Waking up to a bright morning, I prepare myself for satsang with Mooji. Opening the white gate to the mini-ashram I’m staying at, a young girl’s sweet smile greets me. She quietly comes in and takes the trash can that I’ve been stuffing my waste into. She’s getting ready to leave with her green wheelbarrow cart, but a visitor wants to join her.
“What’s your name?” I ask. “Shivani,” she replies politely. “Can I join you for your morning walk?” I ask. “Sure,” she smiles. There’s a few more houses to go, and she uses her hands to collect the waste from each house. I’m wondering why an 8 year-old is collecting the trash at various houses and brahmacharyi (monks) residences in Rishikesh. We continue further.
“Where does this trash go?” I ask her a few times. “We’re almost there…” I notice a pile of trash next to the Ganga river. Wheelbarrows of trash make their way to not-so-real landfill filled with plastic bottles, cigarettes, food waste, wrappers. There’s a few cows roaming here. It’s a sorry sight. Not even Rishikesh, which is supposed to be a sacred city, is free from the remnants of improper waste management. “This is my grandmother’s wheelbarrow,” Shivani points as we walk back.

I invite myself to Shivani’s home. Working in the Gandhi Ashram has given me the courage to make myself a guest in unexpected places. It turns out that Shivani has two brothers, a father who has gone mad from the grief of his wife’s death, and a dedicated grandmother who makes her living by collecting trash. Her brother greets me, “Dadi (Grandmother) is out.” Shivani hurries along. I see that her hands are still dirty, and she’s getting vessels from the kitchen. “Wash your hands with soap,” I gently tell her. “You must wash your hands.” I’m a little bit worried about her hygiene. She smiles and gets ready for school.

“Come to my home today,” I request her. “Bring your brothers too. Make sure you bring your notebook and a pen.”
It’s 4 o’clock, and I’m waiting. Will they come? It’s 4:15, and I see two boys and Shivani coming. My heart smiles with joy, “They’re here.”

My new friends, Shivani, Shoobam and Siddharth greet me. They wait until I invite them in. The three children place their books in my temporary home and step out. “Before you come in, you have to wash your hands and feet. Line up your slippers along the door.” I go to the outside sink and get soap. “Make sure you wash underneath fingernails and rub all the dirt out.” If Shivani does this every day, I’m sure she will be less disease-prone. Out of the three siblings, she’s the youngest and the one who collects trash from 20 houses every day.
After they’ve cleaned up, I invite them inside, and ask them to sit down. “Let me see your nails.” Scraggly, slightly crooked, and slightly grimy nails and toenails stare at me. One by one, I ask them to sit down. I have my nail cutter ready to do the job. “See, make sure your nails are cut this much. This way, you’re not eating the dirt and everything from your hands.” This becomes a daily ritual. The children make sure their nails, hands, and feet are clean before starting the class. If nails need trimming, we make sure to do that first.

“Ok, let’s sit in a circle. First, we’ll learn something called meditation. Then I’ll share a story. How does that sound?
We close our eyes, turn on some meditation music, and focus on our breathing for 10 minutes. After they are calm and ready, I ask them to open their eyes. They share that meditation felt good. I’m smiling with happiness. Now is the perfect opportunity to…


“I’ll share the story of a great man named Gandhi…have you heard of him? Did you know that he had something called a Shanti Sena (Peace Army)? Gandhiji used to go from town to town asking people to join the Shanti Sena. The Shanti Sena used to help all the village people. Would you like to be part of the Shanti Sena?” The children nod enthusiastically. “Well, to be a part of the Shanti Sena, you will have to follow certain principles. Are you ready to do that?” “Yes, we want to be a part of the Shanti Sena,” they tell me eagerly.

“Ok, let’s write these down:
1. Do meditation every day (+ bathe every day was added later).
2. Keep our homes clean, inside and outside. Clean up the Ganga on a regular basis.
3. Teach good values to those younger than us.
4. Help the old and aged.
5. Take care of and protect animals.
6. Do not engage in any alcohol or intoxicants.
7. Finish our education. Go to at least 10th standard and more if we can.”

We begun our classes…how can we be the change we wish to see?

Posted by Prachi Murarka on Oct 16, 2014 | permalink