We were not the same , when we came back !!!

You might be wondering who are we & where did we go ;) I can jus say – we were the luckiest people on the earth who got a chance to meet a veteran Mr . Lalith Shah and interact with him for three days in Devine City “ Pondicheri ”.

Ashwin , Rakki, Rashmi, Shannu, Abhi , Gopi & myself started our journey with lot of enthu and anticipation. Journey was sweet though we had to buy double tickets ( Credits to KSRTC rules to bring the original PAN Card ) and I had to sit with the roaring lion ;) When we landed in Pondicheri we were really surprised to see the organized & broad roads without much turns. But believe me, our tour actually started when we met 74 years “YOUNG” Lalith Bhai, who made us feel our spirit , enthu towards life is negligible when compared to his.

His story of owning a company which is the largest manufacturer for screws in India, which started by him with the purchase of single lathe itself shows the kind of personality he has. He talked with us about business, he talked with us about spirituality , he talked with us about the subjects how we can make a difference, how can we be more organized. Even his casual talks carried a message which were sometimes difficult to understand. He made us ask the questions and answered those to our satisfaction too. The kind of spirit he had when taking us to his factory, matri-mandir and other places in Pondicheri are simply unbelievable. He was not tired even when we got tired too. Walked with us everywhere without taking rest. We wish we could had atleast 20% of energy he has now.

I have seen couple of people who are very successful in their profession , I have seen couple of people who are successful in business too , but it’s very difficult to match the sense of responsibility he has towards society. Simplicity is the other key aspect which makes him special. He has a profound knowledge on various subjects. He was discussing about the practicality issues of “Solar Energy” with the same intensity as he was talking about Sri Aurobindo’s teaching and life. No wonder one room is full of books on various interests.

We are really glad that we got a chance to know about ashram school , teachings in the same by his daughter Naina Madam. We were really stunned to see such a nice hospitality from them. We never felt anytime we have come to an unknown place ;)

The best part which made me feel I have to do something more for the community is the visit to “Satya Special School”. It’s run by Chitra who is daughter in law of Lalith Sir. When I saw the children who were mentally & physically challenged , the children who didn’t know how to read or write, children who were even unable to differenciate b/w red and yellow I broke down. It was a very difficult feeling to experience when those kids were giving a innocent smile, when they were calling us to shake hand, when they were showing the handmade greetings to us. I guess , almost everyone had a similar feelings which was very clear when no one was speaking for sometime after we left from that place.

This visit gave lot of things us which can’t be explained in words. It has awaken the sense of responsibility amongst us. It has made us feel more organized & structured. There are so many things we have leant when we were spending time with Lalith bhai & Naina Madam. One thing is sure “ We were not the same , when we came back”.