After both our daughters were married in 2010, my wife and I travelled to many parts of India. We went to various places for sightseeing, meeting Holy men and women, visiting some of our relatives, observing silence, doing research on our charitable work and generally having a good time.
I am sixty two years old and left India to migrate to the USA in 1977. I am an NRI, whatever that means. In some quarters within India I am not qualified to talk about India. In some circles, I am considered objective. In the USA, I am looked upon as an immigrant, with all the baggage that goes with that term. Some good and some not so good!
Our travels were between June 26th, 2011 and August 31st , 2011. This is one of my observations.
Living with a Sense of Abundance
Three years ago, I called up my cousin, Chinnappa, younger than me by a few years, and requested to meet with him to know more about why he took the decision he took. A decision most of us only dream of taking. At least fifteen years ago, he decided to quit the rat race of chasing the almighty Dollar/ Rupee and instead become a full time, unpaid volunteer. It should be noted that Chinnappa , his wife and daughters are all devotees of Satya Sai Baba.
T A Sridhar (Chinnappa) is a volunteer in the truest sense of the word.
He is married, and has two daughters. His older daughter is married and the younger one is getting married on September 2, 2011.
Now, about 60 years old, he volunteers his services at the Satya Sai Hospital in Whitefield, Bangalore. Though a software engineer by training, he coordinates communication between patients and doctors at the hospital.
In response to one of my questions, he said “ I am the happiest person in the world”. Coming from a Samsari, with his share of challenges in life, it is a truly profound statement. That is why as a serious student of Vedanta, I salute him.
During a conversation I had with him last week, I mentioned his great “sacrifice” in the service of the less fortunate amongst us. Immediately he corrected me. “Shanti, the minute I think I have made a sacrifice, my ego has come into play. There is no sacrifice. It is all Bhagawan’s doing”. Chinnappa is a true, practicing Vedantin.
When it comes to money matters, either you operate from a sense of scarcity or a sense of abundance. The amount of wealth one owns has no bearing on how you operate. Chinnappa operates from a sense of abundance. I have no idea what his savings were when he decided to get off the rat race or how he plans to meet the expenses of his daughter’s wedding. He operates from a sense of abundance. Mankind is fortunate. The sick and the needy are fortunate to have a person like Chinnappa championing their cause.
Long live Chinnappa.
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