THE GRAM SABHA

Rusheel Nayak

Group Photo with Dr. Kshama Metre (dressed in the white sari)

            This morning, we were fortunate to have a personal lecture with Dr. Kshama Metre, who took time out of her extremely busy schedule to talk about her experiences in founding CORD as well as her experiences with Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji.  She spoke with such love and devotion about her Guru (teacher) that it moved me tremendously.  I almost felt like I was watching the stories she was telling us because the emotions and images were so vivid.  

There were no Mahila Mandals to visit because today was the Gram Sabha.  During the Gram Sahba, the local governments and the members of the villages meet in a larger group to discuss the local problems and voice their opinions in front of a more powerful governing body.  This meeting is important, especially for the women, who CORD hopes will speak publicly after gaining confidence through the Mahila Mandals.  Our group split into two smaller entities and went to different villages as to not disturb the proceedings. 

After getting off the bus, I went to the village of Malaan to see the Gram Sabha.  One man was angry about the corruption of the local government, who he felt was not serving the people to the best of their ability.  He was extremely fiery, and it was exciting to see someone care so much for the welfare of not only his family but also his entire village.  However, no laws could be changed today because the minimum quota of people was not reached to have a vote.  The minimum quota was not reached because it is currently the planting season, and most of the people are working in the fields.

At the Sidhbari Ashram, later that day, we had a satsang (lecture) with Swamini Gurupriyanandaji, who shared her experiences with Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji.  It was wonderful hearing the love and devotion in her voice and it mirrored the emotions we had felt emanate from Dr. Kshama Metre’s during her talk.  It made me understand the true effects of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayandaji’s work extended far beyond the mission he had founded and into the hearts of his disciples.

Meera Parat

Picture with Swamini Gurupriyananda in Gurudev's Kutia (home)

Today was our last full day at CORD! We went to the field for the very last time, except it was a little different. Today was the Gram Sabha in the villages. In other words, their local Panchayats (local governments) meet today and discuss issues concerning the whole village. We split up into two groups to go. I went to Jadrangal today. We ended up just sitting around and talking with the Pradhan (President) for an hour and a half because not enough people showed up. The rule for these meetings is that at least 1/3 the population of the village has to come to the Gram Sabha, otherwise the meeting is cancelled. For Jadrangal, at least 100 people needed to show up, but only 45 had come by the end. The meeting was cancelled and we came back. In the evening we had a satsang with Swamini Gurupriyananda from the Sandeepany Ashram down the road from CORD. Hearing her stories about Gurudev were inspiring and entertaining at the same time. I will miss the countless new experiences we received every day and the life here at CORD. This was an amazing opportunity and I am thankful that I got to be a part of CORD at its original location, Sidhbari. These two weeks were amazing!

Sonali Nayak

This morning, I was both sad and excited. Sad because it was our final day at CORD, and excited because I would get to ride on the local bus, something I had wanted to do since our arrival. Riding on the bus was really fun because I got to experience the lives of the locals’ for a brief time. The ride was very crowded and somehow, we managed to squeeze four people on a seat that normally holds two. I had to be alert when I got on and off because the drivers are notorious for starting the bus while people are still moving.

 We went to the Gram Sabha in Jadrangal today, but unfortunately, there were not enough people to start the meeting. A third of the village population must come before the meeting can proceed. Regardless, it was a good experience because I could see the impact CORD had made on the lives of the locals. When these meetings were first started, absolutely no one attended, but now, about 50 people came (100 required). This number is growing, showing that awareness is also growing. The villagers are growing more confident and independent!