged him to try new things. Today’s standardised I remember a long, winding tube slide at a soft play systems and pathways visited on numerous occasions. On the first few visits of education generally our son decided to leave that slide well alone but on encourage children to the fourth visit he threw himself down it of his own move, speak and think accord whilst we anxiously waited for him to pop in straight lines. Our out at the other end, which he did with a huge smile. children, however, do In the process he had managed his fear and become anything but move, speak slightly less risk averse. and think in straight lines! Neither does Play’s role in building friendships creativity or imagination. and becoming socially aware My greatest joy has been watching my son fuel his imagination Children are instantly attracted to other little and creativity through humans. Watching the dynamic in a park or other free play – I’m often similar social space it is, on the whole, apparent that left marvelling at children naturally have a tendency to want to play the beauty of the with others as it allows for more complex play, the development of the opportunity for different role play and the ability to human brain as he builds share in the same fun. Social play is a natural means of and creates complex making friends and learning to treat others fairly and environments using the as equals. One of the most used phrases by parents is simplest objects such probably “share your toys”! and it is the boundaries as cardboard boxes, associated with taking turns that is one of the most empty soap bottles, jugs, important lessons your child learns early on. In the rocks and blankets. In interests of wanting to maintain the play children our own home we have quickly become aware of their playmate’s needs. On ventured to pirate land, play dates with his friends, if a situation arises where

23 created private hideaways, flown decades of thinking and legislation about to far flung countries, helped gender equality, inequalities still remain for superheroes save cities, built some men and women, and I would argue and launched rockets, played that the effects of gender stereotyping doctors, and engaged in creative on young children’s learning can have water play. We have allowed implications for their future thinking, the Toy Story, the movie, to fuel a careers they engage in and hobbies they real belief that toys can come choose to pursue. There is currently to life and end up in precarious a significant drive by governments to situations when we wake up in increase the representation of women the morning. Children see magic in STEM fields. Despite being half of the because they believe in it! workforce, women account for 14.4% of all women working in STEM in the Shaping our children’s future thinking through play

A huge bug bear of mine is the gender bias in play. We really need to break gender stereotypes in the toy box. When I bought my son a kitchen, many of the elders in my community asked me why I had bought him a “girl’s” toy. It angered me no end. Children are born without any concept of gender, and therefore don’t see any gender bias in what they can and can’t play with. It is society that creates stereotypes and puts physical play, superheroes, trains and cars in a certain box for boys, whilst putting dolls, princesses, unicorns, tea parties, and domestic style toys in a box for girls. Despite

24 UK; this is mass underrepresentation. and scientific toys so they go Despite girls generally outperforming forward and achieve full equality boys at school why is it that so few in the workplace. Let’s present women undertake STEM at university our boys with kitchens, dolls, and beyond? To attract more girls to role play toys and the like to study STEM we need to tackle the encourage sensitivity, nurturing stereotypes they are exposed to early qualities and the ability to be less on. On the flipside, of the total adult apologetic about being in touch social care workforce, only 18% are male; with their emotions. again, severely under represented. Let’s encourage our children to play with a …and finally… variety of toys – let’s present our girls with blocks, Lego, cars, bats and balls Play: a utopia of happiness

There is no doubt that children are at their happiest when playing, both on their own and in social circles. We think back to our childhood play experiences and we are also happiest in those moments of recollection. Whilst play promotes child development right from language development, risk management, problem solving and independent learning skills, most important perhaps is the fact that play promotes sound mental health. Let’s ensure that play continues to be an integral part of our children’s lives into adulthood and let’s not over-school our kids at the cost of reducing play and creating unhappy, anxious children who remain under equipped to play the game of life. And as adults let’s learn from our children and continue to “work hard but play hard” so that we continue to be mentally resilient ourselves.

25 The play of Mortality Mahendra Lad

26 Not out! count their something would go feathers, and tulips that drastically wrong. Life is like a game of have burst open. On arrival at the cricket, where the hospital we started batsman faces a ball Coming home from a unloading the car, and coming at speed that shift, I made myself a as I went to shut the he may hit or miss. cuppa and sat down door, I trapped my When he hits the to watch TV, flicking middle finger in it. I let ball to the boundary, through the channels out a strangling scream he feels good, having on the remote. As and felt the dark red accumulated runs. I sat watching the fluid rolling down my When he hits the ball, programme, my son wrist and dripping on and the fielder misses walked in and asked the dark tarmac. a potential catch, the if I could help him batsman is “Not Out” to do a presentation My son dropped and secures “another on Hinduism at our the equipment back life” proceeding to pile hospital in front of an in the car and took on more runs. audience of doctors me straight to A&E. and nurses. It had The reception was I had a similar been organised by noisy and smelt experience with my life the hospital to make of disinfectants. when I suffered a heart staff aware of different Patients were eager attack. Throughout my faiths. This was also to hear their names life, I was a batsman, good opportunity for being called in for welcoming all manner me to experience consultation. I walked of deliveries. One day in presenting as in with my middle I hit the ball, and my I regularly do finger up, and everyone innings was hanging presentations on gazed with a fake smile on an edge. The fielder Hinduism for school whilst bearing their missed the catch and I children who visit the own pains. was given another life. temple for RE lessons. “Mr Lad”. It was a perfect spring On the day, I was, “Yes, that’s me!”. day. Tender green, on one hand, feeling vibrant shoots of grass full of enthusiasm The nurse took me waving in a gentle in supporting my inside the cubicle and breeze, hardly more son deliver this placed a cuff around than a whisper, birds presentation, but on my arm, explaining, flitting overhead, so the other, an anxious “Mr Lad I am going near you can almost feeling in my body, that to check your blood

27 pressure”. She took the consultant gently that has more the readings 3 times broke the news to facilities”. and all of a sudden, me, “Mr Lad, you are the smile on her face having a heart attack”. In the ambulance the started dropping. “What!” I replied. nurse was holding my When I asked her He went on to say hand and kept asking what the problem “Someone up there is if I was okay. Gazing at was, she replied, “Your definitely looking after the blue sky through blood pressure is you.” Like a batsman the roof of the through the roof!” hitting a ball in the air ambulance hearing the and the fielder failing siren, I asked myself a She ran into the to catch it, I was given question “Am I coming corridor to grab the a new lease of life. up to you father?”. The nearest ECG Monitor. fear started to build “I just need to attach “How did my finger and negative thoughts these wires to monitor trigger a heart attack?”, pervaded my mind. your heart” she says I asked. This came as a I started worrying reassuringly. shock to me. My son about my family All wired up, she started panicking and and the thoughts of analysed the print out got confused. leaving my wife and and whispered, children struck panic “Oh No”. The consultant in my being. The kept “What’s going on?”, I continued, “Mr Lad, ruminating over the asked. we’re going to transfer miserable thoughts of “Mr Lad, I need to get you, in an ambulance, regret. the doctor”. to a nearby hospital

Within a few minutes, the nurse retuned with two doctors. One doctor, the consultant Am i coming looking at the ECG, asked me, “Mr Lad are you having any pains in your chest, shoulder or neck.” “No. Only up to you my finger”. My son asked him, “What’s going on?”. Clutching the ECG printout, father? 28 I started thinking about life and death

As we arrived, the hospital team from death. The principle I learned were waiting for me. I can only was that, one should consider describe it as a scene from death being around the corner, Casualty. I was rapidly rushed to and thus at any stage of life, one is the operating theatre and told prepared and not afraid. they were going to insert a stent into my heart. The procedure was As I was relaxing in the garden, I uneventful and I was back on the had another question come in my ward relatively soon after. mind. “What have I contributed as a human being?” . Despite some The consultant came to me charitable work, I felt I hadn’t smiling, “Someone up there is contributed enough or more really looking after you Mr Lad”. pertinently, to my fullest potential. Hearing these same words from another consultant in a different A beautiful quote from the hospital was uncanny. He went on Bhagavad Gita came to my mind to explain that I had three blocked where Lord Krishna says: arteries and I needed a coronary “Blessed is the human birth; even bypass operation. I would have an the dwellers in heaven desire this appointment within 4 to 6 weeks. birth; for true knowledge and pure love may be attained only by a After I was discharged those same human being.” negative thoughts and fear of dying crept in. I started thinking about I felt strong and had the confidence life and death and all the material to declare, “I Am Not Out!”. I must attachment that I was attached adapt and change myself if I am to to. In order to be saved from pile more runs over the years – the danger of spoiling the human more runs that fulfil my potential form of life and being attached to to contribute - in this grand play of superficial things, I realised that life and death. one must take heed of this warning

29 Walking Amongst Giants

Yajur Shah in conversation with Zaverchandji Shah

As I sat waiting to speak to Zaverchandji, I couldn’t help but think how strange this felt. As one of his late brother’s grandchildren, I have an understandably close relationship with Zaverchandji, whom I affectionately call “Kaka-Nana”. I wondered what memories we would uncover and what surprises lay in store for me.

Zaverchandji was busily gathering his notes and memorabilia with an agility that would often put those who are half his age to shame. If you have ever spent any time with him, you know that it was first his physical fitness that surprised you, which was soon followed by his intellectual curiosity and exuberant gravitas. He came to sit next to me; characteristically organising the notes and photos he had found and then when he was ready, looked up to let me know to start.

After what I discovered through the short conversation that followed, I urge each of you to speak with the elders of your family – you won’t believe some of the gems that you might uncover.

30 Zaverchandji Shah, 87

Tell me about your early life. Then a year later, in 1947, we started our own shop. We didn’t really have I was born in Khirasara in 1931. There any money; just 11,000 shillings to were good Gujarati schooling facili- start a shop with. At that time, there ties but after studying, there weren’t was some sweetened milk called really any opportunities to progress. Glucose from Holland that we used So after working in a button factory to sell. With the pallets that they came in Jamnagar and then on the farm in in, we made some shelves and in the Khirasara, at the age of 16, I received end, ran that shop until 1975 when we a permit to go to Kenya. moved here to the UK.

Landing in Mombasa, I couldn’t speak Following your introduction Swahili and wasn’t educated for that to Sangh by Nathalalbhai and life so I started working in my mama’s Dhanubhai Solanki, in 1953 (mother’s brother) shop alongside my you became the Shakha Kar- elder brother, Deparbhai, who had yawaha (General Secretary). already been there for some time. We How were you prepared for had everything that we needed al- that responsibility? though where we were staying wasn’t very nice – they were small mud In training me to be a Karyawaha, houses but we were living there just the greatest influence was Jayantib- fine. hai Chheda, who lived in Nairobi. To

31 train me, he asked me to send him a weekly Shakha report by post and he would immediately respond with instructions on what to do next. For 5 years, this continued without fail. In doing that, he trained me. He started giving me so much responsibility that I used to cry, thinking how can I take on these responsibili- ties when I don’t know anything. But he said, “no, you’ll have to do it” and he trained me in it.

Following Gandhiji’s assassination, Sangh faced a lot of misplaced opposition. Were you affected?

After Gandhiji’s assassination, a lot of blame was incorrectly placed on Sangh. As a result of that, nobody would give us a space to hold Shakha and we had tried everywhere. Even the Arya Samaj, where we were already hosting Shakha, turned us away. Now back in those days, we didn’t have television or anything we could start a Shakha there. He said like that and so we used to get to us “children, how are you going to a Sankhya of close to 200 daily. start a Shakha in there?!” Eventually, we Not having a venue was a real convinced him that we’d clean it all out problem. We thought, “now what and he gave us his permission. should we do?” We set about clearing it all out. We cut We eventually found one place – the tall grass and very dense shrubs but in fact it was a jungle! Around the this place had been neglected for years. sides, there were fences and walls There were so many thorns that if chil- but really, it was a jungle. Part of dren put their feet there, they would the area was used as a cemetery get hurt and back then, a lot of chil- for Parsi community. We contact- dren used to come barefoot because ed them through an elderly man a lot of people didn’t have the money called Mr Bhajina and asked if to buy sandals. To fix this, we said that

32 if you get a thorn in your foot put it for her to give our respects. In that in your pocket and not back on the program, our Shakha became a part ground. With so many people there, of the parade and I’ve kept a photo the grounds were cleared very quickly. of our procession; there I was at the From then on, we held Shakha there front on the left. On the right was and that Shakha stayed in that same Jaswant Sharma, a doctor, and in the place until 1975. middle was Nathubhai, who has now passed away. In the rest of the photo, To date, what would you there are a lot of others and all these say have been your fondest Swayamsevaks were very active. memories of Sangh life? Beyond that, whilst I was Karyawaha, When the Queen came in 1952 – a lot of Adhikaris came to visit and back then she wasn’t the Queen - meet us such as Lala Hansraj Gupta when she came, a program was put on (then Mayor of Delhi), Jagnathroa Joshi

33 (Goan freedom fighter), Kedar Nath must have gone off and suddenly Sahani with whom I kept continued everyone needed to come outside to relations with, Yogiji Maharaj from the use the bathroom. Funnily, the Rak- Swaminarayan Panth, A. J. Pandhya, R. shaks told everyone to dig a hole in B. Pandhya, Meghji Dhanani and Atal the neighbouring farm because there Bihari Vajpayee (former Prime Minister weren’t enough toilets available. In of India, photographed below). that mayhem, some Swayamsevaks had managed to hide the Dhwaj and What I really remember though are the next morning, the Rakshaks were the times when we used to get up so confused thinking, “Where has the to mischief. I remember once there Dhwaj gone?” Eventually, after the was a camp in Machakos. Trilok Singh Sarvadhikari requested it, we returned Nanda was the Mukhya Shikshak at Dhwaj but those memories are where the time. Back then, camps used to we really enjoyed ourselves. run with incredible precision and the Rakshak (security) team would be Over the years, Sangh too has very strict. So a few of us thought, let’s seen incredible transforma- go and hide the Dhwaj. At night, they tion and you’ll have no doubt would check anyone passing through noticed some differences from the yard and would only allow them when you were in Kenya. Is to pass once the check was complet- there anything that you really ed. It was really very strict. But one miss? day, for some reason the Dudhpaak (milk shake) that they made for dinner

34 Back then, one of the best ways in speak! Talk, express yourself – there is which Swayamsevaks developed, such a need to encourage people to which does not happen as much today, do this. It will ease your mind. When was through geet. Whenever Shakha someone comes to your house, talk took place, we’d sing geet and every- to them and listen as well. You might one would have to learn geets by learn something, you might be inspired heart – it was even the Ghat Nayak’s and any tension in your mind will less- responsibility to make sure that every- en. This is very important. one in the Ghat knew the geet. It was through geet that our Swayamsevaks Secondly, we will have to use technol- were prepared and how they used to ogy; we can’t escape that. But we will learn about our entire history. need to learn how to save ourselves in the process. We will need to learn I remember once there was a camp to maintain our health at the same that took place in Nakuru. Transport time because as the saying goes, our wasn’t really very good then and health is wealth and that comes first. although there was a train, with 50 or If you don’t have your health, then 60 Swayamsevaks, it wasn’t very prac- whatever education and qualifications tical. So we had arranged for a lorry you have, whatever money you have, and everyone had to stand because none of it will be of any use. I say this there wasn’t space to sit down. On to Vivek [Zaverchandji’s grandson] top of that, the camp finished at 3pm and I say it to everyone else. Be active or 4pm and we’d arrive in Mombasa from now. the next morning because the journey was so long. We sang so many geets Lastly, at the end of every Shakha, that we didn’t notice the hours go by. we should all laugh together. Yes, Why? Because once one geet finished, you’ll make a huge noise but you’ll someone else started another and also notice that everyone will have a everyone knew them all so everyone new-found happiness on their faces. would join in. That was real enjoy- Laugh so much that all your tiredness ment. evaporates. Today everyone is too concerned about being polite, about I know you still keep very fit talking quietly and not disturbing one and mentally sharp. If you another but this too brings tension were to give the younger in the mind. Release all that through generation any advice, what laughter. would it be?

Firstly, talk. Today everyone sends messages on their mobiles and every- body’s stopped talking. I sometimes think that if this continues then in 100 years, nobody will know how to

35 Is life like a game of Kabaddi? Sangh Sandesh team

36 Life should not be like a person who goes to a huge library, sees so many books, reads none and gathers no knowledge. “A rolling stone gathers no moss” they say. Only fortunate people decide their goal at the dawn of their life. They have the satisfaction in the evening of life, that, they had not lived vaguely, and wasted time in searching for the goal. Life should be like an arrow hitting the target directly and not going off the mark. Life is like the game of Kabaddi. One can show their skill and play a fruitful game only as long as the breath lasts. Otherwise one moves about here and there, shifts, dances and returns empty handed. Futile is the play. One must have the full satisfaction of having accomplished one’s goal when one breathes one’s last. Otherwise, embittered by frustration, one will exclaim “life’s morning and noon have already gone, the evening has crept in and now the sun is about to set. What have I gained?” by Eknath Ranade, Sadhana of Service

37 If life is like a game or The laughter; the adrenaline; the connection; more precisely, a “game the team-bonding – there is happiness in of Kabaddi” according games. In addition, the outcome of these to Eknathji, and games games has no ultimate consequences so as we perceive them are when we play, we play joyfully. Our joy is not serious activities, derived precisely because we feel they have then by inference life is no consequences. Losing in such games is not a serious activity. equally as pleasurable as winning them. Frankly though, this is in direct contradiction Let’s consider the reverse. Anything in life to our everyday where we do not gain pleasure or that experience. When we has serious consequences is ‘not a game’. wake up every morning, For example, getting fired from a job, we know this “life” is undergoing a divorce or losing a loved one a serious matter and are hardly games. There is no pleasure in certainly not just a game. these life events and they are full of terrible Life is hard; a struggle; consequences. Losing a tennis match to a at times, unbearable. colleague is trivial, but losing a loved one is Every day, we’d fight with life-consuming. this notion of ‘life is a game’ because we rarely If we are to heed Eknathji’s proclamation experience it as such. that ‘life is a game’, we must reconcile these two opposing experiences. Herein lies Playing a game is the clue. To do this, we must let go of our freedom. When we play a expectation that a game must be pleasurable board game with friends, and without any consequences. We must or a tennis match with a realise that games can be painful as well as colleague or ‘catch’ with pleasurable; full of good as well as terrible our pet dog, we gain consequences. immense pleasure in it.

38 When something obstructs our ‘flow in Struggle, adversity, pain may still exist; life’ mid-play, we experience pain. If we we may still be tearful, anxious, or instinctively react and close ourselves lost; but, when we have an expanded to this obstruction and think “this purpose in life the quality of these is not meant to happen”, we suffer experiences is not of suffering and endlessly. If we instead, acknowledge resistance, but of humility, openness and the obstruction and expand ourselves love. It is this notion that Eknathji says to include and embrace this pain, we makes life worth living. Eknathji insists master the situation. “Āgamāpāyi we live “life like a game of Kabbadi”. no’nitya” declares Krishna to Arjuna, meaning that the appearing and disappearing of happiness and distress are a constant part of life; one must learn to tolerate them.

It is precisely Eknathji’s offering of a determined goal in life, one that is greater than ourselves, that makes life a game and one in which we can tolerate these ups and downs. We can find solace at the terminal end of our lives, have fully engrossed ourselves in accomplishing our goal. So, Eknathji advised that the most important thing to do in mastering this life is to derive a purpose from it and liken it to a “game of Kabaddi”. This piercing message of ‘finding purpose’ has been echoed by Viktor Frankl in his seminal work Man’s Search of Meaning, where he chronicles his sufferings at the Auschwitz concentration camp as a Jew. Nietzsche supports this and has famously stated, “he who has a why to live can bear almost any how”.

Contemporary psychologist, Dr Jordan Peterson explains that we must create a purpose big enough to mitigate life’s struggles. Swami Vivekananda takes it a step further by stating “They alone live, who live for others”.

39 Doctorji and play

Dr Sachin Nandha, PhD

Play is a difficult thing to define, and Earth. It is truly a remarkable story. yet, we know it intuitively. We know Yet, despite its magnanimity, most when we are playing, and we know people fail to recognise that it is a when something begins to creep story beginning with a few games on a beyond the remits of play and takes simple playground in Nagpur. on an increased intensity. We know it to be a gradation between messing We know that Dr Hedgewar wasn’t a around, to organised play, to serious great public speaker, and we certainly play, to harmful play where there is a know he didn’t write much. We also serious risk of injury, to outright fight- know that he was physically immense, ing. Somewhere on the spectrum, and tough and yet still calm, gentle and for different people who belong to dif- caring. One-on-one he was charismat- ferent cultural groups, the boundaries ic, influential and an excellent judge are different. I will confine this article of personality. He was incredibly well to what play may mean to the Hindu read and had a keen awareness of all of Hedgewar’s time, and the Hindu things scientific. We know that he was living in modern Britain. interested in the psychology of mind as purported by Aurobindo, someone Insistence on play whom he met on several occasions. Aurobindo promoted three concepts It is hard to imagine that the organisa- in developing children into model tion founded in 1925, India, by Keshav citizens; first, freedom is essential for Baliram Hedgewar could have become growth; second, to always accommo- what we know today as Rashtriya date differing tastes; third, to build Swayamsevak Sangh, or the RSS in its strong bonds between young people better known form. An organisation through shared memories. When that today shapes, directly or indi- these individual pieces are studied, one rectly, modern India, and the lives of can begin to create a picture of the one-sixth of all the people on planet motivations behind Doctor ji’s insistence on play.

40 Playing like wolves Shakha. Shakha was for a different type of play. He wanted emphasis on the On a dusty patch of dirt, in an opening group. How does one ‘become’ the the size of a football pitch, surrounded group, psychologically speaking, and by two and three-story homes, inter- no longer an isolated individual con- spersed with some trees, with a small stantly pandering to one’s own urges? shrine dedicated to Hanuman directly Here he encouraged, and Shakha still in one corner of the ground, young does, only team sports. Most of the men gathered as they had always khel in Shakha is concentrated at this done, to play. Play is fundamental to end of the spectrum – the team. The all mammalian life. It is how the young next dimension is physical contact. learn to cooperate, to fight, to hunt, At one end of the spectrum we have to build a sense of belonging, to create table-tennis, a zero-contact game, ‘in-groups’ and ‘out-groups’, to build and at the other end we have kabad- strength and to build courage. This it di where there is maximum contact. seems is equally true for wolves as it As a side note, I am personally of the is for humans. opinion that had Dr Hedgewar known of rugby and had it been introduced Play has several dimensions to it; to Indian society just as cricket had, games can take the form of individu- then I am sure that in every Shakha al play where one is competing with rugby would have been a staple diet oneself, or an external environment (the only hindrance being the space such as a wall or a mountain, a riv- required to play the game). The final er and so on. Can I carry 20kg on dimension is intelligence. All play has my back and run 5 miles in under some measure of this component. In an hour? This type of play obviously Shakha tactical play is encouraged, but builds endurance, self-sufficiency, and one where the success depends on a stronger sense of self. But it does the response of the group, not just the nothing to build a team, camaraderie, most intelligent. Chess is a brilliantly or a spirit of oneness amongst many tactical game, yet it is never played in individuals. Dr Hedgewar only encour- Shakha for lack of team work. Games aged this type of individual activity in which are tactical and involve both the one’s own personal time, and never at other two dimensions, such as Kho, are at the fore. Are we limited by fear of pain?

There is something to be said about pain (and courage). Psychologists believe that pain, self-administered in the right way (through play) in young people, creates a stronger sense of adventure and courage in adults than those that have been kept away from it. Modern society seems to have forgotten this subtle human truth. Young men and women, if they are to inculcate a true sense of adventure, resilience and courage, have to learn for themselves through play with their peers that

41 physical harm can be overcome, and diet of games in a regular Shakha to relatively quickly. The more one gets understand what that means. Take hurt, recovers and then plays again, games such as kabbadi as a prime understands that pain is not a consid- example; the defending team learns eration when it comes to achieving communicate in order to work in some tasks. We call this courage. unison, to value each individual as Courage is the side-effect of rightly part of a team; young people learn self-administered pain in our youth to navigate between courage and in the form of play. In Shakha, physical cowardice, between fine technique games where some risk of pain is and poor practice. The attacking unavoidable is encouraged precisely player too learns to master the fine for this very reason. Yet, we live in an line between bravery and foolishness, age where we build systems to stop which battles to fight and when to any pain being inflicted upon young stand down; between risk and re- people, and then we wonder why ward; courage and meekness; agility a certain resilience, and courage is and strength. Furthermore, when lacking in them as young adults. the takedown happens a collective channelled aggression takes place Translation of play – Swayamsevaks learn exactly how much aggression is appropriate to Dr Hedgewar was interested in using win without undue risk of injury to play, something that is equally natural themselves and the other. Finally, in to the human being as it is to all oth- Shakha regardless of which team one er animals, as a tool to build charac- finds oneself in, there is generally a ter. He never believed in sermonising, spirit of adventure, comradery and instructing, or over-complication. He joy even in the others skill in victory. was in tune to the human condition, This collective memory builds psy- and so encouraged play that would chological bonds. The close physical build characters in young men that contact, the grappling, the pulling, the could be naturally translated into tumble and fall, all builds a familiarity future leadership, bravery, strength with each other in a way that words in conviction, physical robustness, or intellectual pursuits never can. In and a mental temperament to match. essence, Doctor ji was building con- One need only look at the staple scientious men through play.

42 Kerela flood relief - Swayamsevaks cleaning a church

43 Sewa Bharati workers providing aid in the Kerala Floods

44 45 The Art of Listening

“The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply!”

Stephen R Covey

Falguni Bhatt

A common question I’ve been asked uals face. During my pravãs there have on my pravãs is “what have you learnt been times when I’ve said very little so far?”. While I can reel off quite a few as I realised it was far more important things, the one that strikes me the most for me to listen to the person. I had to is the importance of listening. listen attentively, be open without any judgement, and not think about what It’s easy to share happy and good my response would be. I don’t claim stories about achievements thanks to have all the answers and the person to social media, the world of picture fully knows that, but I guess they appre- perfect lives. However, everyone has a ciate that someone is listening to them. story and many of these stories are of challenges and difficulties that individ-

46 Although ‘hearing’ and ‘listening’ can Defer judgment be perceived to be synonymous, they Allowing the speaker to finish each are in fact different. Hearing is simply point before asking questions, and to the act of perceiving sound by the ear, avoid interrupting with counter argu- it is involuntary. Listening, however, is ments. something you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration so Respond appropriately that your brain processes meaning from It’s not always necessary to give a solu- words and sentences. Listening leads tion, as at times the speaker just wants to learning, it can help bring clarity and to be heard. Where appropriate I have avoid misunderstandings. given feedback or suggestions like ways to improve Balagokulam activities, and In Sangh we require listeners, this ability drawn on some examples. will enable us to be effective Karyakar- tas. Listening is a skill we have learnt There have been instances where I have through the years, but I have to admit been unable to provide an appropriate sometimes I’ve listened passively rather response, and as such I have sought than consciously. Here are 5 key char- guidance from Senior Karyakartas. I’ve acteristics that I have used to develop learnt it is okay not to have an answer my active listening skills: straight away and people are happy enough for me to find out and get back Pay attention to them. Give undivided attention to the speaker I believe one of the fundamentals Show that I’m listening aspects of our Karya is relationship Acknowledge what is being said by building, not temporary ones but those body language and gestures like nod- that last a lifetime. My experience so ding to show that I’m engaged in the far has taught me that being present conversation in a conversation is so important, and that effective listening demonstrates Provide feedback that you understand and care. This has To summarise what has been said so certainly helped me engage well with that there is clarity and no misunder- the families that I have visited. standing

“Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals” L.J. Isham

47 Sangh Shiksha Varg 2018

48 49 Samiti Shiksha Varg 2018

50 51 Sangh Sandesh - September 2018 April Yugabda 5120 TO LIVE IS TO PLAY www.hssuk.org