Illustrious couple worth emulating - Help your DhivyaDesams

[Guest guest]

Humble Pranams:

Lets pray for more families like this to take up services in India.

=============================================

Sri:

Dear Mukundan

Forwarding an article. Interesting to read.

=============================================

After a week's hectic work, some people go to the

theatre, some watch a movie and munch popcorn, some

listen to music or read books, while still others

prefer the television...

 

But for B Rajesh and his wife Rajani, relaxation is

of a different kind altogether. After taking care of

the demands of Rajesh's small factory, the

Chennai-based couple, along with their daughter and

some close friends, drive down to a remote village

where they stay for a week. Their mission: to clean

and renovate temples that have fallen prey to

neglect and the passage of time.

 

Rajesh is an MTech from the Indian Institute of

Technology, Madras, and owns a small factory with a

turnover of Rs 3 million. Rajani works at the

government-run television channel Doordarshan.

The couple was first inspired by the words of Adi

Sankara, that once upon a time temples were the

focal point of village life and that all social

activities in a village revolved around the temple.

 

The second inspiration occurred 15 years ago when

they came to know about a dilapidated Vishnu temple

in Thirumazhisai near Poonamallee from a friend.

" I still remember how the Vishnu temple looked when

I first reached the place, " says Rajesh. " We could

hardly call it a temple. The face of Lord Vishnu was

not visible at all. There were cobwebs everywhere

and the whole place looked so dirty! We got all the

more inspired to start work, and it went on for

several weeks. "

Rajesh and Rajani cleaned out and renovated the

temple. When the shankaracharya of Kanchi heard

about the couple's work at Thirumazhisai, he

summoned Rajesh to Kancheepuram and asked him not to

stop the exceptional work that he had just begun. He

also asked the couple to pay a visit to one Shiva

temple at Achirupakkam, in Kancheepuram district.

The shankaracharya had found the temple to be in a

very bad shape, with bats infesting the interiors

and few devotees visiting it. " Can you do something

there? Can you make the villagers visit the temple? "

he asked Rajesh.

 

This became their second assignment.

Rajesh first visited each and every house in the

village and requested the villagers to come to the

temple, but no one was willing to do so. So he,

Rajani, and a few friends started cleaning the

premises on their own. Soon, the embarrassed

villagers joined the couple and their friends. Once

the temple became visit-worthy, they organised

prayers for the welfare of the villagers.

Within a month, the number of people coming to the

temple went up to around 500. " I didn't have to

personally do all the renovation work there, " he

says. " I just kindled the interest in them, and that

was enough for the villagers themselves to clean up

the place. They understood that after all it was

their own temple. "

News of the temple-renovating couple began to spread

and they soon started received calls from various

villages requesting them to rebuild several

dilapidated temples.

Thus began their new journey. One temple after

another was cleaned and renovated as the years flew

by. Now, after 15 years of relentless work, they

have renovated 50 temples in and around Kancheepuram

district, a few kilometres south of Chennai!

Rajesh and Rajani's modus operandi is this: Every

weekend, accompanied by a few friends and relatives,

with bagsful of fruit and flowers, they drive to the

village where their efforts are needed. Without

waiting for the villagers to join them, without even

calling them, they start cleaning the temples. This

act generally prompts the villagers to join them.

Sometimes they carry food prepared at home to the

temple site; at other times they carry the necessary

provisions and, with the help of the villagers, cook

lunch in the village. But they always make sure that

the villagers join them in partaking of the lunch.

After a day's work, they prepare prasadam and

distribute it to all the villagers.

" Free food also attracts the poor villagers and they

join us in the renovation work that way, " says

Rajesh. " After a few visits, we become friends. We

start carrying the provisions needed for a feast and

the villagers join us in preparing the meals. We sit

together and eat the food. My driver Antony is a big

help in the effort. "

One of the most exciting experiences the couple has

had was at Kovalam, a place near Chennai. When they

came to know that a place filled with waste and

plastic bags was once a temple tank, they decided to

reclaim it.

" Funds are never a problem for us, we get money from

somewhere, " says Rajesh. " In this case, somebody

gave a bulldozer free, somebody gave two lorries

free, someone gave diesel free... all for a good

cause. Within five days, we dug up the whole place

and collected two lorries full of plastic waste.

After that, we invited the district collector to

inaugurate the tank. After the inauguration, he

promised to construct a compound wall.

" It is a service and not only the local people but

even the government is involved in such constructive

projects. Once the tank reappeared, the villagers

started getting good water! We also renovated the

temple in the process. Believe it or not, Kovalam is

a Muslim-dominated area and a Muslim gentleman

donated Rs 1,000 to the temple! "

Another unforgettable incident occurred at Nemam

where they came across a temple that was locked for

25 years. When they first reached the place, they

couldn't even locate the temple; the tall grass

around hid it. When they asked the villagers to help

them clean the place, the villagers retorted: 'How

much money will you give us?' Rajesh told them, 'I

have come here to clean your temple. You have to pay

me for that! This is your temple and it is this

deity that will bring you health and wealth. Since

you are not cleaning it, I will do it for you.' His

answer silenced them.

Soon, one by one, the villagers joined them in

cleaning the surroundings. " As we moved forward,

cutting the bushes, we saw the temple, and also

knee-deep dust inside. The temple was built in such

a way that only on the 1st of Chithirai [the Tamil

New Year Day, which coincides with April 14],

sunlight would fall on the deity. So the whole area

was very dark and we could not see anything. Then

somebody lit a matchstick and suddenly we saw a Siva

lingam three feet tall! "

This is not an isolated story, Rajesh says.

Once the locals are motivated enough to take care of

the temple and other community activities, they help

the villagers form a village committee. Slowly, the

couple moves to another village, another temple, and

another challenge.

Encouraged by Rajesh and Rajani's effort, a few

voluntary organisations have also chipped in. For

example, the Sankara Netralaya, one of the most

famous eye hospitals in Chennai, arranges free eye

camps for the poor and old villagers when such

temple-cleaning operations are on. When the doctors

visit the villages, the villagers invite the doctors

to eat food with them.

Not that the couple never faced difficulties. They

had to encounter resistance and protests in some

places where the villagers suspected their motives.

Why do these city people come here? Is it to grab

our land? Once, when Rajesh opened a temple that was

locked for 50 years, he received a lawyer's notice

for doing so. But no hurdle has deterred the couple

or dampened its spirit.

Both Rajesh and Rajani believe that religious places

are very important for the development of a village.

" We are willing to clean and renovate other

religious places too. The good thing is, when we

start cleaning old temples, people belonging to

other religions also start cleaning their places. "

Money and help have never been a problem for them.

People from unexpected quarters come forward and

offer them money and manpower.

" All the profit that

I make from my small factory goes to this work, "

says Rajesh. " I am only a catalyst. I have to only

start and afterwards the villagers themselves

continue the work. And we do it because we get

pleasure out of the work. "

====================================

 

azhwAr emperumAnAr JeeyAr thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mukundan Vangkipuram Pattangi

http://www.radioramanuja.com

[Guest guest]

DEAR MUKUNDAN,

EXCELLENT ARTICLE.

ASMADGURUBHYO NAMAH

KRISHNA KASHYAP

 

 

Pattangi [danp]

Friday, November 01, 2002 9:56 AM

ramanuja

Illustrious couple worth emulating - Help

your DhivyaDesams

 

 

Humble Pranams:

Lets pray for more families like this to take up services in India.

=============================================

Sri:

Dear Mukundan

Forwarding an article. Interesting to read.

=============================================

After a week's hectic work, some people go to the

theatre, some watch a movie and munch popcorn, some

listen to music or read books, while still others

prefer the television...

 

But for B Rajesh and his wife Rajani, relaxation is

of a different kind altogether. After taking care of

the demands of Rajesh's small factory, the

Chennai-based couple, along with their daughter and

some close friends, drive down to a remote village

where they stay for a week. Their mission: to clean

and renovate temples that have fallen prey to

neglect and the passage of time.

 

Rajesh is an MTech from the Indian Institute of

Technology, Madras, and owns a small factory with a

turnover of Rs 3 million. Rajani works at the

government-run television channel Doordarshan.

The couple was first inspired by the words of Adi

Sankara, that once upon a time temples were the

focal point of village life and that all social

activities in a village revolved around the temple.

 

The second inspiration occurred 15 years ago when

they came to know about a dilapidated Vishnu temple

in Thirumazhisai near Poonamallee from a friend.

" I still remember how the Vishnu temple looked when

I first reached the place, " says Rajesh. " We could

hardly call it a temple. The face of Lord Vishnu was

not visible at all. There were cobwebs everywhere

and the whole place looked so dirty! We got all the

more inspired to start work, and it went on for

several weeks. "

Rajesh and Rajani cleaned out and renovated the

temple. When the shankaracharya of Kanchi heard

about the couple's work at Thirumazhisai, he

summoned Rajesh to Kancheepuram and asked him not to

stop the exceptional work that he had just begun. He

also asked the couple to pay a visit to one Shiva

temple at Achirupakkam, in Kancheepuram district.

The shankaracharya had found the temple to be in a

very bad shape, with bats infesting the interiors

and few devotees visiting it. " Can you do something

there? Can you make the villagers visit the temple? "

he asked Rajesh.

 

This became their second assignment.

Rajesh first visited each and every house in the

village and requested the villagers to come to the

temple, but no one was willing to do so. So he,

Rajani, and a few friends started cleaning the

premises on their own. Soon, the embarrassed

villagers joined the couple and their friends. Once

the temple became visit-worthy, they organised

prayers for the welfare of the villagers.

Within a month, the number of people coming to the

temple went up to around 500. " I didn't have to

personally do all the renovation work there, " he

says. " I just kindled the interest in them, and that

was enough for the villagers themselves to clean up

the place. They understood that after all it was

their own temple. "

News of the temple-renovating couple began to spread

and they soon started received calls from various

villages requesting them to rebuild several

dilapidated temples.

Thus began their new journey. One temple after

another was cleaned and renovated as the years flew

by. Now, after 15 years of relentless work, they

have renovated 50 temples in and around Kancheepuram

district, a few kilometres south of Chennai!

Rajesh and Rajani's modus operandi is this: Every

weekend, accompanied by a few friends and relatives,

with bagsful of fruit and flowers, they drive to the

village where their efforts are needed. Without

waiting for the villagers to join them, without even

calling them, they start cleaning the temples. This

act generally prompts the villagers to join them.

Sometimes they carry food prepared at home to the

temple site; at other times they carry the necessary

provisions and, with the help of the villagers, cook

lunch in the village. But they always make sure that

the villagers join them in partaking of the lunch.

After a day's work, they prepare prasadam and

distribute it to all the villagers.

" Free food also attracts the poor villagers and they

join us in the renovation work that way, " says

Rajesh. " After a few visits, we become friends. We

start carrying the provisions needed for a feast and

the villagers join us in preparing the meals. We sit

together and eat the food. My driver Antony is a big

help in the effort. "

One of the most exciting experiences the couple has

had was at Kovalam, a place near Chennai. When they

came to know that a place filled with waste and

plastic bags was once a temple tank, they decided to

reclaim it.

" Funds are never a problem for us, we get money from

somewhere, " says Rajesh. " In this case, somebody

gave a bulldozer free, somebody gave two lorries

free, someone gave diesel free... all for a good

cause. Within five days, we dug up the whole place

and collected two lorries full of plastic waste.

After that, we invited the district collector to

inaugurate the tank. After the inauguration, he

promised to construct a compound wall.

" It is a service and not only the local people but

even the government is involved in such constructive

projects. Once the tank reappeared, the villagers

started getting good water! We also renovated the

temple in the process. Believe it or not, Kovalam is

a Muslim-dominated area and a Muslim gentleman

donated Rs 1,000 to the temple! "

Another unforgettable incident occurred at Nemam

where they came across a temple that was locked for

25 years. When they first reached the place, they

couldn't even locate the temple; the tall grass

around hid it. When they asked the villagers to help

them clean the place, the villagers retorted: 'How

much money will you give us?' Rajesh told them, 'I

have come here to clean your temple. You have to pay

me for that! This is your temple and it is this

deity that will bring you health and wealth. Since

you are not cleaning it, I will do it for you.' His

answer silenced them.

Soon, one by one, the villagers joined them in

cleaning the surroundings. " As we moved forward,

cutting the bushes, we saw the temple, and also

knee-deep dust inside. The temple was built in such

a way that only on the 1st of Chithirai [the Tamil

New Year Day, which coincides with April 14],

sunlight would fall on the deity. So the whole area

was very dark and we could not see anything. Then

somebody lit a matchstick and suddenly we saw a Siva

lingam three feet tall! "

This is not an isolated story, Rajesh says.

Once the locals are motivated enough to take care of

the temple and other community activities, they help

the villagers form a village committee. Slowly, the

couple moves to another village, another temple, and

another challenge.

Encouraged by Rajesh and Rajani's effort, a few

voluntary organisations have also chipped in. For

example, the Sankara Netralaya, one of the most

famous eye hospitals in Chennai, arranges free eye

camps for the poor and old villagers when such

temple-cleaning operations are on. When the doctors

visit the villages, the villagers invite the doctors

to eat food with them.

Not that the couple never faced difficulties. They

had to encounter resistance and protests in some

places where the villagers suspected their motives.

Why do these city people come here? Is it to grab

our land? Once, when Rajesh opened a temple that was

locked for 50 years, he received a lawyer's notice

for doing so. But no hurdle has deterred the couple

or dampened its spirit.

Both Rajesh and Rajani believe that religious places

are very important for the development of a village.

" We are willing to clean and renovate other

religious places too. The good thing is, when we

start cleaning old temples, people belonging to

other religions also start cleaning their places. "

Money and help have never been a problem for them.

People from unexpected quarters come forward and

offer them money and manpower.

" All the profit that

I make from my small factory goes to this work, "

says Rajesh. " I am only a catalyst. I have to only

start and afterwards the villagers themselves

continue the work. And we do it because we get

pleasure out of the work. "

====================================

 

azhwAr emperumAnAr JeeyAr thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mukundan Vangkipuram Pattangi

http://www.radioramanuja.com