Dhanya aji din

Dhanya aaji din zaale santaanche darshan !!

( Blessed was this day because I caught a glimpse of the saints!)

The last two days were definitely ones that would deserve a bookmark in my life. Both days, back to back, I got the privilege to be in the same room as Dr. Prakash Amte and Dr. Mandakini Amte, see them from close quarters and listen to them. These are people who bring glory to awards like the Padmashri or Magsaysay awards. The awards are of much smaller stature than them. The mightiest of mighty people prove irrelevant in front of them. 

As many of you may be aware Dr Prakash Amte was seriously ill a few months back. Their well wishers were worried that he may not survive the crisis. But God ruled in their favor and pulled their beloved idol out from the clutches of death. 

On Sunday at time of inauguration of the Preventive Medicine department when Dr Amte was asked to speak a few words ( and he is a man of few words) he expressed his gratitude to the doctors at DMH for saving his life. He shared his thoughts at the time. My wife and me are of the belief that we have lived our life well and amply, he said. “There is no reason to spend so much money and resources to get me well. The thought that someone is pouring valuable resources to save my life was depressing me!! I wanted them to just let me go!! When Dr Kelkar heard about it he came up to my bedside and said  why do you worry about money?  So here I am before you today !!”

To be dying and “depressed “ about people making heroic efforts and pouring money to save one’s life is unheard of !! To be seriously burdened by people’s love is rare to see. The man stood before a packed auditorium and spoke from his heart. His body language and voice conveyed the feeling contained in his words. Non entitlement, simplicity of thought and living, humility, unpretentiousness, gratitude, contentment…… I can’t even spell out the virtues that were ALIVE in front of my eyes in the form of that frail human frame. 

In the course of a talk held in the form of interviews on both days ( Sunday and yesterday Monday) we in the audience heard a lot of things about Dr Amte’s work and personality. We heard personal accounts from him and his wife. He recounted how finding a bride for his elder son through arranged marriage was challenging. Who would want to give their daughter to live in remote tribal area, endure hardships of all kinds with no hope of decent earnings ? At the same time who would have the audacity to say no to the Amtes when they send a letter of interest in matrimony? Result was that there was no reply to the letters. Until two years later one family in Goa sent them a letter saying their daughter, a gynecologist, was interested! This too put the Amte’s mind in a dilemma! What if this is a decision taken in a fit of emotion and as a result the marriage is shaky? Ultimately everything worked out well and they got a daughter in law who is a perfect fit in this virtuous family. Their other daughter in law too has blended well and leads the efforts to educate the tribal community. She started an English Medium School in a remote area that does not even have road access. The schools that the Amte family started have produced 9 doctors and several other professionals like lawyers, engineers so far. Their school programs have also trained tribal kids for various sports and these have brought home several medals home from national level competitions. Most of the students who graduated from these schools have returned to nearby rural areas to work rest of their lives 

Last evening the talk focused on another facet of Dr. Amte’s personality which is creating a refuge for injured and vulnerable jungle animals. Mrs Amte and others narrated an incident when Dr Amte was once bitten by a venomous Russell Viper as he was holding it in his hands and showing it to some guests. The antivenom he received after that created an enormous reaction almost threatening gangrene and imminent amputation of his arm. Even in that situation Dr Amte kept saying “ it wasn’t the fault of the snake “!! 

Dr.Mrs.Amte talked about how her family adjusted to storing meat of dead animals in their refrigerator when they realized that some animals in their care like leopards and lions would not thrive on the vegetarian food they were serving until then. 

In my post yesterday I made a mention how Dr Amte normally wears only a thin sleeveless undershirt and cotton shorts in Hemalkasa as he goes about his work , whether in summer or freezing cold winters. Last evening he was asked the reason behind this. He said that when he first arrived in the area he noticed that the tribals dressed in a minimal loin cloth to cover their genitals. Newborns were brought to the clinic completely naked, notwithstanding the temperatures outside. While living amidst these indigenous people, to dress up like we do in the cities seemed shameful. So he drew a line for himself and got used to tolerating freezing temperatures in that scanty clothing. 

These and so many stories about their journey made my ears soak with every word like a long starved person waiting for some food.

Recently at the talk about sant vagmay we had discussed Tukaram Maharaj’s abhang 

Je ka ranjale gaanjale tyaasi mhane jo aapule 

Tochi sadhu olakhava, Dev techechi jaanaavaa 

Those who adopt the downtrodden and distressed are to be recognized as saints and God’s presence is to be found there.

Suddenly it struck me that the entire description in that abhang applies to them. Both husband and wife fit the bill perfectly.

At another place Tukaram Maharaj says:

Dhanya te sansaari dayaavant je antari 

Yethe upakaaraa saaThi aale ghar jyaa VakunThi

Blessed are the worldly people who hold compassion in their hearts. Their abode is in God’s home but they have come to Earth for the benefit of mankind. 

Leaving all possibilities of comforts these people have chosen to live a life to serve the most needy.

Na lage mukti ani sampada 

Sant sang deyi sada 🙏🏼🙏🏼

I don’t need salvation or wealth. Just grant me the company of the saints !

Couldn’t help but think that I just had to ask and God promptly fulfilled my desire 🙏🏼🙏🏼

What more can I say? 

Saree is a pure tussar from West Bengal . The lovely dusky rose body is plain and contrasted with a cream border with woven fish in it. The pallu has peacocks inspired from paithanis woven with jamdani technique.