from: Narayan T Rao narayan.t.rao@gmail.com date: 6
March 2012 22:16 subject: reply to Shri Ranganath's response to the Declaration
12:33 PM 6:37 PM
4. The largest threat before is the tolerance, nay
the protection and support to those who find fault with the Guru, within the community.
This is more than a threat—it has the potential to destroy the institution..
I have only one quote to show how threatened the
writer of this statement is, Swa bhabha swa dhama:
“Being part of Sri Aurobindo's truth and manifested
by me, there is no power on the earth or any where else in space or time
that can destroy or dissolve the ashram of the Lord, Sri Aurobindo. Such vain posturings by
small minds are merely amusing." The Mother
5. Is there is a
good reason for not communicating with the rest of the members?
The
response to this is, of course. I get a feeling that the writer is implying that he
should, at least, be consulted!
6. & 7. That is why it has been suggested
that openness and a larger body be involved in a consultative process.
The numbers of Trustees has been decided by the
Mother. When it came to the P.E.D, it was a one-man show. Did it ever occur to
anyone why, one did not react to this one-man format? Then, was one always
agreeable with the decision taken by our dear, benevolent, dictator of
P.E.D.? Today there are committees in place to help the Trust board in its
administration long before, this suggestion was given, to induct more people in
the to help the board: agriculture committee, construction committee, house
maintenance committee, Sri Aurobindo Udyog Trust, a three man committee and
many more… Thus, there are I believe, more than a few hundred people
already involved, in helping the Trust board by giving their feed-back
and suggestions for better functionality of the Ashram.
8. Whether in writing or not, this statement is sure
perfectly befitting human beings at least. This applies also to a person before
being chosen as a Trustee because… “All humans are imperfect, and
the trustees claim no exception” from the Declaration. This
statement was meant as a general thought and easily digestible saying. Trustees
are just administrators.
9. The guidance is
received in proportion to the purity and receptivity of the individual.
Anybody, following the words of our Gurus is doing
Their work, be it a coolie in a railway station, or an inmate working in a
department of Ashram or an individual trustee working for the Ashram Trust
Board. The aim of the individual determines the direction one takes in life.
“The Mother will guide them and lead them in the right direction” from the
Declaration. If we look at the present situation honestly, when the
signature drama took place a few years back, people reassured themselves that
they were in the right path by signing a letter, seeing our respected
Pranab da's signature on it. This was the divide. I do
not know who guided whom and the beginning of confusions within oneself began.
Our community is still divided. I went to Pranab da with a letter, asking him
his explanations. He gave me his personal reasons, for doing, what
he did, justifying his action. […] Manas
Ranganath Raghavan's Response to "A Declaration of
Solidarity" from A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo"
by Peter Heehs To
Jay Raichuria and Meera Gupta (Sabda)
4. The largest threat is the tolerance, nay
the protection and support to those who find fault with the Guru, within the
community. This is more than a threat—it has the potential to destroy the
institution. This cannot be envisaged in the Ashram as tolerable. There
are any number of cases where both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have acted
against individuals who had these tendencies. There are even letters that
testify to this fact, apart from information in many cases.
5. This is what many senior members like us
are asking for, “all the data in any given case” Why is there no transparency,
no openness? Is there a good reason for not communicating with the rest of the
members?
6. Best interests? How to know what that is?
Can there be no difference of opinion in this matter? Is it in the best
interests of the Ashram to act in such a manner that it attracts innumerable
court cases? Is it in the BEST interest of the Ashram to keep the Police happy
and supportive of the management in every case, whatever the merit of the case?
Is it in the interest of the Ashram to get a member of the Ashram arrested by
the police in a surreptitious manner? Can the management claim that their
actions have been always in the best interest of the Ashram? One may argue that
another management may also err and take decisions that may go against the
Ashram. That is why it has been suggested that openness and a larger body be
involved in a consultative process.
7. But this is precisely what the present management
is doing by NOT discussing issues with the others of the community, who
may have better ideas and solutions to problems that have cropped up. The final
decision can always be taken by the competent authority whoever that may be,
but why not get the issues discussed in a larger forum? Why claim exclusive
right over the final decisions without any wider consultations?
8. When the trustees state in writing that
they have been placed by Providence
9. The Mother is guiding only the trustees?
She is not guiding the others? And guidance is one thing and understanding the
guidance and acting according to it is another matter altogether. The guidance
is received in proportion to the purity and receptivity of the individual. And
when a trustee himself admits to being “confused”, can it be claimed that the
guidance is received perfectly?
www.ashramite.com We are all aware that the twin objective of every
Ashramite is to practise his or her individual sadhana, and to work in one of
the departments as per the Mother's guidelines. The Ashram Trust has done
nothing to deny or hamper either of these interconnected aims. None can say
that the environment in the Ashram is not conducive to or does not facilitate
the practice of their own sadhana. That should be our primary concern.
The need of the hour is calmness and a spirit of
tolerance and mutual respect. This is not the time to bicker over the details
of policy, or to let personal grudges and differences of opinion dictate our
course of action. The larger threat looming before us must take precedence. We
may or may not agree with every decision that the trustees take. Had we been in
their position, we may well have done things differently. At the same time we
recognize the complexity involved in any decision-making process, and that it
is easy to sit in judgement on others. In every institution it is those who
have all the pertinent facts readily at hand who are best positioned to
determine the eventual course of action that could be followed. Without access
to all the inputs that go into a decision, whatever be the issue at stake,
one's view always risks being partial and one-sided. The Mother has structured
Her institution in such a way that it is the trustees' job to take decisions,
and we must allow them the freedom to do so with the best interests of the
Ashram in mind. We have indeed the right to express our opinions, but no right
to insist that only our views are correct and have to be implemented, else how
are we any better than those we stridently criticize? All humans are imperfect,
and the trustees claim no exception. But we must trust that they are working
sincerely to the best of their abilities, and that through all the struggles
and successes, stumblings and advances, the Mother will guide them and lead
them in the right direction so that ultimately Her work is carried out and Her
goals achieved.
Those who are currently opposing the Ashram consist
of a range of figures. Some genuinely believe they are fighting for a cause.
Others may have innocently got carried away by rhetoric or unwittingly allowed
themselves to become pawns in a game they do not fully comprehend. There might
even be a few elements with axes to grind or repressed personal ambitions. Some
of us may see merit in some of the specific points these people raise. But all
these distinctions and arguments are irrelevant here. What matters is that we
place on record that we disagree with the legal challenges to the Ashram, with
attempts at mass protests and dharnas, with threats and ultimatums and forced
interventions. These were never the Mother's methods. In other words, whatever
one's views on individual issues, litigation and seeking removal of the
trustees is not the way to go. […]
from: Narayan T Rao narayan.t.rao@gmail.com date: 7 March
2012 19:34 Shri Tusar Babu,
thank you for posting my message, I got a few responses
to the post saying that the full message isnt posted. I subsequently checked it
myself.. Kindly create a link to the complete message or preferably include the
complete message on this page itself.
thanks in advance and please continue this selfless
work, which is highly appreciated in the Aurobindonian community. Kind regards Narayan T. Rao
No comments:
Post a Comment