First of all, I was sweetly surprised to know about Akhil Bharat Vivekananda Yuva Mahamandal (ABVYM) website (http://abvym.org) from yahoo mail group run by Sri Shuvendu Sekhar Mahato. It is true that the majority of ABVYM members are from rural background but there are others ... and it was long overdue. The first day (26.12.2009), I visited the camp Benida (my mentor at Kharagpur unit of ABVYM) who was in bookstall at camp entrance took some time out and introduced me to Arunavada, the website designer. Arunavada is from Kalyani unit of ABVYM and works in a private firm in Kolkata. It is great to see how beautifully he manages his time and dedicates it to nation building activity. He has also started contributing articles in Vivek-Jivan, the mouthpiece of ABVYM. He is also a good orator, discussing how to start, conduct study circles in afternoon session of the camp. No wonder Nabanida (Nabaniharan Mukhopadhyaya, founder secretary) was in all praise of him.
On 26th up journey, I took the route via Balichak. This required an extra rail link. After that, I took the via Makrampur route. Kept cycle in Koushalya More, then 30 min. bus ride to Makrampur and then 45 minute trekker ride to Basantapur Jhareshwar Bani Bhaban, the camp site. The impressive infrastructure was built by a generous donation of a son of the soil who returned after serving in US.
The second day Ranjitda and others forced me to go to Nabanida's room. I was reluctant as he was taking rest after Q&A session. But not only he allowed me inside, kept conversing for more than two hours. I left when Birenda (Birendra Kumar Chakraborty, current secretary) and other senior camp officials entered his room to give them the opportunity to discuss camp issues. Nabanida asked me to give my address and other details. He wanted to keep that in his diary. At that time he kept it in his prayer book 'Stabkusumanjali'. He said many things. One I would like to mention here. He said, a person may have all the qualities but a little bit of ego disturbs everything.
After that, Arnavada introduced me to his deputy a young lad, a lovely boy who is now going to Chennai for an IT sector job. Met Bangalore unit's Raghunath. Swami Tanmayananda (earlier a Mahamndal member) had some desire to visit IITkgp campus but finally said 'No'.
The last day (
Note the rejoinder at the end) I visited was yesterday. Ruhidas (a Kharagpur unit member now in Bankura, got a high school job) joined the camp then with prior permission from Birenda. Ruhidas has started one study circle near his school from where 4 are attending camp and has revived the Bankura town unit .. a great worker, nay leader indeed. He and Prabodhda (President, Kharagpur unit) shared some worry with me regarding Kharagpur unit. Salutation to Prabodhda for his great resolve and patience in guiding the young members when other seniors are, serving other units of the district or otherwise. A post annual camp discussion is planned on 17th Jan. as I shall be away to Vijaywada for attending a conference during 6-9th Jan.
Had some wonderful moments with Ranjitda (Balibhara unit), clicked a pic together with Dipakda with Ma Sarada in background. Sukhenduda (Bhogpur unit) was a great host..always eager to feed me something. Prabhatda (Khakurda unit) was too very accommodating. Jagadishda(Naryangarh unit) helped me to catch a bus in a return journey when there was no sight of a trekker and I was somewhat worried. And it was great to see those smiling faces who are putting up a great job year after year ... I wish I could take all the names. Sorely missed Shuvendu, my friend in the camp. Heard that he is in Bangalore, went to China for some job ... How could he miss the camp? This was the place where we used to meet once a year!
The final day took some pics. They can be found in http://picasaweb.google.com/gsaha.iitkgp/AVYMCamp2009#
I am not able to write post on NSSCamp2009 held a month back because I am yet to get pics/feedback from the students who immediately proceeded to vacation. We are going to have a dinner meet on 1st Jan. Shall take up the issue.
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REJOINDERYesterday, in our regular TUE study circle at F-127, Main Building I talked about the camp and today second half 13 of us visited the camp (3 of them faculty members) in two vehicles. It was a wonderful experience of all concerned, to see another side of India rising from the masses (so called ordinary people) without political noise, tv or newspaper coverage. Thirteen of us (3 of them faculty members) went in two vehicles. After visiting some of us opined that we little know about what is India. Often we underestimate so called ordinary people,
dhoti clad, poorly dressed. A gathering of thirteen hundred young men for 6 days in a training camp to blossom one's life and dedicate the same to nation building .. is a wonderful sight. We talked to few people. It is astonishing to see the resolve, the disciplined nature, the compassion for fellow being. Almost everybody inquired us, the visitors if we had taken tiffin with the campers ... we had, it was simple but delicious. We saw people coming from different places, mostly villages, small town and from different parts of country. In the short time, met one from as far as Gujrat and he is not a Bengalee visiting home state. The ones we talked to belong to small study circles in respective places and depending on their capacity they take up philanthropic work. But the focus is on building oneself so that every act of one becomes a service and social service is not seen as a separate compartment.
While returning from Brahmakumaris' centre on Rakshabandhan evening, got stuck in one place at bungalow-side near railway station. Few snapshots at the end of the video shows what the place looked like once upon a time (1938-1940). I shall write about this old Kharagpur town later. Coming back to present time, there was ceremonial parade on the road. And true to Kharagpur tradition (Kharagpur town, different from IIT Kharagpur) there was loud-speaker and music. And the tune that was played made me feel that I am frozen in time. This is the Kharagpur of my childhood in railway quarter of old settlement area (Link). The same song that was one of the most popular at that time is played with similar musical accompaniment. A short clip was recorded and is available as background music :-) of following video.
We used to have full volume music in our locality on all occasions - for birth, death, marriage, retirement (not exaggerating!), all social, religious functions for family and youth clubs. It included lottery draw and orchestra nights on make-shift stage.True to its cosmopolitan nature, we had such occasions almost everyday. Every year one company used to come with traveling kiosks and stationed in the ground in front of our quarter. For about a month they used to play loud music and sell cloths to customers, "Cali Cloth asuchi / Koun koun anuchi / Shirting anuchi, Suiting anuchi ..(Cali Cloth has come. What are the things brought? Shirting, suiting ...)" Once my chemistry private tutor of class XI-XII who used to stay at IIT side came to our quarter. He got scared how I could study with loud speakers blazing like that. It was all but practice. I would rather say, my concentration increases if songs are played in the background :-)