The Simple life at Sanatan's Panvel Ashram

June 27, 2008

Jyeshtha Krushna Navami

Click Here to see Detail news about Thane Blast Case

By Sweta Ramanujan - Dixit, Hindustan Times

Panvel (Maharashtra): It was home to Ramesh Gadkari (50) and Santosh Angre (26) who were saadhaks (seekers) until they were arrested in connection with the blast at a Thane auditorium earlier this month.

But when you visit the Sanatan Ashram in Panvel, you don’t meet angry radicals like the duo. On the contrary most of the 140 other people who have made their home here — former bankers, retired government employees, information technology experts — have given up lucrative jobs and busy social lives to follow the Hindu dharma and lead a simple existence.

Sanatan Sanstha's Panvel Ashram

“People come to learn about their dharma and progress spiri tually,” said Abhay Vartak, a saadhak and spokesperson of Sanatan Sanstha, an organisation that practises and preaches scientific spirituality “What those two did is the opposite of what we practise here. It hurts when people demand a ban on us without knowing what we do.” A nondescript, three-storey structure at the edge of a pond in Sukapur village, the ashram is a few bylanes away from the upcoming real estate belt of New Panvel, 80 km from Mumbai.

Built six years ago, the ashram houses a community kitchen and dining hall, an office, a prayer room and residential facilities. Vartak (33) has been associated with the organisation for over a decade.

A graduate in chemistry, he quit his job in the research and development lab of a food colour manufacturer to join the ashram as a full-time saadhak. “I took my parents’ permission to come here,” said Vartak, who lives at the ashram with his wife. He came here looking for peace that he could not find at home or outside.

Twenty-six-year-old saadhak Nilesh Gurjar, a mechanical engineer and Red Hat Linux professional who set up the organisation’s networking systems, recently quit his job with a company that sent him to California and wanted him to settle down there. “I was determined to return to this place,” said Gurjar showing letters of appreciation from his seniors. “I see my friends and colleagues frustrated, addicted to drinks and cigarettes. My life is so much better.” Gurjar is counsellor to his friends. “They call me whenever they have problems,” he said. “In fact, they were shocked when they found that two of our saadhaks had a role in the Thane blasts. They know it is against the sanstha’s principles.” At the Sanatan Ashram, seekers are taught ways to lead a spiritual existence. They meditate, read books on spirituality and are taught the meaning and purpose of Hindu rituals and traditions.

“We study the personality of a saadhak and show him ways to deal with his flaws,” said Vartak. A blackboard in the dining hall helps do this. “Every time a saadhak does something wrong, he writes it on the blackboard and decides his penance,” said Vartak. “It helps reduce the ego and increase acceptance levels.” The saadhaks and their families are expected to participate in the daily administration of the ashram. “We take turns to fulfill our duties,” said 30year-old saadhak Bhushan Kulkarni, a Commerce graduate who worked as a cashier at a Pune hospital. “I could be sweeping the dining room today and making chapatis tomorrow.” Saadhaks are trained in basic welding and repair work in the garage and fabrication workshop at the ashram. The technically-sound saadhaks edit films on the organisation’s teachings in the audiovisual room.

“We function on donations,” said Vartak. “Some people donate foodgrain, others money. The tables in the dining hall were given by a man who shut down his hotel.” They keep in touch with the world outside through seven newspapers and one television set. Cigarettes and liquor are strictly prohibited. They are free to go out for movies, visit malls or treat their children to instant noodles or a chocolate. “But gradually, the desire for these things reduces,” said 51-year-old Narayan Mulye, a trustee of the ashram. Mulye opted to retire from his job as a personnel officer with a textile company to join the ashram. His son, an IT professional, works abroad, while his daughter is pursuing her masters in biotechnology .

Retired railway engineer Madhav Parmanand Gadgil, fondly known as ‘Gadgil aajoba (grandfather)’ joined the ashram with his wife to fulfill the vacuum in his life after he retired. Gadgil has learned to edit audiovisuals and use computers.

“If you ask for money, you get nothing. If you ask for, God you get everything,” he said.

The ashram also receives visitors from foreign countries who come to learn about Hinduism.

Source: Hindustan Times

Also See

1. Learn Hinduism
2. Hindu Dharmajagruti Sabha