Water : The Elixir of Life , Jal Jeevan ....
Four years of my official journey in the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission ended today. A journey of transformation of rural lives not just in numbers but in calibre and quality too. A journey from ten lakh households to fifty lakh households and of livelihoods from just thrity-two thousand to over seventeen lakhs. A journey where women came out of their cocoons to become friends, farmers, entrepreneurs and leaders. A journey of sustenance and sustainability. A journey full of learnings for me as an individual, a woman and an officer.
For sure that journey has ended officially but how does one end the numerous bonds established? How can one sever ties woven through such strong community institutions? How can one untie oneself from the threads of livelihoods created by millions of women? How can one cut the umbilical cord?
No, they can only get strengthened further; more so when one is entrusted with the noble task of providing water to every rural household.
Water is the source of happiness, energy, health and piety, and is life-giving as Mother!
Today, I have begun a new journey to spearhead a new mission in my professional career as the Mission Director of the Jal Jeevan Mission. The transition is immensely emotional as this is a great responsibility to shoulder. The shift from livelihood (means of subsistence) to water (subsistence) is a humble feeling because “Jal is Jeevan - Water is life".
Life originated from water and continues to be the source of life. Civilizations have been formed, nurtured and devastated due to water sources. Communities need water to thrive and exist Without water, there is no access to food, clothing, and housing. It is the most primary need of man.
My pathbreaking journey at MSRLM and DDUGKY was possible due to the support from a pool of talented team members, skilled partners, recognized support organizations, my colleagues in the district and my sakhis. Together we made this dream possible.
Like the sun which shines as fuel for food through photosynthesis, water is the fuel for life! Looking forward to a new beginning with new enthusiasm to create waves and touch rural lives. I may have donned a new hat , but my heart is the same, it beats for all SHG women, rural brethren and their families. I feel blessed that I shall be working to make the Honourable Prime Minister's dream of "Har Ghar Jal" a reality.
In his words , " Let us work together to conserve every drop of water, provide safe drinking water to every rural family and thus achieve drinking water security for our future generations. "
Thursday 27 August 2020
Friday 21 August 2020
बस मैं और तुम....
बस मैं और तुम....
आज फिर सांझ की गोधूलि में
मै और तुम
मीलों दूर पर करीब
मैं और तुम
रिमझिम बरखा की तरह शब्द
शीतल बूंदो की तरह भाव
मन में उमंगो का सागर
संग बैठने की आस
कुछ बतियाने
बस मैं और तुम
गुज़रे लम्हों को याद किये
मीठी बातों को साथ लिए
चंद वादे भी संग लिए
कुछ रिझाने
बस मैं और तुम
दीप्त आँखों की छोर से
लबों पर रुके बोल से
कभी उजास कभी तम
कुछ समझने
बस मैं और तुम
वक़्त बदलेगा यह
लौटेंगे पल चैन के
खिल उठेंगे मन हमारे फिर
और निखरने
बस मैं और तुम....
मन विमल
Wednesday 19 August 2020
Of Freedom and responsibility....
Of Freedom and responsibility....
Last week we celebrated Independence Day. As usual the day began with patriotic songs and flag hoisting ceremonies all over the country. The inspiring speech by the Honourable Prime Minister of India from the ramparts of the Red Fort ignited the nostalgia of the freedom movement. Seventy four years ago we had become free after a struggle of almost hundred years. It was the culmination of the efforts of all our leaders specially the youth like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru who did not bat an eyelid and embraced the gallows with a smile.They sacrificed their very being for us, for the freedom of our country.
Freedom from the tutelage of the British, freedom to be an independent nation, a democracy where the will of the people matters. Essentially freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants. It is the power of self-determination, the state of not being subject to or affected by something undesirable.
We are fortunate to be citizens of a country where each one of us is free to live as we wish, say and do as we want. The bedrock of our constitution are our rights which have been enshrined as fundamental. We often fight for our rights and protect them zealously.
Yes freedom is not only precious but also beautiful. Who does not want to be free?
We seek it from the time we are born and in every stage of life. Yet imagine the havoc it can cause if one goes astray.
Freedom devoid of responsibility would result in chaos. For example, we have the freedom to drive but that is only at a certain speed, under certain conditions following signals. This is interest of public order.
Our rights are absolute only in context of our society and the social order. They intrinsically correspond to obligations and our duties towards ourselves, our family, society, nation. The more we emphasize on our rights and being free, the more we need to acknowledge society's role in it. This includes the avenues opened for us by society for our life, safety, security and growth. In short, ignoring our duties would lead to anarchy.
So to all those who are born free, want to be free and cherish freedom, let us remember that in reality freedom invokes choice which leads to action. Our actions are based on our intellect to do good or bad, choose right or wrong, negative or positive. Whether we acknowledge it or no and whether we like it or no, responsibility is an inseparable part of freedom. It is like a shadow which will follow you wherever you go.
So let us be conscious of our duties as much as of our rights. Let us treasure better values and not shirk our responsibilities in the garb of freedom. As John F Kennedy has rightly said , ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.....
Last week we celebrated Independence Day. As usual the day began with patriotic songs and flag hoisting ceremonies all over the country. The inspiring speech by the Honourable Prime Minister of India from the ramparts of the Red Fort ignited the nostalgia of the freedom movement. Seventy four years ago we had become free after a struggle of almost hundred years. It was the culmination of the efforts of all our leaders specially the youth like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru who did not bat an eyelid and embraced the gallows with a smile.They sacrificed their very being for us, for the freedom of our country.
Freedom from the tutelage of the British, freedom to be an independent nation, a democracy where the will of the people matters. Essentially freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants. It is the power of self-determination, the state of not being subject to or affected by something undesirable.
We are fortunate to be citizens of a country where each one of us is free to live as we wish, say and do as we want. The bedrock of our constitution are our rights which have been enshrined as fundamental. We often fight for our rights and protect them zealously.
Yes freedom is not only precious but also beautiful. Who does not want to be free?
We seek it from the time we are born and in every stage of life. Yet imagine the havoc it can cause if one goes astray.
Freedom devoid of responsibility would result in chaos. For example, we have the freedom to drive but that is only at a certain speed, under certain conditions following signals. This is interest of public order.
Our rights are absolute only in context of our society and the social order. They intrinsically correspond to obligations and our duties towards ourselves, our family, society, nation. The more we emphasize on our rights and being free, the more we need to acknowledge society's role in it. This includes the avenues opened for us by society for our life, safety, security and growth. In short, ignoring our duties would lead to anarchy.
So to all those who are born free, want to be free and cherish freedom, let us remember that in reality freedom invokes choice which leads to action. Our actions are based on our intellect to do good or bad, choose right or wrong, negative or positive. Whether we acknowledge it or no and whether we like it or no, responsibility is an inseparable part of freedom. It is like a shadow which will follow you wherever you go.
So let us be conscious of our duties as much as of our rights. Let us treasure better values and not shirk our responsibilities in the garb of freedom. As John F Kennedy has rightly said , ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.....
Wednesday 12 August 2020
A musical tribute on Guru Poornima....
A musical tribute on Guru Poornima....
It ia almost a month since Guru Poornima was celebrated. For Indians, Guru is superior to God for it is the Guru who leads us to God through our devotion. We all know the famous doha by Saint Kabir , "Guru Govind dou khade, kake lagoon paay; balihari Guru aapne, Govind diyo batay"
The guru–shishya parampara is therefore a very important part of Indian culture and tradition. In the field of music. This attains a very special status with gharanas and gurus becoming part of a great lineage.
My affiliation to music is inborn. For some reason I never learnt singing though my parents had encoraged me to do so. Once in the grind of education and career I did try on and off but it never went beyond attending single sessions.
My son Vishnu also has this inborn love for music. He is blessed with a musical ear and is a part of the school music programmes. Often we discuss music and his music training by his teacher ,Vedashree Oke. During a weekend she was imparting training online to their team for a performance and her mellifluous voice kept floating in our house.
Vishnu mentioned that she also trained individuals in music. Soon we were all caught up at home in Covid almost stressed and frustrated.
I couldn't think of a better time to start learning music. I contacted her with hesitation wondering whether she would accept a novice like me. Her encouragement was very uplifting so much so that I started learning light music with her. It has been over three months now and my joys of learning and listening to her keep growing.
I learnt that Vedashee is the gifted daughter of the renowned singer Asha Khadilkar known for her world famous khayals, bhajans, bhav geet and natya sangeet. No wonder she is driven by a great passion for music and has set up the Asha Khadilkar Academy. Several singers are being trained by her and she felt that Guru Poornima was an apt occasion to show case their talent. It took a little time to get organised so we had a delayed celebration last week.
The online celebration was perhaps a unique event in all our lives with students from Thane, Mumbai and even America participating in it.
The tone was set by Dhruv dedicating the song , Guru parmatma pareshu to our Guru. I sought light from God and his blessings as I sang Jyoti Kalash Chalke. Mugdha took it forward with God guiding us from the front or behind with her beautiful rendition of Mage ubha mangesh. Sharanya once again devoted a melodious Bengali song, Ae amar guru dokhina to our Guru. All the way from USA Isha invoked Lord Rama through the famous Meera Bhajan, Payoji maine Ramratan Dhan Paayo.
The raag and taal in Carnatic music maybe different from Hindustani classical music but the emotions and bhava are the same was shown by Aishwarya who sang a beautiful Kriti, Manavyalakinchara composed by the revered Saint Thyagaraja, .
It ia almost a month since Guru Poornima was celebrated. For Indians, Guru is superior to God for it is the Guru who leads us to God through our devotion. We all know the famous doha by Saint Kabir , "Guru Govind dou khade, kake lagoon paay; balihari Guru aapne, Govind diyo batay"
The guru–shishya parampara is therefore a very important part of Indian culture and tradition. In the field of music. This attains a very special status with gharanas and gurus becoming part of a great lineage.
My affiliation to music is inborn. For some reason I never learnt singing though my parents had encoraged me to do so. Once in the grind of education and career I did try on and off but it never went beyond attending single sessions.
My son Vishnu also has this inborn love for music. He is blessed with a musical ear and is a part of the school music programmes. Often we discuss music and his music training by his teacher ,Vedashree Oke. During a weekend she was imparting training online to their team for a performance and her mellifluous voice kept floating in our house.
Vishnu mentioned that she also trained individuals in music. Soon we were all caught up at home in Covid almost stressed and frustrated.
I couldn't think of a better time to start learning music. I contacted her with hesitation wondering whether she would accept a novice like me. Her encouragement was very uplifting so much so that I started learning light music with her. It has been over three months now and my joys of learning and listening to her keep growing.
I learnt that Vedashee is the gifted daughter of the renowned singer Asha Khadilkar known for her world famous khayals, bhajans, bhav geet and natya sangeet. No wonder she is driven by a great passion for music and has set up the Asha Khadilkar Academy. Several singers are being trained by her and she felt that Guru Poornima was an apt occasion to show case their talent. It took a little time to get organised so we had a delayed celebration last week.
The online celebration was perhaps a unique event in all our lives with students from Thane, Mumbai and even America participating in it.
The tone was set by Dhruv dedicating the song , Guru parmatma pareshu to our Guru. I sought light from God and his blessings as I sang Jyoti Kalash Chalke. Mugdha took it forward with God guiding us from the front or behind with her beautiful rendition of Mage ubha mangesh. Sharanya once again devoted a melodious Bengali song, Ae amar guru dokhina to our Guru. All the way from USA Isha invoked Lord Rama through the famous Meera Bhajan, Payoji maine Ramratan Dhan Paayo.
The raag and taal in Carnatic music maybe different from Hindustani classical music but the emotions and bhava are the same was shown by Aishwarya who sang a beautiful Kriti, Manavyalakinchara composed by the revered Saint Thyagaraja, .
Dressed like a fairy little Dharmishtha stole our hearts with the stars by rendering the hummable film song - Ye tara woh tara. Monsoons and the rains are so magical Saee invoked the nostalgia with a Marathi rain song Dhag datuni yetat. Flowers cannot be far off when it rains and Anoushka made them smile with the famous Mili song, Maine kaha phoolon se.
Life has its own ups and downs and we do feel lost when we are bereft of joy. Raina Ghosh reminded us of the other side of life with her soulful rendition of Ja re ud ja re panchi. Shreya led on to unfolding of mysteries with a jazzy song, Kaisi paheli. Ishwari rounded it up with the meaningful song, Tu buddhi de from the film on Baba Amte. The evening was interspersed with experience sharing and memories.
There were surprises in store too by way of an impromptu gazal by Vedashree Madam's brother Omkar Khadilkar whose voice also reflected his lineage.
The grand finale of course was the natya sangeet performance by our Guru Vedashree Oke. We were mesmerized by her natya sangeet performance, Muralidhar Shyam He Nandlala. The words Tuch guru ekach trata , sangeeta tu udgaata seemed so apt.
As the evening ended we kept wanting for more of music and blessings and felt fortunate to be learning from a multi-talented singer who is also inculcating the joy of music in students of Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School, Thane.
From mother to daughter, from Guru to shisya the zeal, passion for music overflows with its blessings and one can only bow in reverance to this great tradition. Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwarah. Guru Saakshaat, Para brahma, Tasmai Shri Guruveh Namaha.
Life has its own ups and downs and we do feel lost when we are bereft of joy. Raina Ghosh reminded us of the other side of life with her soulful rendition of Ja re ud ja re panchi. Shreya led on to unfolding of mysteries with a jazzy song, Kaisi paheli. Ishwari rounded it up with the meaningful song, Tu buddhi de from the film on Baba Amte. The evening was interspersed with experience sharing and memories.
There were surprises in store too by way of an impromptu gazal by Vedashree Madam's brother Omkar Khadilkar whose voice also reflected his lineage.
The grand finale of course was the natya sangeet performance by our Guru Vedashree Oke. We were mesmerized by her natya sangeet performance, Muralidhar Shyam He Nandlala. The words Tuch guru ekach trata , sangeeta tu udgaata seemed so apt.
As the evening ended we kept wanting for more of music and blessings and felt fortunate to be learning from a multi-talented singer who is also inculcating the joy of music in students of Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School, Thane.
From mother to daughter, from Guru to shisya the zeal, passion for music overflows with its blessings and one can only bow in reverance to this great tradition. Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwarah. Guru Saakshaat, Para brahma, Tasmai Shri Guruveh Namaha.
Thursday 6 August 2020
Ghar se charcha : An interesting interaction....
Ghar se charcha : An interesting interaction....
A few days ago I received a call from a young boy, Abhishek Chedda. He introduced himself as a student of third year engineering and in the same breath mentioned his philanthropic association with Tarun Mitra Mandal. Together with his friends Devangee, Heet and others he has undertaken the task of creating an interactive platform for kids to ignite their minds. He said that they organize a program called the Story of Makers wherein they invite individuals who could possibly be a source of inspiration to young minds
The program was named as Ghar Se Charcha. His earnestness was so overwhelming that I couldn't refuse specially since he mentioned that I would be interacting with kids between the age of seven to fifteen. My own son being fifteen I always like such interactions which help me probe into the thought process of growing children
Soon the D Day arrived and I received a call from Abhishek briefing me about the flow of the programme. The event would be a live broadcast. It was then that I was told that I would be interviewed by two sweet little children aged nine and seven. I was more than delighted because this would be my first such experience. I kept thinking about the questions they would ask and my probable answers when it was time to go live on air.
As I got introduced to the interviewers Naman and Jiyaa, I could not but help notice their poise and confidence at such a young age. They were geared up and charged. The questions they chose were quite intriguing and included a broad spectrum from my education, career, family, competitive exams and preparation for UPSC, stress management, and advice for youth.
Their confidence while posing questions and their response to my answers made the session great fun.
It was then I was told that the team managed a librrary and conducted occasional programs on team leadership, team building etc. They also enabled students to take up educational projects and supported them in their reserach through their library and research hub.
StoryOfMakers is a fifteen year old , not for profit organisation initiated by Tarun Mitra Mandal and powered by *Navneet*.
On probing further I found out that their team has a *'Library Of Everything'* where kids aged from 4 to13 years of age carry out various science experiments, read books, do coding activities, create games, master carpentry and many more skills in the 'Makers Space'. This is to ensure the kids are able to gain practical and hands-on knowledge.
They also have a *'Science on Wheels'* and their team members travel to rural schools to help them understand and learn better in the field of art and science.
Interestingly they also host a 'Science Fair' called as The *Tech Expo* where young minds are invited to display their innovations from across the country. Their team has impacted over 2000 youngsters till date and are continuing with their endeavours.
I was asking for more as these blissful moments ended. The kids had captured the essence of what it means to contributing to life. Truly Children are the hands by which we can take hold of heaven....
P.S. You may watch the interview on the link -
https://t.co/QRhztIkA3W https://t.co/fXfwENphhM
A few days ago I received a call from a young boy, Abhishek Chedda. He introduced himself as a student of third year engineering and in the same breath mentioned his philanthropic association with Tarun Mitra Mandal. Together with his friends Devangee, Heet and others he has undertaken the task of creating an interactive platform for kids to ignite their minds. He said that they organize a program called the Story of Makers wherein they invite individuals who could possibly be a source of inspiration to young minds
The program was named as Ghar Se Charcha. His earnestness was so overwhelming that I couldn't refuse specially since he mentioned that I would be interacting with kids between the age of seven to fifteen. My own son being fifteen I always like such interactions which help me probe into the thought process of growing children
Soon the D Day arrived and I received a call from Abhishek briefing me about the flow of the programme. The event would be a live broadcast. It was then that I was told that I would be interviewed by two sweet little children aged nine and seven. I was more than delighted because this would be my first such experience. I kept thinking about the questions they would ask and my probable answers when it was time to go live on air.
As I got introduced to the interviewers Naman and Jiyaa, I could not but help notice their poise and confidence at such a young age. They were geared up and charged. The questions they chose were quite intriguing and included a broad spectrum from my education, career, family, competitive exams and preparation for UPSC, stress management, and advice for youth.
Their confidence while posing questions and their response to my answers made the session great fun.
It was then I was told that the team managed a librrary and conducted occasional programs on team leadership, team building etc. They also enabled students to take up educational projects and supported them in their reserach through their library and research hub.
StoryOfMakers is a fifteen year old , not for profit organisation initiated by Tarun Mitra Mandal and powered by *Navneet*.
On probing further I found out that their team has a *'Library Of Everything'* where kids aged from 4 to13 years of age carry out various science experiments, read books, do coding activities, create games, master carpentry and many more skills in the 'Makers Space'. This is to ensure the kids are able to gain practical and hands-on knowledge.
They also have a *'Science on Wheels'* and their team members travel to rural schools to help them understand and learn better in the field of art and science.
Interestingly they also host a 'Science Fair' called as The *Tech Expo* where young minds are invited to display their innovations from across the country. Their team has impacted over 2000 youngsters till date and are continuing with their endeavours.
I was asking for more as these blissful moments ended. The kids had captured the essence of what it means to contributing to life. Truly Children are the hands by which we can take hold of heaven....
P.S. You may watch the interview on the link -
https://t.co/QRhztIkA3W https://t.co/fXfwENphhM
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