When Rajaram Shreedhar was 18 months of age, he suffered a polio attack, which left his left hand and both his legs paralyzed. His parents tried every remedy to cure him and provided all the best possible treatment available in those days. They had always hoped, prayed and believed that someday Shreedhar would walk.

He went to school until the age of 8 years. His father would often carry him there, from home. Sometimes the classes were held on the top floor, but there was no one to carry him up. He missed several classes. Those days, there was less awareness about the needs of the differently-abled and almost all schools lacked facilities to help such students. Unsurprisingly, Shreedhar had to quit school.
However, he continued to learn and through a very unlikely source – the radio. The radio helped him to ‘travel’ while staying in one place. The BBC and Deutsche Welle [Voice of Germany] were his early windows to the world.

Soon, Shreedhar took to monitoring the various overseas radio stations which needed technical feedback from the listeners to assess the broadcast in the targeted areas. This was his “window” to the outside world. Through this, he learnt to understand and speak English. He also learnt a little bit of Spanish, German and Hindi. He says, “The pain and frustrations I felt because of my condition, being unable to attend school, gradually subsided. It was quite tough, but I learnt to accept my life“.

…This cause (Maithri) that he made his own literally met him on the streets. Whenever he went out on his wheelchair pushed by a volunteer in the streets, he would come across children loitering around in groups. He says “One day I asked one of them why was he wasting his time?” They replied “We are the drop-outs from the school. No money to buy books, notebooks or pay school fees,” Shreedhar thought what (school education) was denied to him should not happen to these children also. That was when he started in a small way by helping these children by paying fees, buying school books and notebooks. This was also how he came to found Maithri.

Soon, these modest efforts at educational support started to take an organizational shape. With some of his friends contributing funds, they were able to meet the needs of a few students for an entire year. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In Chennai last week, I got a small glimpse of his wonderful work and the world of Maithri, thanks to Sh Ranganaathan. The event was Maithri’s 21st anniversary celebrations…The whole program was organised and conducted by the kids! I came just in time to watch an enchanting BharataNatyam performance..As Sh Rangaanathan-ji later mentioned to me, “all these kids are from economically deprived class, broken families, who are challenged every day for their existence”. The most remarkable thing I learnt that day was the Maithri Tuition programme – as a part of which senior kids of Maithri Trust (doing their Degree) conduct  tuition program for the kids upto 12th Std.. The tuition program is free for Maithri Trust sponsored kids, but others are charged; fees vary depending on the economic situation of the child.  This revenue is shared with the Senior students (who take the tuition) of Maithri, which ensures their interest levels & commitment to the program.

Here is a picture of me with one of the “kids”, a young Mani..a real FIGHTER..currently studying for a degree in Textile Engineering! The gentleman on my right is Sh M R Venkatesh, noted columnist and commentator from Chennai (also a very successful CA!).

It was a truly humbling experience..Pl do share and help spread awareness…and do support in whatever way you can..Thanks to Sh Ranganaathan for making this happen…Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!

Related Posts: What it means to fight – and to win. The amazing story of Niwant.. and Here’s how you empower the differently abled

I was wrong. Make it “very wrong”.

Because Dr Amrutur Srinivasan has achieved something remarkable in these 300-odd pages; something that I have not come across before. Without a doubt, this will count as one of the best books that can help someone understand “Hinduism” –particularly someone who is not a “Hindu” or has not grown up in a “Hindu” family or in the Indian milieu.

But even those who are intimate with little-known aspects of this complex philosophical and cultural “way of life” will find this book useful as a reference while responding to questions or to the curiosity of their friends or younger ones in the family.

The Book is divided in six parts, starting with Introducing Hinduism, then moving through the Hindu Pantheon, the Sacred Texts, the Rituals, Rites and Festivals before getting deeper into Hindu philosophical thought. It concludes with the delightful “The Part of Tens” section (Ten Common Questions, Ten Prayers and Ten+ Mandates) .

The sections are fairly stand-alone and therefore navigating through the book does not have to be a straight linear path. Meandering through the different sections and getting a flavor of them would be very worthwhile and enjoyable for the average reader, I think.  The first section “Introducing Hinduism” is probably the best place to start though.

It starts with an excellent introduction. The first few lines are worth quoting (emphasis added):

There are a billion plus Hindus around the world today..Still, Hinduism is not a household word in the West today. Mainstream Hinduism does not proselytize. Hindus have no interest in making you see their way because Hinduism’s fundamental belief is that God has many names. Hindus believe your way must be just as good, and that you and they will meet at the end of the journey. Hinduism lets you be. With such a detached outlook, no wonder the faith remains a mystery to most.

There are delightful nuggets of information scattered throughout the book – for example the “nugget” about Prabhasa, Vasishta and Nandini the Cow and how Prabhasa eventually “suffered” for his crime in the Battle of MahaBharat – as Bhishma – only attaining salvation after the War! Or the nugget about how Somerset Maugham took the title of his best-selling novel, “The Razor’s Edge” from the “Katha Upanishad” – from a specific passage that alludes to the path to salvation being as hard to tread and difficult to cross as a razor’s edge!

Dr Srinivasan has managed to unravel the complexity of “Hinduism” and overlay it in an easy-to-understand and very readable way. I found the explanations simple and lucid in style – particularly well suited to a student of Hinduism or to a young child. And it is worth noting that Dr Srinivasan has managed to do this without losing the essence of our ancient traditions.

Some themes and topics could have been dealt with in greater detail (such as the note on the festival of MahaShivratri) and it would have been helpful if the index was more comprehensive. But these are otherwise minor quibbles in what is an excellent compendium which will prove useful to large number of practicing Hindus – especially those living abroad – who may not have access to “in-house” knowledge that still dwells amongst our elders and in extended families in India.

For those who may not be familiar with his background, Dr Srinivasan is the primary founder and first president of the Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society. He regularly functions as a Hindu priest performing a wide variety of pujas (worships), weddings, and other ceremonies. He has written a book on traditions and rituals connected with Hindu weddings and another on the Yaksha Prashna.

Dr Srinivasan deserves kudos for this attempt to explain an extraordinarily complex subject as “Hinduism” in a lightly-worded (in the best sense of the term) 300-odd pages. I found the book engrossing and a delight to read and I am going to pass it on to my daughter after I am finished with it.

*Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book for this review.

Other Book Reviews by me: Nandan Nilekani’s “Imagining India” and Sanjeev Sabhlok’s “Breaking Free of Nehru”

Related Post: Reading the MahABhArat: DharmaRAj and Yaksha Prashna

Today we are 10,000 and more..

10,000 proud, committed and concerned Indians who are trying in their own little ways to “Reclaim India” – One Step at a Time..

This is a special and proud day for me – and it fills me wih renewed hope, faith and confidence that we will win this fight.

Thank you all for keeping the fire burning and for keeping the dream alive...

Please share this page woth your friends, family and acquaintances if you have not already done so..If all of you suggest this to just 1 of your friends, we will already be at 20,00)!

With numbers, comes strength..A BIG Thank You, धन्यवाद, ধন্যবাদ, ધન્યવાદ, ਮੇਹੇਰਬਾਨੀ, ಧನ್ಯವಾದಳು, நன்றி!… Sorry, this is a poor and incomplete attempt but I am sure you get the general idea!

Together, we will win! Jai Hind, Jai Bharat! – Shantanu

Related: 7 years and 1337 posts later..,  3 yrs, 300 posts, 900 comments… , The 1000th post and a Big “Thank You”! and Now, in “Top India News” – Thanks to YOU!

P.S. Please also have a look at “How can you help?”