This month's walk was a truly unique one.
For the first time, it was held almost simultaneously at two different places, nearly 2000 miles apart. The first group had it at Pondicherry while the second group had it at Bukit Batok Nature Park, Singapore. The first is an account of the Bukit Batok walk, hosted by Mr. Ramanathan and family and the second, an account of the walk held in Auroville, hosted by Varsha and Devdutt.
Singapore walk
The walk began with a salutation to the sun followed by a round of exercising. We then commenced our walk on the rugged terrain of the nature park. This park is one of the smaller but more scenic ones in Singapore. Historically too, it is significant because of the memorial made by the Japanese as a commemoration for soldiers who died in World War II. The park, developed on an abandoned quarry, offers several interesting vistas for the nature lover. For example, there is a deep blue pond at the foot of a cliff. The paths in the park also tend to be steeper than most parks. The top of the park has a transmission tower which is near the war memorial.
We walked till the top after which we came across a green patch of jack fruits trees. We stood silently for a minute, listening to the sound of birds chirping. There was no other sound, and, for a moment, we felt that we were not in Singapore but a faraway grove. Moments like these make the walk truly remarkable.
Post-the walk we all made our way to Kiruthika's and Adrian’s house which was a couple of kilometers away. We found a beautiful flower arrangement awaiting us. We all sat down for silent meditation. Afterwards, Shailaja aunty read out the birthdays and anniversaries for the month. Post this, we had a sumptuous brunch consisting of both South Indian and European food. It was pleasantly surprising to have a large turnout at this walk, considering that so many of our regular members were at Pondicherry.
This is a very positive sign for the Society's future and hope we have an even larger participation the next time.
- Saurab
Auroville walk
On this special Sunday morning, the bus, with all of us (numbering about 30) on board left the lane near The Retreat at 6.45am and headed towards Auroville via the less crowded morning roads of Pondicherry. The skies were already promising good weather. We arrived in Auroville forest at about 7.15am. We proceeded to have our breakfast of idlies with sambar and chutney first, before starting our walk at 8am.
It was a special experience to walk in Auroville that morning. Eric, an Aurovillian, initially from France and a very good friend of the Singapore Society led the way, letting us into sweet secrets of the forests mindfully. We were deep into the forested area, far away from traffic noises of civilisation. Only the sound of nature reached us, very gradually flooding us. Occasionally, buildings architectured in ways different from buildings we see in towns and cities and even villages rose before us and seemed to fade away into the leaves as we proceeded further. To even think that one was on the ground designated by The Mother to manifest human unity, an integral feature of divine life itself, marking out 328th walk in commemoration of 40 years of the Society’s existence brought about a dance of awe and then of gratitude in the stage of the heart. Such was the atmosphere of the place. As we continued walking, as one’s breathing got deeper and deeper, the silence from the outside also infused within. There was a lightness within and lots of energy. A wideness was there that one would normally not experience in a cluttered landscape with high rise buildings built back to back. One wondered of the effect of nature on one’s psychology and the greater effect possible with a constant communion with Her.
We could walk for only 45 minutes, as other activities were lined up for us. Awaiting us was a trip into Maatri Mandhir for meditation. We fell into the queue outside the main gate leading to Maatri Mandhir at 9am and gradually made our way towards the Maatri Mandhir, The Temple of the Mother, the Soul of Auroville. A deep silence pervaded the compound immediately around the golden globe. The Divine Tree or the Banyan tree as it is commonly called was there, tall and robust, as usual beckoning us into her silent and warm embrace. In the garden surrounding Maatri Mandhir – and many were still under construction, still in the making - , on the many trees around, creatures made their presence known in varied ways. A gaiety reigned, joy and happiness were there and a deep reverence for Nature and Spirit. We walked quietly towards the Maatri Mandhir and soon found ourselves in the inner chamber. What a bang! Silence came to us with a big bang! In that silence we settled and most of us probably managed some moments of pure silence. The experience in the inner chamber, if described, is bound to suffer distortion, It would suffice to say that each lived his high and rich experience, whether known or unknown to his conscious being. The Mother had said that Maatri Mandhir is open to all those who sincerely wanted to learn how to fall silent within. We were offered one opportunity that morning.
After about half an hour, we streamed out to learn that all twelve petals were open for meditation that morning. This was a miraculous news for those of us accustomed to having seen one or two out of the twelve petals open most of the visits and sometimes, none. We went in and sat in selected petals or all, according to our hearts’ desire. Finally we gathered around the Lotus pool at the base of the golden globe. The breeze was streaming in from all the openings and in the middle was the centre-piece, with many petals arranged concentrically with water streaming over them and reaching towards the centre. Sitting there with the rest and observing the smooth movement of water over the tiles of petals was a mesmerising experience. It felt as if all in one was running towards the centre, offered to the centre for purification. It left one closely with oneself, thoughts did not arise as frequently and if they did, they did not touch the centred being within. Emotions and feelings were at a standstill, or rather, they seemed elevated, only with the moment’s experience. There was much gratitude arising from within but directed to nothing in particular. One left the scene feeling quite purified and wished for a prolongation of this state or its repeat.
Lunch was enjoyed in Solar Kitchen, known for its harvesting of Solar power utilised for the process of most of the cooking that goes on there. There was an interesting spread of food, both Indian and continental, all served with goodwill and enjoyed with gratitude.
At about 1pm, we boarded the bus, heading back to Pondicherry. It was a most significant walk for most of us, not only because it was the 328th walk of our 40th Anniversary but also because of what Auroville had in store for all of us, individually and collectively and offered to us without reserve.
- Jayanthy
For the first time, it was held almost simultaneously at two different places, nearly 2000 miles apart. The first group had it at Pondicherry while the second group had it at Bukit Batok Nature Park, Singapore. The first is an account of the Bukit Batok walk, hosted by Mr. Ramanathan and family and the second, an account of the walk held in Auroville, hosted by Varsha and Devdutt.
Singapore walk
The walk began with a salutation to the sun followed by a round of exercising. We then commenced our walk on the rugged terrain of the nature park. This park is one of the smaller but more scenic ones in Singapore. Historically too, it is significant because of the memorial made by the Japanese as a commemoration for soldiers who died in World War II. The park, developed on an abandoned quarry, offers several interesting vistas for the nature lover. For example, there is a deep blue pond at the foot of a cliff. The paths in the park also tend to be steeper than most parks. The top of the park has a transmission tower which is near the war memorial.
We walked till the top after which we came across a green patch of jack fruits trees. We stood silently for a minute, listening to the sound of birds chirping. There was no other sound, and, for a moment, we felt that we were not in Singapore but a faraway grove. Moments like these make the walk truly remarkable.
Post-the walk we all made our way to Kiruthika's and Adrian’s house which was a couple of kilometers away. We found a beautiful flower arrangement awaiting us. We all sat down for silent meditation. Afterwards, Shailaja aunty read out the birthdays and anniversaries for the month. Post this, we had a sumptuous brunch consisting of both South Indian and European food. It was pleasantly surprising to have a large turnout at this walk, considering that so many of our regular members were at Pondicherry.
This is a very positive sign for the Society's future and hope we have an even larger participation the next time.
- Saurab
Auroville walk
On this special Sunday morning, the bus, with all of us (numbering about 30) on board left the lane near The Retreat at 6.45am and headed towards Auroville via the less crowded morning roads of Pondicherry. The skies were already promising good weather. We arrived in Auroville forest at about 7.15am. We proceeded to have our breakfast of idlies with sambar and chutney first, before starting our walk at 8am.
It was a special experience to walk in Auroville that morning. Eric, an Aurovillian, initially from France and a very good friend of the Singapore Society led the way, letting us into sweet secrets of the forests mindfully. We were deep into the forested area, far away from traffic noises of civilisation. Only the sound of nature reached us, very gradually flooding us. Occasionally, buildings architectured in ways different from buildings we see in towns and cities and even villages rose before us and seemed to fade away into the leaves as we proceeded further. To even think that one was on the ground designated by The Mother to manifest human unity, an integral feature of divine life itself, marking out 328th walk in commemoration of 40 years of the Society’s existence brought about a dance of awe and then of gratitude in the stage of the heart. Such was the atmosphere of the place. As we continued walking, as one’s breathing got deeper and deeper, the silence from the outside also infused within. There was a lightness within and lots of energy. A wideness was there that one would normally not experience in a cluttered landscape with high rise buildings built back to back. One wondered of the effect of nature on one’s psychology and the greater effect possible with a constant communion with Her.
We could walk for only 45 minutes, as other activities were lined up for us. Awaiting us was a trip into Maatri Mandhir for meditation. We fell into the queue outside the main gate leading to Maatri Mandhir at 9am and gradually made our way towards the Maatri Mandhir, The Temple of the Mother, the Soul of Auroville. A deep silence pervaded the compound immediately around the golden globe. The Divine Tree or the Banyan tree as it is commonly called was there, tall and robust, as usual beckoning us into her silent and warm embrace. In the garden surrounding Maatri Mandhir – and many were still under construction, still in the making - , on the many trees around, creatures made their presence known in varied ways. A gaiety reigned, joy and happiness were there and a deep reverence for Nature and Spirit. We walked quietly towards the Maatri Mandhir and soon found ourselves in the inner chamber. What a bang! Silence came to us with a big bang! In that silence we settled and most of us probably managed some moments of pure silence. The experience in the inner chamber, if described, is bound to suffer distortion, It would suffice to say that each lived his high and rich experience, whether known or unknown to his conscious being. The Mother had said that Maatri Mandhir is open to all those who sincerely wanted to learn how to fall silent within. We were offered one opportunity that morning.
After about half an hour, we streamed out to learn that all twelve petals were open for meditation that morning. This was a miraculous news for those of us accustomed to having seen one or two out of the twelve petals open most of the visits and sometimes, none. We went in and sat in selected petals or all, according to our hearts’ desire. Finally we gathered around the Lotus pool at the base of the golden globe. The breeze was streaming in from all the openings and in the middle was the centre-piece, with many petals arranged concentrically with water streaming over them and reaching towards the centre. Sitting there with the rest and observing the smooth movement of water over the tiles of petals was a mesmerising experience. It felt as if all in one was running towards the centre, offered to the centre for purification. It left one closely with oneself, thoughts did not arise as frequently and if they did, they did not touch the centred being within. Emotions and feelings were at a standstill, or rather, they seemed elevated, only with the moment’s experience. There was much gratitude arising from within but directed to nothing in particular. One left the scene feeling quite purified and wished for a prolongation of this state or its repeat.
Lunch was enjoyed in Solar Kitchen, known for its harvesting of Solar power utilised for the process of most of the cooking that goes on there. There was an interesting spread of food, both Indian and continental, all served with goodwill and enjoyed with gratitude.
At about 1pm, we boarded the bus, heading back to Pondicherry. It was a most significant walk for most of us, not only because it was the 328th walk of our 40th Anniversary but also because of what Auroville had in store for all of us, individually and collectively and offered to us without reserve.
- Jayanthy
No comments:
Post a Comment