Guiding Light of The Month

O Lord, how ardently do I call and implore Thy love! Grant that my aspiration may be intense enough to awaken the same aspiration everywhere: oh, may good- ness, justice and peace reign as supreme masters, may ignorant egoism be overcome, darkness be suddenly illu- minated by Thy pure Light; may the blind see, the deaf hear, may Thy law be proclaimed in every place and, in a constantly progressive union, in an ever more perfect harmony, may all, like one single being, stretch out their arms towards Thee to identify themselves with Thee and manifest Thee upon earth. - The Mother

Along the Way… Jun 2016 Morning Walk - A Review

It was a very pleasant morning and the perfect weather for the morning walk. The location, Bedok reservoir, as many of the readers would know, is a lovely place with a nice ~ 4.3km walking trail around the reservoir. We were a small group but the park was beaming with a large number of joggers and walkers. We even saw a few people indulge in water sports and even though the aerial tree obstacle courses were not operational at the time, I am sure it would be fun clearing these obstacles. It is always nice to spend the Sunday morning walking in the nature and this park almost in the center of Singapore, provides a nice opportunity for people to come and refresh. As Ramanathan uncle observed during the course of the walk, there are not many places in Singapore where you can hear the musical voice of the birds the way we heard it in the Bedok reservoir that day.

After the nice walk, we went to the host’s place which was a very short drive away. Patel uncle, aunty, Anand and Vrunda were wonderful hosts and had planned everything meticulously. After the meditation and prayers, Kashyap uncle informed everyone that the digital conversion of the photos from 1985 till date was complete and available for all members who wanted it, at a very nominal cost. I am sure this is a great opportunity for all members to go through the history of our Aurobindo society Singapore. This was followed by a sumptuous home cooked meal and I cannot find of any word of complement; the tasting itself was proof.

Patel uncle even distributed a copy of Sri. Abdul Kalam’s book to everyone who was interested.
Overall it was a great experience similar to all the wonderful walks we have had. A perfect way to start the month, contemplate, meditate and seek the Divine’s blessings!

                                                                                                   - Ritesh Thacker
***

When we reached Bedok Reservoir, the sun was hiding behind the clouds; but it was still hot. There were not many people. Only 7 people from Sri Aurobindo Society were there. I was not sure how much we were going to walk. I asked my father and he said, “About 4.3 kilometres!!!” I was shocked as I started to walk.

After walking for some time, I saw a sign that tells people to not litter. It had paper drawn on it that looked like flat marshmallows! We walked half-way until I saw 12 white rocks that also looked like marshmallows to me. I kept thinking about marshmallows as I had not eaten breakfast. I was so exhausted that I wanted to just sleep!! As I continued to walk with feet that were almost broken, I noticed some people water skiing!! I like to call it SUPER SURFING!!

As we approached a shaded path, my father told me that the trees planted at the sides of the path and covering it appeared like a tunnel that we were entering! I looked around the reservoir and saw that we had completed more than half of the walk. I was relieved and exhausted at the same time. As we continued, we decided to walk on the grass. We saw about 5 to 6 types of grass on the patch.

I also saw some mimosa plants (touch me not plant). My father recorded a video of me showing the mimosa plants. We played with the mimosa plants for about 5 minutes. My father played with the plants more than me!! (And he looked very childish).

There was an area prepared for kids to do tree climbing, rope walking and the flying fox! It is called Forest Adventure.

We finally reached where we started. I sat down on a bench to rest. I saw Jayanthy aunty on the swing; so I decided to play on the swing too. While I was playing on the swing, I felt my stomach churning but I continued as I was having fun. After 5 minutes, we had to leave. I rode on a motorcycle with Uncle Ritesh back home. I had my moment. Bedok Reservoir is definitely a fun place.

-          Shiv Anand Patel 

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