If God be with us

If God did not exist, or at least not in so many forms, I would be having a most blissful sleep, writes Varupi Jain.

Just the other day I found myself so stressed out that I decided to walk out on the mess - I am sure you've had one of those days as well. I did not know where I was headed and something within me said that I might find some meaning in the first person I see - a silly thing to say, I thought. I had to pinch myself when I saw an orange-clad German monk of the Hare Krishna movement pass by me.

This German monk, called Gokul Chandra Das was on a walking tour of the city for distributing booklets spreading the message of the Gita. Standing at that busy crossing, he told me of his experiences in Vrindavan and of the beauty of the Gita. Auf wiedersehen, I said while leaving. Bolo Hare Krishna,he replied with a blissful smile. Feeling blessed, I walked back to my affairs, which somehow no longer seemed messy.

The Art of Living

Other movements in the spiritual domain have also grounded themselves firmly in Germany. The Art of Living, for instance, conducted a Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES) in Leipzig in May this year. YES is a special programme for youth helping secure clarity of mind and greater concentration through practical tools.

In Germany, the main centres of the Art of Living are located in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg while the European centre is located at a tiny village in the Black-forest region in Germany. "Many exercises demand silence and even expect the trainees to remain silent. Being in a small village helps as there are hardly any distractions," says Alexander Claus, a student of University of Leipzig, who also voluntarily coordinates and organises all events for the Art of Living in Leipzig. While regular courses are offered every few months in Leipzig depending on availability of teachers and venues, practitioners of follow-up courses meet every week.

Saleel Pulekar, a Mumbai-based computer professional who spent the first few years of his career exclusively in the IT industry, conducted the YES course in Leipzig and Berlin. He divides his time between teaching Art of Living courses and giving technical inputs to a software firm founded by people associated with Art of Living. The profit from the firm is invested in social projects undertaken by the Foundation. Some social projects include tribal schools, trauma relief camps and free courses for inmates of various prisons all over India.

According to Pulekar, Art of Living is gaining popularity and momentum in India. "Five years ago about 10,000 people had done the course in Mumbai. Today, the number has risen to 50,000. People are in touch with spiritualism in various ways. Many people regularly watch television channels like Aastha and Sanskriti, while some others go to Geeta-paaths and satsangs," offers Pulekar.

As part of the APEX program (Achieving Personal Excellence), special workshops are offered for corporate groups. Different groups of people have different spiritual needs depending on their backgrounds. "Housewives, for instance, spend their day differently and meet a totally different set of people as compared to say, business people. Thus, while the teaching techniques might be same, but the interactive process transmitting the knowledge of life has to be adapted to the needs of the group in question," Pulekar says.

Pulekar takes leave with words of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: "When you follow fun, misery follows you; when you follow knowledge, fun follows you."

When God followed me…

A final thought on things spiritual. I was returning to Leipzig after a particularly hectic day at work in Berlin and was looking forward to a comfortable nap in the cosiness of the ICE. Surprisingly, I could even grab a seat in the crowded compartment and I think I slept for what seemed like only five minutes - only to be woken up by the gentle tapping of someone who introduced herself as a Buddhist monk from Tibet travelling to take up her assignment at the Buddhist shrine in Leipzig. She had woken me up only to confirm my Indian origins. Ahaah! Then she started off on the religious richness of India and its impact on Germany in the form of many temples, gurudwaras, Buddhist shrines and the rest - assuming I knew none of all that, especially of India's religious diversity. I nodded in appreciation and forced a smile, forcing away sleep. She went on to showcase her knowledge of the Gita and Upanishads. Wow, I said and added that I was both impressed and tired. The train halted at Wittenberg - where Martin Luther had nailed his 95 thesis at the church door. She swelled and marvelled at her knowledge of the interfaces between Christianity and Islam. I thought with a pinch of guilt - if God did not exist, or at least not in so many forms, I would be having a most blissful sleep. Thankfully, the train arrived in Leipzig and I got down, sleep-walking.

I woke up with a snigger on reading the T-shirt of the first person I saw at the train station. 'God is dead', it said.