Dr. Easwar Krishna Iyer’s Post

Indic reawakening will start from such places A Visit to Rishi Vatika, Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh   Rishi Vatika Gurukulam is inspired by Dr. Vedavyas, a saintly scholar. IAS by profession and vedic acharya by calling, the holy one you see in the image is credited with the discovery of 45 extra slokas of  ‘Bhagavad Gita’. Andhra University honoured him with a Doctorate for his yeomen work. Like King Janak of Ramayana, Dr. Vedavyas is a classic Karmayogi.   More about the place. Let me start with a view point !   The North End view point of the gurukul has hundreds of beautiful standalone rock formations.  Relaxing meditatively on one of those rocks, I could visualize young boys sitting in those natural peethams and chanting in unison. A rising or setting sun – the Sandhya time – would be a perfect backdrop. Incidentally ‘san’ means ‘good’ and ‘dhya’ means ‘meditate’. The spot is perfect for synchronous meditation during dawn and dusk.   Construction here uses natural bricks made of soil taken from the ashram’s own acreage. These compressed bricks are less polluting, incur no transportation, have higher strength and are wholly ‘home grown’ – Atmanirbhartha in miniature. The process also reduces the quantum of cement required for binding. Cement sector, as we know, is the 3rd largest source of industrial pollution. In Rishi Vatika, love and earth (pyaar aur mitti) are the real binders.   The rooms here are named after revered saints like Agastya, Vyasa and Vishwaamitra, imbuing a certain calmness and serenity. Food has a meditative Satvik quality. Simple, yet awesomely tasty. During my 4 years with Amrita School of Business, I had spent several days in Amma’s ashrams in various Indian cities. The Rishi Vatika food took me back to those glorious years with Amma. Dairy products from own ghoshala, farm-fresh vegetables and fruits, the place is a definition of self-sufficiency and simplicity.   In metaphor terms, I could sense milk coming to a boil in that place. Placid and still outwardly but deep bubbles building up inside. It is just a question of time before the wholesome milk spills out and soaks the valley with its pristine purity and purpose. I can sense so many Cs coming together – clairvoyance, commitment, community, clarity, calmness, change, co-creation, conciseness and copious contentment.   We are a large team of like-minded people who want to create a vast Indic ecosystem. This post aims to galvanize people to conceive another 1000 such vatikas (gardens). This is Kaliyuga and we cannot ignore another crucial C that will bind the remaining Cs together – Cash. This page is a meeting point for ideations and assistances. I would be reluctant to use the standard phrase – ‘We have a business model.’   Why?   Indic is not a business. It is a way of life. Comment on this post about other such Indic stories. Together, we build India.

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