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And miles to go...
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Even as "No Destination",Satish Kumar's autobiography is ready for release this Friday, ZIYA US SALAM puts together the fascinating journey of a man who turned a monk when a boy and later went on to become a peace activist and an ecological campaigner.
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Satish Kumar... .The journey goes on. Photo: Sandeep Saxena.
IN RENUNCIATION lies redemption. So thought little Satish. Brought up in an orthodox Jain family - his ancestors, Oswals, had given up their Kshatriya status and opted for lower Vaisya status because they did not want to hurt even a fly - and reared by a mother who became a widow when Satish was all of four, the boy showed a natural inclination towards spirituality. According to a Jain monk - and there were quite a few wandering monks who came to his village in Rajasthan - the boy had a special gift, though he would always be restless.
Once at monsoon time, a Jain acharya and his disciples came to stay in Satish Kumar's village for a few months - the rainy season precluding any movement. Every day, the villagers would vie to offer them food. Every day, the acharya would give a discourse. Every day, the desire to give up this world and embrace the discipline of a monk overcame Satish. Finally, he broached the subject to his guru. Think again, he was advised. He thought again. "Think once more, it is not an easy life," the guru told him. The little boy had made up his mind and persuaded his mother. Finally, one day, after he had made a trip across the region, he gave up silk robes, had his head shaved, and took a begging bowl and a few yards of cloth. He bid adieu to his family and took a vow to live like a monk. Every day he sought liberation. Every day he learnt something about discipline from his guru. This continued for a little under a decade. In between the young man happened to be in touch with Vinoba Bhave, who, in the middle of his Bhoodan movement, took time out for Satish's guru. The young man was very impressed with the teaching, the principles, and the simplicity of Bhave. Soon started a struggle in his mind. And Mahatma Gandhi's teaching started ringing in his head. "Is it necessary to shun the world completely? Or can one get across one's ideals in a better way to a larger number of people by being a part of the world?" he wondered. A friend's stray remark that monks require a society to produce surplus food came to his mind.
Soon, he was a changed man. As years passed by, the man undertook a yatra on foot, from Raj Ghat to Kennedy's grave, across Pakistan, Moscow, on to Europe, and finally America. Along the way, a lot of misnomers gave way to reason and a few prejudices were erased with every step he took. Then, this man who never went to school, became the Editor of "Resurgence" and devoted his life to ecological issues. And the fact that he started his life with a faith that did not allow anybody to kill even a flea or hurt a plant came in handy. That was ecology at its core.
Never mind that along the way, the young man did not have the best of experiences with his guru, and often found himself asking more questions than he could get an answer for. All along, he penned down some thoughts, and all along, he gave back to this earth more than he took from it. His fame spread from India to England.
In 1973, he became the Editor of "Resurgence" in England and undertook the role of a guiding spirit behind a number of ecological and spiritual movements. In his 50th year he walked to the holy places of Britain. He is now moving from Dehra Dun to Haridwar and touches Delhi this week for the release of "No Destination", his autobiography brought out by Viveka Foundation.
Want to know more about this monk who ate from his mother's plate when he was young, yet left her for a life of a recluse? Want to know more about the man who became a peace activist and was immensely impressed with Bertrand Russell's opposition to nuclear arms? Then just flip through this 300-odd page book to be released this Friday.
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