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Attempting to Follow the Karma Yoga Path
During the last segment of our live, which generally starts when we reach sixty, we all should become Karma Yogis! This short note is an
attempt to illustrate how I am trying to live a simple life inspired by the principles of Karma Yoga. The note briefly describes my own experience in implementing a village water program for the Adivasis, the tribal
people of India, considered to be the poorest of the poor.
As it is well known, this world is afflicted by many social problems such as overexploitation, inequality, segregation, unemployment, malnutrition,
disease, alcoholism, drug addiction, wide-spread poverty, illiteracy, environmental degradation, etc. Not all of these problems can be solved by the governments. If many of us would put some effort, we surely would
contribute to build a better society. Selfless service is the main pillar that sustains the Karma Yoga principles; when we follow these principles we not only help the needy, but we also help ourselves!
Now let me share with you my own beautiful experience in offering selfless for the Adivasis, Indian tribal people.
My professional life as an United Nations expert and an International Consulting hydro-geologist compelled me, my wife and three children to go around
the world more than once working for more than 30 years in developing countries. When I retired I asked myself what I could still do with my life. I was 64 and I just had undergone a heart surgery with the implant
of four by-passes. I thought that the prospects of my future life were quite bleak! I had a deep desire to offer selfless service to the poor, but ….now, it was too late!.. I was too old and with my heart condition
many things seemed too risky. Yet my strong belief that if one has done all that he could to live a straightforward moral life, improve his character over the years, follow ethic professional principles, and help
and respect the family and, possibly the neighbours and the society as a whole, he should, at this point, dedicate all his efforts mainly towards selfless activities for benefiting needy people.
I told my wife: "if I were younger, I would have liked to organise a philanthropic program for poor people in India". She looked at me and
without hesitation said: "If you feel fit, do it now…., do not wait until you get older! Do not be afraid of what may happen to you..." This clear answer gave confidence in myself. It was, anyhow, not so
easy to decide on what to do. I would have to leave our comfortable house in Rome, the family and the friends. My wife would not be able to come with me because our younger son was still attending school. At times I
also asked myself: "Why to go so far, after all? Why not to help the poor, or give moral assistance to needy people in Italy?" Yes, it could have been possible. But, in the end, I preferred to consider
India because of the larger number of people afflicted by poverty and diseases.
But what exactly would I do? My third trip to India in 1988 had first inspired me because I had found out that the Adivasi, the tribal people of India,
and the rural poor were much afflicted by numerous water-borne diseases caused by contaminated water. More than 80% of their illnesses were due to lack of clean water; which may also account for their striking
poverty because a suffering body is unable to work, is unable to produce, and to be self-sufficient. So clean water is the first ring of the chain towards better living conditions. This consideration strongly
motivated my decision and with much enthusiasm my program started in early 1990 in Pune District, Maharashtra, India.
The Village Water Program
The program consists in drilling bore-holes for small villages, specially those which have never received any water works from the government or other
institutions and people drink highly polluted water. The successful bores are equipped by simple pumps. When in 1994 a cholera epidemic effected a large area of northern Thana District, located between 100 and 160
km north of Mumbay (former Bombay), which caused the dead of 1500 children, the program was moved from Pune District to that area. Highest priority was given to villages where the only water sources were unprotected
open holes. During the dry months these holes become green-yellowish and attract frogs, snakes and insects with buffaloes and other animals dropping their waste around.
About 170 villages have been helped in these nine years. Funds for this program derive from my earnings as a free-lance International Consulting
hydro-geologist, and part from our savings.
"Tino" (as the villagers, social workers and government officers, affectionately call me ) is now a familiar name in many villages of Pune
and Thana districts. Since 1995 my wife Katharina, born in Germany, joined me in this crusade. She gives me much support and strength, she helps a lot by socialising with village women and children.
We live for 5-6 months, generally from November to the end of April, in a modest guest house in Ganeshpuri, a little town centrally located in the
project area. Villagers freely come to visit us and express their need for safe water. They participate with enthusiasm in the well construction offering their labour and collecting local material (sand, gravel, and
stones) and purchasing bricks and, when possible, 3-4 sacks of cement.
Their contribution is essential for making the program sustainable as users will then be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the wells.
The drilling success rate has been between 85 and 95%. Three years ago, when I visited jointly with my wife most of the villages in Pune District where we drilled bore-holes in the years 1990-1993, I was pleasantly
surprised to see that all the wells we had equipped with pumps were perfectly functioning. People had managed all the necessary repairs by collecting money among themselves. People were proud to show us that they
were self-sufficient and that their children were no longer afflicted by dysentery and other intestinal problems since they had clean water.
For villages located in remote areas not accessible during and soon after the rainy season, I introduced a simple low-cost water lifting device. It
consists in a 5 litres cylinder with a foot valve, a wire rope, a stand with windlass; the platform completes the installation. This very simple device requires minor maintenance which can be done locally without
outside help; it is becoming very popular in the project area; users call it "Tino’s Pump".
Some Volunteer organisations (NGOs) are now introducing this pump in other districts. It can be manufactured by a local blacksmith and it costs only
100 dollars; it is a clear example of simple, low-cost technology, which takes into account the:
- cost of the installation,
- reduced maintenance problems,
- religious and cultural aspects of the people, and
- people’s participation.
The bucket pump has been recently recommended by the Indian Water Works Association to the Indian Government for its use in remote villages where the
use of other type of pumps is not appropriate due to access difficulties and for small villages.
Respect for Tradition and Religion
For the protection of the new water sources from vandal acts and from pollution, as well as for assuring a careful well maintenance, a miniature temple
is constructed adjacent to the well so that the site becomes also a place of worship. Inside the little temple we install a statue of Lord Ganesh, the Elephant God, believed to be the removal of obstacles. The
construction of the little temple has also the scope to prevent that the sides become contaminated by washing clothes or by animals drinking.
Before collecting water, people kneel in front of the little temple to thank God for the grace to receive crystal clear water.
The Pooja Ceremony
To inaugurate the new water source a Pooja (religious ceremony) is performed in front of the little temple with the participation of all villagers. This creates an intense moment of happiness among the participants, rarely felt in these poor Adivasi villages.
After the Pooja, my wife distributes Prasad (gift of God) coconut chips and biscuits to all the villagers while villagers sing Bajans (religious songs).
During the whole ceremony all social barriers disappear; everybody feels a great sense of spirituality and love for each other.
Karma Yoga: The Joy of Giving
The positive and strong energy that flows at the end of the Pooja ceremony gives to the villagers as well as to my wife Katharina and me tremendous
moments of happiness. The main reward to us is to see those happy, radiant faces of children, women and men. This is why, at the age of 72, I still have much enthusiasm and intend to continue the program until I
have enough energy to help the poor, the neglected, the sick.
I often ask to myself: I am so happy! Do I really give more than I receive? Because of this great sensation I sometimes think that I am not doing any
selfless services at all but that I do it because it makes me feel so good.
At the end of the program, usually by the end of April, I feel a sensation of emptiness, I feel I do not know what to do next until I return to India
in November.
To render a complete selfless service I still need to work on myself as the following episode which struck in my inner sensibility deeply, demonstrates:
The director of the rural development office, where my program is being implemented took me to an extremely poor Adivasi village and asked me to drill
a bore-hole. The villagers had no clean water and the programmed low-cost houses could not be constructed unless sufficient water was available.
The people, in fact, were leaving the village because of lack of water. At the time of the visit there were about 100 people. At the moment we started
drilling, two weeks later, the number of people had dropped to about 40. As the bore-hole was successful I thought that the people would no longer leave, but unfortunately when we went to install the pump, about 20
days later, only 7 had remained: two old people, a couple with three children and seven goats!
I was very discouraged. To install a pump for only seven people was not economically justified, better to install it in a village with 150-200 people.
My first reaction was to unload the pump and move away!
The few people looked into my eyes, guessing what was making me hesitate. Their eyes were very sad, imploring understanding and compassion. I had not
the courage to abandon the place and disappoint them. When I ordered the driver to unload the pump I looked at them, their eyes were shining. They were so beautiful, they expressed so much joy, so much gratitude, so
much happiness. I was deeply touched, my heart was full, overflowing with joy for their happiness. I could not contain myself, I had to move away hiding myself behind a little bush where finally I freed myself
bursting in an uncontrolled cry with copious tears flowing from my eyes. At the same time an inner voice was saying: You did well Tino, you did well! They will come back! I composed myself and returned to the
bore-hole site. The old man had understood what had happened to me; he looked at me with his eyes still shining and said: "They will come, they will come back"!
This has been the village with the least people; this has been the village which more than any other among the 150 villages that benefited from the
program, gave me the greatest inner joy during the eight years water program. The true joy of giving; the joy deriving from a true selfless service as for the principles of Karma Yoga.
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