Just Me: The Kratik Malhotra Blog

Dreamer! Yes, I still am to an extent. But have you ever wondered, how cool would that be if everyone in Pune observes silence for a day?

I know it does sound crazy and out of the world but the idea in itself is probably a very transforming one and one that needs to be implemented.

Maharashtra is home to days such as “Maharahstra Band”. Now, Maharashtra Band is a day when everything in the state of Maharashtra -right from the educational institutions, to banks, to offices - is shut down. Well, when people think that it is decent enough to have a day when the no one in the state works, would it not be a good idea to combine one of these days with silence. Let’s consider a city instead a city in Pune instead of the state Maharashtra.

What is silence?

The term “silence” is often used by most people in order to moan after someone’s death. But that’s not the silence that I’m talking about. That silence is a minute silence. In contradiction, I wish we’d have a day of silence - silence not to moan but to celebrate.

A day of silence would mean a day of absolutely no communication. No communication means definitely no talking; also no communicating with actions. People ideally, should refrain themselves from even looking at others.

It would mark a day when each one of us rises above our current spiritual level and start to experience the “real us”.

As Guruji (Sri Sri Ravishankarji) once famously said,” We were born with silence, and as we grew up, we lost the silence and were filled with words. We lived in our hearts, and as time passed, we moved into our heads.”

Silence helps us to empty our head with no thoughts and enables us smile relentlessly. With silence, what also comes is “seva” (service).

When silence combined with seva, it makes you feel “wow!” Believe me; for once you actually feel good doing something for the country and the society, keeping “the you” aside.

Wouldn’t it be absolutely brilliant, if every one of us shut our bamboozles and work for a day in order to form a better society. Feeding someone who is desperately in need of food, planting a tree or even helping someone to clean a utensil can be seva. Seva can be anything which you do for others without involving a selfish motive behind it.

(People leading my example - doing seva by cleaning roads)

Doing seva and maintaining silence even for a day, would help bring about a better society, thereby, a better city. Just imagine, for a day, no pollution. In fact, on the contrary, people working towards making Pune better city to live in.

“When you make service the sole purpose in life, it eliminates fear, focuses your mind, and gives you meaning. Be grateful for any opportunity to do seva”., says Sri Sri.

When a few thousand people work to clean (in every aspect) the city, we do get a relatively clean city. If the number of people working - even for a day - goes up by one thousand times, Pune could revamp its reputation in being the most celebrated city in the country.

Concern:

Although a day of silence would bring inner centeredness to a person and make him experience an unparalleled pleasure, but it may cause the crime figures to go sky-rocketing. With the theft rising each day, how many dacoits would not steal on such days? How many murderers will not look at this day as one ideal to rip someone apart? How many criminals will not commit crime on such days?

They all will.

But the sole reason for that is that these people are still on level 0 of spirituality. They need to realize their “self” state. As Guruji says, “Our nature is to love. Spirituality nourishes the human values of compassion, love, caring, sharing, and acceptance.”

So, in short, everyone needs to undergo the spiritual practices, thereby, undergo the Art of Living ans Yes!+ workshops. Wouldn’t it be absolutely cool to smile endlessly, experience silence and more importantly make our city a better place to live in.

(Art of Living volunteers having undergone spiritual practices, smiling endlessly)