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7. What was the purpose behind setting up a commune at Kelambakkam?
When we moved our Samratchana centre to Neelankarai from Besant
Nagar, Baba used to stay at Neelankarai in a room upstairs. Four
or five volunteer boys used to stay on the premises.
Other volunteers came on a daily basis to perform service and
go back. Devotees who were employed elsewhere used to come in
around 7:00 p.m., and return home after the sathsang was over
after around midnight. They used to leave Samratchana premises
only after Baba retired upstairs.
Many persons who identified themselves with the organization,
shifted from their homes to occupying houses for rent in the Neelankarai
area, to contribute their services better. Their priority was
to be with Siva Shankar Baba, to be of service to Samratchana.
This asserted the fact that there were so many persons with
such involvement. This is the first reason. They accorded priority
to Samratchana activities. That was the prime reason. Many volunteers
participated with great enthusiasm till the conclusion of daily
Sathsang. Full-time volunteers (but not employed elsewhere) served
throughout the day without the least trace of tiredness. That
set me (Baba) thinking on how good it would be if all of us could
stay together as one family, a model of
Vasudeiva kutumbakam.
One day I was travelling to Vengaleri (our rural development
centre), a volunteer who accompanied me happened to mention
that there was land measuring eight acres for sale en route, at
Kelambakkam. We visited that place. It was overgrown with thorny
bushes. Since the place was not suitable for Samratchana
activities, I decided to set up a residential commune there. We
commenced construction work here on the basis of making those
who purchased apartments as the collective owners of this place.
On the 5th of June 1999, some miscreants, provoked
by an envious “spiritualist”, set fire to Neelankarai premises.
Almost the entire ashram was reduced to ashes. By God’s grace
there was no casualty. In sathsang that very evening, I asked
the assembled devotees to sing our traditional pre-Harathi song:
‘Kurai Onrum Illai Kanna’ (‘we have no unfulfilled desires’).
Everyone was in uncontrollable tears. I was the only one cool
and composed. Months later, someone read a Nadi that stated, ‘There
will be an attempt on your life and your ashram will be burnt
down; but you will build a castle’.
I
was determined to carry on with Samratchana activities whatever
be the obstruction.
So the sathsangh was shifted temporarily to the premises at Kelambakkam
and renovation work carried on at Neelankarai. Every day at 7:00
a.m., 200 volunteers arrived, eager to rebuild the place. They
removed the debris. Even girls joined in the welding work. Every
minute task of renovation was carried out only by my volunteer
force. I am thankful to everyone who stood by the organization
at that time. It is a momentous task. It is no big deal serving
an organization when it is at its peak. When an organization is
hobbled by negative elements, those who stand by it are the loyal
ones.
We did not waste a single thing. We sold every salvageable item.
The Pillaiyar idol we have today is made out of the silver that
melted in the fire. In ten days, the place was refurbished. Those
were the magnificient days of Samratchana. Every visitor to
Samratchana was invited to tour that place. Persons would say
in a choked voice, ‘Baba, at least earlier, Samratchana had tailoring,
typing, computer classes to tour. What is there to see now in
these ashes?’ I would reply, ‘It is more important to tour the
place now’. The visitors would be stunned
to see the amount of labour going on; every one of my volunteers
put his/her heart and soul into the task. His/her only aim was
to see Samratchana up and functioning.
The intention of the offenders was to deal out a loss that we
may not be able to bear. But I was determined that I would never
retract from my work of God. True to Churchill’s words ‘In defeat,
defiance. In victory, magnanimity’. I stood my ground.
I did not want to halt Samratchana proceedings whatever be the
cost. During day, Samratchana renovation work went on. Evening
we would have sathsangh at Kelambakkam.
Time
and destiny ensured that we start a centre at Kelambakkam. We
did not plan for it. It happened of its own accord. And it
started developing at a God-decided rapid pace. I went on
a pilgrimage to Kailash, by which time the Anjaneya garden was
ready. That was a phase when everything picked up. We laid an
earthen road and then a tar road. The compulsion for such an enormous
growth of Kelambakkam was the fire incident. After 1996, Samratchana
has seen growth of tremendous proportions. God planned it that
way. Once the Poorana Brhamam temple at Kelambakkam was built
and the idol was consecrated and kumbhabhishekam was performed,
I devised a pattern of working – morning sathsangh at Neelankarai
and evening sathsangh at Kelambakkam. And we decided to continue
performing the homams and Pournami yagams at Kelambakkam (these
were done at Neelankarai prior to Kumbabhishekam).
All these are beyond the realm of the human mind; there is a Divine
Hand at play.
Prior to our moving here, there was no proper road
in Kelambakkam. The entire area developed so well only after
we arrived here. The old Mahabalipuram road has now become an
info-tech highway! So many software units are on this road.
Everything happens as per (God’s) Master plans. My first reply
to this question is: everything was decided by God, I did not
plan anything.
The second motivating factor was: so many of our volunteers understanding
the concept of Vasudeiva Kutumbakam, as in Andal’s Thiruppavai
‘Koodiyirundhu kulirndhelo’
(mingle in confluent
Bliss).
Third was the fire incident. And the fourth factor was the stupendous
success of this concept of commune.
Over the years, many individuals came to me for counselling. The
problems persons have can be classified into issues related to
dwelling, health, emotional disturbances pertaining to family
and prosperity. I wanted to give them a single solution for
all their grievances.
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