Rice Plantation - Awe and Hardwork
In the vastness
of the fields, and the endless mountain ranges, topped with shining silver
clouds, I walk. They all have existed before me, and will continue to even
after I die… What is my relation with these forces of nature? Much has been
said about the existence of our true identity. Having the purpose revealed to
us, we tread on this beautiful path of devotion.
Can children
experience that divinity? We can facilitate their experience of the
divine within, by providing them the experience of the divine in the
environment around them. In cities, we live in a man-made bubble, quite distant
from nature. If one sees how food is actually created, instead of just buying
it off the city shelves… it springs into anyone’s heart that real sense of awe,
that very spark of reality aspired by every sadhaka.
The footprints
of each child’s tiny feet in the fields, of Gorak Farms in Mulshi within the
water laden fields enveloping their legs; their busy hands at work, replanting
the rice-sapling bunches with great attention and care along the rope line was
an ecstatic experience for parents and children. Some took intermittent rest as
they sang kirtan at a nearby Dargah, while others were slipping in the mud,
falling in the water, wetting in the rain, with much joy and laughter.
It was only but
a simple shed that welcomed us back from the hard work at the fields warmed up
by the farmers’ loving heart punctuated by the central borne fire - That farmer
who performs his worship by serving nature and feeding the society. At the end
of it all, as a gesture to honor organic farming, everyone partook in a
sumptuous meal of steaming rice, dal, pakodas and sabji. It was a holistic
experience for one and all that came there.
…And an
instructive lesson to take home – just like we have an inherent search of our
lost love for the Divine forces, a child also does. The process by which we engage to
fulfil that search need not always be successful if replicated for a
child. His/her search is answered by being in nature, experiencing the 5
elements that make up his/her very constitution. Their awareness of Divinity will blossom in nature, given the appropriate inputs.
Comments
Post a Comment