The Land of Nawabs beckoned after a very
trying 25 hours on the road to get there. But it was totally worth it.
In the morning interaction a few of the questions
were different topics than what we’d come across so far.. A young man got up
and said that population control hadn’t been discussed so far and he asked
Rakesh about it. I found all the points Rakesh put forward very interesting, as
if he had thought about this a lot before. He said that for economists, a high
population is a good thing because it
leads to a bigger market. With a higher employment rate, there is a larger
profit and if there is a larger profit more companies will invest and all. So
for the economy, a high level of employment fits this bill (Literally).
Secondly, he said that the Catholic
Church prescribes no methods for birth control. They believe that children are
a gift from God so they are against trying to control that in any way. Rakesh
also said that many people also have children for acquiring a green card. And
there could any number of other motivations to have more children. So to
control the number of children to have is a full debate on its own. But at the
end he said, basically, if a person can
raise 3-4 children, he has the resources and inclination, then he should. It is
ultimately up to the person. “If you can, then do,” he said.
I totally agree with him. The last
point.
Here was the second place after Mancherial
in Andhra Pradesh that Rakesh spoke in pure Hindi. It was weird the first time
and it still felt weird now. But good weird. And it reminded me of the
diversity of knowledge he has, despite being so young. Plus the ability to
express himself so easily. And the most influential fact – he uses it and
spreads his knowledge. He doesn’t keep it to himself.
The discussion is continuing but I guess
I tuned out while taking some photos. I float back into senses to hear Rakesh
say one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in a long time.
“It
is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without
giving.”
I dont know in what context it was said,
but I dont think that matters. It was just so exquisite, profound and complete
on its own. And such an important teaching too. I realized so much just when he
just said that aloud. That very
simple saying just touched something at a very deep and fundamental level.
In the evening, there’s a musical
program where after our girls performed, then this awesome band called Yeshu De
Bande took that stage and performed some of the most melodious Hindi (and some)
English gospel. There were 10 of them on stage (And one of them’s a priest),
all so young and vibrant and the vibe they sent was just so positive and uplifting!
In some of their songs, they asked the audience to get up and dance along. One
of their members would dance on stage and we’d follow. I look back somewhere in
the middle of the song and no one is sitting! They’re all on their feet and grooving to the music!
But the most amazing thing they had was
their feel! They were so absorbed in
their music and felt it in every
fibre of their being and they transferred that feel to the whole audience. We
were totally energised by the end of it. And we didn’t want them to stop.
I remember taking a moment and just
witnessing the experience. It was just so inspiring to watch them.. They were
completely immersed in their music and took whoever was watching along for the
ride. Guided by their faith, expressing it through melody and rhythm,
accompanied by the love resonating in their heart, to believe in something so
entirely and to just be, in the glory
of that moment, was truly stirring. There was a lot to learn from watching
them..
And this one time, when one of the
‘dance’ songs was happening, Ravi was in full josh and grooving to the music, Rakesh comes, out of the blue,
takes a Rs. 10 note and circles Ravi’s head with it (nazar utaarne ke liye) and puts the money into his pocket. It was
sooo funny!
What a thrill! On a high note (pardon the
pun) we gear up for Bareilly and Kathgodam!
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